Paper ID #12964
Introducing Students to Electronic Devices and Electric Circuit Applications
at Early Level in the Engineering Curriculum through Multiple Projects
Dr. Nesreen Alsbou , Ohio Northern University
Dr. Alsbou is an Assistant Professor at the department of Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science at Ohio Northern University. She has experience teaching a variety of classes, including:
Electric Circuits, Networks and Data Communication, Wireless Sensor Networks, Digital Logic Design,
and others. Dr. Alsbou research in the area of wireless communications is focused on designing Media
Access Control (MAC) protocols and their application in Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V) communications and
she is interested also in collision avoidance systems design and their use in the V2V communications.
In addition to the wireless research, Dr. Alsbou is collaborating with the medical imaging group at the
University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center on research projects in medical imaging. The focus of
these projects is on developing new approaches to reduce image and motion artifacts in helical, axial and
cone-beam CT imaging used in diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy. Dr. Alsbou has publications in the
ASEE National Conference and attended multiple KEEN workshops, she uses ACL, PBL and EML in her
classes. She has publications in several IEEE conferences, Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing Wiley Journal and co-authored several abstracts and journal papers in medical image processing
with more work in progress in both research areas, wireless communications and medical images.
Dr. Khalid S. Al-Olimat P.E., Ohio Northern University
Dr. Khalid S. Al-Olimat is professor and chair of the Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer
Science Department at Ohio Northern University. He obtained his BS in Electrical Engineering from Far
Eastern University in 1990, the MS in Manufacturing Engineering from Bradley University in 1994 and
his PhD in Electrical Engineering from the University of Toledo in 1999. Dr. Al-Olimat is the recipient
of Henry Horldt Outstanding Teacher Award in 2004. He is a senior member of IEEE and the chair of
IEEE-Lima section. His areas of interest are power engineering, adaptive, fuzzy and intelligent control.
Dr. Al-Olimat is a registered professional engineer in the State of Michigan.
Dr. Vladimir A Labay, Gonzaga University
Currently, Dr. Vladimir Labay is a Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Gonzaga University in Spokane, Washington, USA. Dr. Labay was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada and earned a
B.Sc.(E.E.) and M.Sc.(E.E.) from the University of Manitoba in 1987 and 1990, respectively. After graduating with a PhD from the University of Victoria in 1995, he remained in Victoria, British Columbia,
Canada as a lecturer and small business owner until he accepted an assistant professor position in 1999
at Eastern Washington University located in Cheney, Washington, USA. In 2007 and 2014, Dr. Labay
was visiting faculty at SRM University in Chennai, India and at Ohio Northern University, Ada, OH,
respectively. He has previously held adjunct professorship positions at the University of Idaho, Moscow,
Idaho, USA and at Washington State University, Pullman, Washington, USA. His research interests include modeling of and the development of microwave/millimeter-wave integrated circuit devices used in
wireless and satellite communications. For the past several years, he has been active in the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN) initiative at Gonzaga University that focuses on developing
the entrepreneurial mindset in undergraduate engineering and computer science students.
Dr. Heath Joseph LeBlanc, Ohio Northern University
Heath J. LeBlanc is an Assistant Professor in the Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer
Science Department at Ohio Northern University. He received his MS and PhD degrees in Electrical
Engineering from Vanderbilt University in 2010 and 2012, respectively, and graduated summa cum laude
with his BS in Electrical Engineering from Louisiana State University in 2007. His research interests
include cooperative control of networked multi-agent systems, resilient and fault-tolerant control, and
networked control systems. He received the Best Student Paper Award in the area of Intelligent Control
Systems and Optimization at the 2010 International Conference on Informatics in Control, Automation
c
American
Society for Engineering Education, 2015
Paper ID #12964
and Robotics, and he received an Honorable Mention Award at the 2012 International Conference on
Hybrid Systems: Computation & Control.
c
American
Society for Engineering Education, 2015
Introducing Students to Electronic Devices and Electric Circuit Applications
at Early Level in the Engineering Curriculum through Multiple Projects
Nesreen Alsbou
ECCS Department
Ohio Northern University
Ada, OH 45810
n-alsbou@onu.edu
Khalid Al-Olimat
ECCS Department
Ohio Northern University
Ada, OH 45810
k-al-olimat@onu.edu
Vladimir Labay
ECE Department
Gonzaga University
Spokane, WA 99258
labay@gonzaga.edu
Heath LeBlanc
ECCS Department
Ohio Northern University
Ada, OH 45810
h-leblanc@onu.edu
Abstract
This paper presents an approach to introduce the field of electronics to students studying
introductory electric circuits through multiple projects. In these projects the students learn about
nonlinear electronic devices such as diodes and transistors and the physical principles used in
electronic sensors such as the piezoelectric effect. In addition, students are required to apply
techniques often taught in subsequent electric circuit courses. Thus, each project introduces
material that bridges the gap between an entry-level circuits course and an electronics course.
The paper presents the details of the projects which include the project description, the learning
outcomes and their assessment, the rubrics used for evaluation of students’ work, and the lessons
learned throughout the project implementation. Additionally, the paper discusses the students’
attitude toward the project – especially learning about electronics and electric circuit
applications.
1. Introduction
Engineers are well known for their ability to solve technical problems; however in a fast,
technology-driven world, problem solving alone is not sufficient. Specifically, to educate
engineers with the ability to contribute to the creation of new products, students should be
instilled by their educational experience with the entrepreneurial mindset1. This requires that
engineering education enhance its teaching strategies by integrating entrepreneurial skills into
the curriculum. These skills benefit both the engineering graduates and the companies employing
them. A first step toward this goal is to introduce design projects into introductory courses.
Several efforts have been undertaken to integrate design projects into the introductory circuit
analysis course2,3,4. However, these efforts lack the elements of entrepreneurship.
At Ohio Northern University (ONU), the entrepreneurial mindset is integrated into the
curriculum through several avenues including a business elective class covering the principles of
entrepreneurship, a two-course introduction to engineering sequence at the freshman level, and
another two-course capstone design sequence at the senior level. However, as it is the case in
many other institutions, few entrepreneurship activities are done in the sophomore or junior
level5 leaving a huge gap between the entrepreneurial mindset concepts learned at the freshman
level and the application of these concepts at the senior level. Therefore, this paper closes this
gap by adding such activities to courses at the sophomore and junior levels.
At ONU, the introductory electric circuits course is offered at the sophomore-level. It is a four
credit hour semester course that consists of three 50-minute lectures and a 2-hour associated
laboratory each week, and is considered one of the core courses in the Electrical Engineering
curriculum. The course covers electric circuit analysis techniques in addition to certain aspects of
circuit design. The objectives of the course include circuit analysis, design, simulation, and data
gathering and analysis in the laboratory. The circuit analysis portion emphasizes proficiency in
the analysis of DC and AC circuits, which include circuits theorems and analysis techniques,
operational amplifiers, first-order transient analysis, ideal transformers, and balanced three-phase
circuits. The design objectives in the course include design and construction of simple circuits
based on given specifications. The lab component of the course emphasizes competence in the
simulation of circuits with PSPICE, safely constructing electric circuits, and obtaining
experimental data through bench measurements using oscilloscopes and digital multi-meters.
The course is required for students majoring in Electrical, Computer, and Mechanical
Engineering, Engineering Education, and is an elective course for Civil Engineering students.
Depending on their major, students are introduced to the subject of electronics in a separate
course (if at all). This leaves the students with the question of “How does the theory and analysis
methods learned in electric circuits class relate to real-world applications?”
The authors believe a project based learning approach assists the students to achieve the
following goals: a) work in multi-disciplinary teams, b) perform an independent research study,
c) analyze the functionality of a given circuit and propose alternative designs, d) simulate the
circuit using PSPICE, construct circuit on breadboard, e) test the functionality of the circuit, f)
build a PCB prototype, and g) perform market analysis for the manufacturing of the circuit. The
expected outcomes of the given project agree with the skills of an entrepreneurially minded
engineer, as specified by the Kern Family Foundation, that are believed to contribute to the
ability of an engineer to develop breakthrough innovation6. These outcomes are: effective
collaboration and communication, persisting and learning from failure, solving problems, and
effective project management.
The paper is organized in the following order: Section 2 presents the projects’ descriptions and
Section 3 presents deliverables and grading. Section 4 presents samples from teams’ work for the
different circuits. Project outcomes and assessment are described in Section 5, while Section 6
presents the related ABET student outcomes. A description of students’ attitude toward the
project is covered in section 7, and conclusions are presented in section 8.
2. Project Descriptions
The project was given to electric circuits students as an extra credit. In previous years only one
project was given to all interested students in all sections of the course7,8, however, this year a
list of four projects was provided. In addition, a research component was added to each project
description to introduce students to the field of electronics. As a requirement for participation,
students were asked to create fictitious companies and form interdisciplinary teams of two to
four students (from at least two different majors). Each team was asked to rank each project from
1 to 4 with 1 being their first choice and 4 being their least favorite. The list of projects and their
descriptions are given below.
Project #1: Car’s Anti-Theft Circuit
The objective of this project is to design a car theft alarm system. The alarm system has multiple
switches connected to different locations to secure the car. For simplicity, the students used a
circuit with only two switches (for example, the two switches can be connected to the two front
doors). The circuit is shown in Figure 1. The circuit components include resistors, diodes, bipolar
junction transistors (NPN and PNP), capacitors, speakers and switches.
Figure 1: Car’s Anti-Theft Circuit9.
Project #2: Accelerometer Circuit
This project objective is to develop an accelerometer-type op amp circuit which can be used to
deploy an automobile air bag in a collision. The circuit development was carried out using the
PSPICE simulator. The base parts for the circuit are a piezoelectric sensor, a single non-inverting
operational amplifier circuit and a load/trigger circuit. The sensor is a piezoelectric sensor (e.g.,
quartz and barium) which produces a voltage when the crystal is strained. The circuit must
deliver a signal that activates the deployment of the air bag within the first 10 ms of the collision.
The circuit must be evaluated for piezoelectric sensor signals generated for both crash and
normal acceleration/deceleration of the automobile. The accelerometer type op-amp circuit is
shown in Figure 2.
Figure 2: Accelerometer type op-amp circuit.
Project #3: Car’s Overheating Temperature Alarm circuit
The objective of this project is to design an overheating temperature alarm. The circuit for the
system is shown in Figure 3. The alarm system utilizes a thermistor, which is a variable
resistance that varies significantly with temperature. If the temperature is too high, the red LED
illuminates; if the temperature is within normal operating temperature range, the green LED
illuminates.
Figure 3: Temperature Alarm Circuit
Project #4: Personal Belonging Security Alarm Circuit
This project objective is to design a circuit to prevent theft of personal belonging items in
crowded places such as airports and restaurants by alerting the owner whenever their belongings
are about to be stolen. The circuit remains inactive as long as the item (such as a travel bag,
purse, laptop bag, etc.) is next to the person where the pin is attached. The circuit is activated
when the item is pulled away due to the opening of the circuit. This action turns ON the mini
loudspeaker, which is fed with an alternating signal of audio frequency. The signal vibrates the
loud speaker at an audio frequency to alert about the possible theft. The circuit is shown in
Figure 4.
Figure 4: Personal belongings Security Alarm Circuit9
Each team, represented by their fictitious company, is required to design, build and test one
circuit through bidding for the opportunity to produce the chosen circuit for a customer (in this
case, the instructor). Each company pitches a proposal in an effort to convince the customer that
their circuit is the best engineering design that balances functionality and cost. Each company
must provide evidence to support their claims.
3. Project Deliverables and Grading
The first deliverable requires each company to conduct research and understand the functionality
of all the electronic components of their selected circuit. Some of these components such as
diodes, transistors, thermistors and sensors are not introduced in the electric circuits class, so the
student must read about those components and understand how they function. Students submit a
detailed explanation of the components of the circuit and describe the overall functionality of the
selected circuit.
For the second deliverable, the teams provide an alternative design solution along with an
explanation comparing the advantages and disadvantages of the original design to their alternate
solution. Obviously, the alternative design must meet the customer’s needs. The company then
compiles a product proposal, which includes a bill of materials, cost analysis (including labor in
a break-even analysis based on monthly production), circuit design and simulation, testing plan,
layout of PCB and packaging schematic, and delivery time. Additionally, a prototype of the
design must be built and tested according to the test plan. The students are asked to build their
circuit using a breadboard. They are given the opportunity to fabricate PCBs for their working
prototype. Below is a list of the specific deliverables for the project:
1. 2-3 pages that cover the functionality of each component in the selected circuit along
with the explanation of components integration and interaction to show the functionality
of the whole circuit. In addition, teams have to provide an alternative design solution that
results with the same functionality per customer specifications.
2. 7-12 pages written proposal with PSPICE simulation.
3. Circuit prototype with specification sheet (attached to proposal).
4. 5-minute pitch and PowerPoint poster for the team to sell their product.
The project was graded based on the following elements:
1. Students’ understanding of the functionality of the circuit elements, and their integration
and interaction.
2. Creativity and ingenuity of the team in proposing an alternative solution.
3. Cost of the project.
4. The comprehensiveness of the test plan.
5. The team ability to effectively communicate and sell the product to the customer.
The project was worth up to 5-point (percentage) bonus added to the final grade of the team
members. The winning team of each selected circuit advanced to a second round of pitches and
the overall winning team received an additional 1-point (percentage) bonus added to their final
grade. In addition, the winning team will present their work in an ASEE section conference
meeting.
4. Sample Student Work
Most students who participated in this project were able to finish the assigned work successfully.
They submitted all required materials and delivered a pitch presentation for their selected circuit.
Figure 5 shows a group’s proposed schematic for a car’s overheating temperature alarm circuit.
Figure 5: Sample of Group Proposed Car’s Overheating Temperature Alarm circuit
Figure 6 captures a team testing a thermistor for the car’s overheating temperature alarm circuit
using a heat gun. A bill of material and cost analysis from the same team are shown in Figures 7
and 8 respectively. Figure 9 shows the prototype samples of a car’s anti-theft alarm circuit and a
personal belonging security alarm circuit. A sample of a team constructing and testing their
circuit on a breadboard is shown in Figure 10. Figure 11 shows a team poster for a pitch
presentation and Figure 12 presents a group photo for the final pitch presentation.
Figure 6: Sample of Group Testing Thermistor for the Car’s Overheating Temperature
Figure 7: Sample of Cost Analysis for Car’s Overheating Temperature Alarm circuit
Figure 8: Sample of Bill of Material for Car’s Overheating Temperature Alarm circuit
Car’s Anti-Theft Alarm
Personal Belonging Security Alarm
Figure 9: Prototype samples
Figure 10: Sample of Group Constructing and Testing their Circuit on a Breadboard for
Car’s Anti-Theft Alarm Circuit
Figure 11: Sample of Poster for Pitch Presentation
Figure 12: Sample of a team at Final Pitch for Car’s Anti-Theft Alarm Circuit.
5. Outcomes and Assessment
There were 52 participating students organized in a total of 14 teams. The teams consisted of 2-4
students from at least two different majors. Each circuit was selected by multiple teams. Table 1
shows the number of students per major while Table 2 shows the distribution of the teams per
circuit.
Table 1: Participating Students Broken Down by Major
Major
No. of Students
Electrical Engineering
12
Computer Engineering
5
Mechanical Engineering
32
Engineering Education
2
Civil Engineering
1
Table 2: Groups Broken Down by Circuits
Circuit
No. of Groups
Car’s Anti-Theft Alarm
4
Car’s Accelerometer
3
Car’s Overheating Temperature Alarm
3
Personal Belonging Security Alarm
4
As mentioned earlier, the project was an extra credit project and it was worth up to 5-point
(percentage) bonus added to the final grade. The winning team of each circuit, had the chance to
compete in a second round and the ultimate winner in the second round had one additional bonus
point for a total of 6 points (percentage). The project grade breakdown is: 60% for the written
report, 30% for the pitch, and 10% for the poster. The rubric used for the written report
assessment is shown in Figure 13. The elements evaluated in the written report include the
overall quality of the report, the research of circuit components and explanations of the overall
circuit’s functionality, deliverables related to manufacturability, deliverables related to cost
estimate and delivery, and design functionality. The assessment results are shown in Table 3.
Figure 13: Written Report Rubric
Table 3: Assessment of the written proposals showing number of groups in each category
Meets
Expectations
Proficient
Overall quality of the report
7
7
Research individual circuit’s
parts and explanations of the
overall circuit’s functionality
8
6
Category
Does Not Meet
Expectations
Developing
Deliverables related to
manufacturability
3
6
5
Deliverables related to cost
estimate and delivery
4
6
4
3
5
4
Design functionality
2
The rubric used for the pitch assessment is shown in Figure 14. The pitch assessment
concentrates on elements that include argument, rhetoric, and connection with audience, pricing,
delivery, prototype, and testing plans, and device functionality and optimality. The result of the
pitch assessment is shown in Table 4.
Figure 14: Pitch Rubric
Table 4: Assessment of the pitches showing number of groups in each category
Category
Does Not Meet
Expectations
Developing
Meets
Expectations
Proficient
Argument, Rhetoric,
and Connection with
Audience
1
2
8
3
Pricing
1
3
6
4
Delivery, Prototype,
and Testing Plans
2
3
6
3
Device Functionality
and Optimality
2
2
5
5
The assessment of the posters is based on evaluating the team’s organization and content,
audience anticipation, and aesthetics. The rubric used for the poster evaluation is shown in
Figure 15 and the result of the poster assessment is shown in Table 5.
Figure 15: Poster Rubric
Table 5: Assessment of the posters showing number of groups in each category
Category
Organization &
Content
Audience
Anticipation
Aesthetics
Does Not Meet
Expectations
Developing
Meets
Expectations
Proficient
1
3
6
4
1
1
10
2
1
2
7
4
6. Related ABET Students Outcomes
By completing this project, the students experienced how they can work in multidisciplinary teams
to achieve a common goal and they gained knowledge in analysis and circuit design. They
expanded their knowledge by researching electronic components that was not part of their electric
circuits class. The project activity supports ABET student outcomes, a, b, c, d, e, g, i and k.
7. Students Attitude Toward the Project
The participating students were excited about the different circuits in the project and the
applications of these circuits in real life. They had a positive attitude toward working on the
project and arranged themselves into interdisciplinary groups and decided which circuit they
would design. They distributed the tasks between them and arranged for meetings and organized
their time throughout the project. Many groups finished the project and submitted all required
material on time. During this project, many of the groups visited different professors in the
department; they asked questions and discussed their ideas and approaches for the project. This
gave the students the chance to interact with professors and present their findings and proposed
ideas. The assessment data shown in Tables 3, 4, and 5 for the assessment of written proposal,
pitches and posters, respectively, shows that the majority of the students did very well in the
project as they are listed in the categories of “meets expectations” and “proficient”.
8. Conclusions
By completing this project, the students from this class had the chance to interact with students
from different disciplines and learn the circuit design process. The students applied the theory
they learned in the class to design circuits used in practical applications. It provided the students
a chance to expand their knowledge beyond the material learned in the class. They have learned
about fundamental electronic devices such as diodes, transistors, thermistor and piezoelectric
sensors. In the process of the project, they applied techniques often taught in subsequent courses.
The authors believe that, this project is effective in introducing students to electronics and
bridging the gap between electric circuits and electronics courses. Furthermore, the students
enhanced their communication, writing and presentation skills and used the information learned
in the introduction to engineering course in freshman year to do market analysis for their circuit
application in sophomore year. Being engaged in this project the students are introduced to the
entrepreneurial mindset and its relation to design and fabrication in the real world.
Acknowledgments
This work has been supported in part by the Kern Family Foundation through the KEEN (Kern
Entrepreneurial Engineering Network) institutional grant awarded to Ohio Northern University.
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