Course Assessment
Report
College of Engineering, The University of Iowa
(Revised 6 May 2009)
Course # and Name: ENGR:2120 (059:008) Fund. of Engineering II: Electrical Circuits (3 s.h.)
I. Course Goals and Program Outcomes
Indicate the Program Outcomes associated with each Course Learning Goal along with
the extent (moderate or substantial) of these associations
Course Learning Goal
Program Outcome
1. Application of Ohm’s Law and Kirchhoff’s Laws to resistive circuits.
2. Analysis of resistive circuits using node and loop analysis.
3. Modeling of ideal operational amplifiers and analysis of basic op-amp configurations.
4. Determination of the Thévenin equivalent of a circuit.
5. Simplification and analysis of circuits using source transformations and superposition.
6. Use of SPICE to describe and analyze circuits.
7. Characterization of capacitors and inductors.
8. Computation of the transient response of single capacitor or inductor circuits.
9. Representation of sinusoidal signals in the frequency domain using phasors.
10. Computation of impedance and analysis of AC circuits in the frequency domain.
11. Formulation of basic voltage and current relationships in transformers.
a(●), b(●)
a(●), e(●)
a(●), c(●), k(●)
a(●), c(●), e(●)
a(●), e(●)
a(●), b(●), c(●), k(●)
a(●)
a(●), e(●)
a(●)
a(●), c(●), e(●)
a(●)
Notes: ○ denotes moderate contribution to the outcome ● denotes substantial contribution to the outcome
II. Program Outcomes (provided for reference).
New graduates from the College of Engineering Undergraduate Programs will have:
(a) an ability to apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering
(b) an ability to design and conduct experiments, as well as to analyze and interpret data
(c) an ability to design a system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as
economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability
(d) an ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams
(e) an ability to identify, formulate, and solve engineering problems
(f) an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
(g) an ability to communicate effectively
(h) the broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic,
environmental, and societal context
(i) a recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in life-long learning
(j) a knowledge of contemporary issues
(k) an ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
Recent Course History
Semester and Instructor: Sp 2015 (Section 0AAA), Assoc. Prof. Mark Andersland, ECE Dept.
Coordinator: Professor Anton Kruger, ECE Dept.
Student Head Count: 62 at course completion
Teaching Assistants Head Count and FTE: 3 TAs (.75 FTE)
Textbook: Electric Circuits, 10th Ed, Nilsson/Riedel, MasteringEngineering ver, Pearson, 2014.
Catalog Description: ENGR:2120 (059:008) Fundamentals of Engineering II: Electrical
Circuits 3 s.h. Kirchhoff’s laws and network theorems; analysis of DC circuits; first order
transient response; sinusoidal steady-state analysis; elementary principles of circuit
design. Corequisite: MATH:2560 (22M:034) .
Semester and Instructor: Sp 2015 (Section 0BBB), Prof. D. Andersen, ECE Dept.
Coordinator: Professor Anton Kruger, ECE Dept.
Student Head Count: 89 at course completion
Teaching Assistants Head Count and FTE: 3 TAs (.75 FTE)
Textbook: Basic Engineering Circuit Analysis, 11th Ed, Irwin/Nelms, Wiley, 2015.
Catalog Description: ENGR:2120 (059:008) Fundamentals of Engineering II: Electrical
Circuits 3 s.h. Kirchhoff’s laws and network theorems; analysis of DC circuits; first order
transient response; sinusoidal steady-state analysis; elementary principles of circuit
design. Corequisite: MATH:2560 (22M:034) .
Semester and Instructor: Fall 2014 (Section 0AAA), Assoc. Prof. Mark Andersland, ECE Dept.
Coordinator: Professor Anton Kruger, ECE Dept.
Student Head Count: 142 at course completion
Teaching Assistants Head Count and FTE: 8 TAs (1.25 FTE + 1 FTE from ITS)
Textbook: Electric Circuits, 10th Ed, Nilsson/Riedel, MasteringEngineering ver, Pearson, 2014.
Catalog Description: ENGR:2120 (059:008) Fundamentals of Engineering II: Electrical
Circuits 3 s.h. Kirchhoff’s laws and network theorems; analysis of DC circuits; first order
transient response; sinusoidal steady-state analysis; elementary principles of circuit
design. Corequisite: MATH:2560 (22M:034) .
Semester and Instructor: Fall 2014 (Section 0BBB), Prof. D. Andersen, ECE Dept.
Coordinator: Professor Anton Kruger, ECE Dept.
Student Head Count: 159 at course completion
Teaching Assistants Head Count and FTE: 5 TAs (1.25 FTE)
Textbook: Basic Engineering Circuit Analysis, 11th Ed, Irwin/Nelms, Wiley, 2015.
Catalog Description: ENGR:2120 (059:008) Fundamentals of Engineering II: Electrical
Circuits 3 s.h. Kirchhoff’s laws and network theorems; analysis of DC circuits; first order
transient response; sinusoidal steady-state analysis; elementary principles of circuit
design. Corequisite: MATH:2560 (22M:034) .
Semester and Instructor: Sp 2014, Assoc. Prof. R. Mudumbai, ECE Dept.
Coordinator: Professor Anton Kruger, ECE Dept.
Student Head Count: 126 at course completion
Teaching Assistants Head Count and FTE: 5 TAs (0.75 FTE)
Textbook: Basic Engineering Circuit Analysis,10th Ed, Irwin/Nelms,WileyPLUS ver, Wiley,2011.
Catalog Description: ENGR:2120 (059:008) Fundamentals of Engineering II: Electrical
Circuits 3 s.h. Kirchhoff’s laws and network theorems; analysis of DC circuits; first order
transient response; sinusoidal steady-state analysis; elementary principles of circuit
design. Corequisite: MATH:2560 (22M:034) .
III. Assessment
Part A. Log of Recent Improvements, Recommendations and Comments. Append a
brief, dated, summary of improvements and recommendations made during the current
offering along with motivations and significant comments. If the course is meeting its
objectives and no comments are needed, say this. Six year and older entries may be deleted.
Spring 2015 (Andersland, Section 0AAA) – Like the fall 2014 0AAA section, the spring 2015
0AAA section was “flipped” (see below). Unlike the fall section, it was flipped in a 75 seat
active learning “TILE” classroom in which students sat, surrounded by large video screens, at
spacious round tables outfitted with microphones and laptops. Access to classroom
microphones and laptops was not essential (students brought their own laptops), but the
multiple screens, and study-group-like seating greatly enhanced both student-to-student and
student-instructor interactions. As possible, all future flipped versions of the course should be
taught in “active-learning”-like settings like this. Content wise, only minor changes were
made. In particular: 1) the number of daily in-class exercises and homework exercises were
reduced; and 2) transient, and phasor, SPICE homework problems were introduced.
Spring 2015 (Andersen, Section 0BBB) – The course was taught from Irwin/Nelms 11th
Edition, 2015. Op-amps and pspice were not covered, but otherwise the course followed the
standard syllabus. All exam questions but those dealing with op-amps were shared with
section 0AAA. The automated cheating detection mechanisms developed in fall 2011 (i.e.,
administering multiple versions and then screening for copying) were continued and seem to
be discouraging cheating as none was detected. Overall the course continues to meet its
objectives.
Fall 2014 (Andersland, Section 0AAA) – This section of ENGR:2120 was “flipped” in a
conventional 150 student lecture hall (101 BBE), i.e., in-class lectures were moved out of class
to free up time to practice applying the lectures’ content in class. The intent was to refocus
class, instructor, and TA time on actively helping students learn how to solve circuits problems
rather than simply passively lecturing about how to do so. The course covered the same topics
as the conventional course, including: op-amps (1 wk), linear and ideal transformers (1 wk),
and steady-state sinusoidal power (1 wk). Multisim SPICE problems were assigned, but no
class time was devoted to explaining SPICE. Instead, the TAs worked examples in discussion.
Because Pearson offers a richer on-line problem solving platform than Wiley, to better support
the flip, the course text was changed from Wiley’s Irwin/Nelms 10th ed to Pearson’s
Nilsson/Riedel 10th ed.
Class Structure: Prior to each class, students were asked to complete one or more of the
following pre-class activities: read the text material on the topic to be covered; preview the 2-3
power point slides to be used to give a “mini lecture” on the topic at the beginning of the next
class; view one or more, 3-7 minute, lecture videos on the topic; view one or more related, 3-7
minute, problem solving videos; review, related, on-line tutorials; or work, related, interactive,
on-line problems. Anecdotally, the preferred activities were, reading the text, reviewing the
power points, and viewing the problem solving videos. In class, the first 10 minutes were
devoted to my “mini-lecture”. The remaining time was spent cooperatively solving, in small,
self-organized groups, with instructor and TA help, 4-5 problem, in-class assignments,
distributed, submitted, and automatically graded, using Pearson’s on-line MasteringEngineering platform. Students accessed these problems, which were generally numeric (solve
for a current) or symbolic (write a KCL equation), via their smartphones or laptops. The same
platform was used to distribute all homework assignments. Although every student’s problems
were of the same form, every student’s parameters were different. So, when collaborating,
students talked about how to solve specific problems, not specific solutions. While students
complained that the traditional, 157 seat, auditorium in which the course was taught was too
cramped for effective collaborative work, and that the course required 2-3 more work hours per
week than conventional classes, most felt that they learned more in the flipped course than they
would have in a conventional course.
Recommendations: 1) To better foster active learning, teach subsequent versions of the flipped
course in classrooms in which students sit at tables, or in chairs that swivel, e.g., TILE
classrooms, 2) To help students feel less pressured in class, reduce the number of problems
worked and credit awarded for in-class assignments, and 3) To better catch
MasteringEngineering problem issues before class, and to improve the in-class help provided
by TAs, require TAs to work all in-class problems prior to class.
Fall 2014 (Andersen, Section 0BBB) – The course was taught from Irwin/Nelms 11th
Edition, 2015. Op-amps and pspice were not covered, but otherwise the course followed the
standard syllabus. All exam questions but those dealing with op-amps were shared with
section 0AAA. The automated cheating detection mechanisms developed in fall 2011 (i.e.,
administering multiple versions and then screening for copying) were continued and seem to
be discouraging cheating as none was detected. Overall the course continues to meet its
objectives.
Spring 2014 (Mudumbai) – The course was taught from Irwin/Nelms 10th using WileyPlus
(online) version. The WileyPLUS systems were chosen because it is touted as an economical
alternative to the printed text. However, there were several technical problems with
homework submission, and both students and the instructor were disappointed with the
system. The vast majority of students in the class were non-electrical majors and some
students seemed unenthusiastic about the course. The problems with WileyPlus
compounded this. A recommendation would be to use a hardcopy textbook until problems
with WileyPlus are resolved. The instructor recorded lectures using the UICapture
service (its.uiowa.edu/uicapture) and made them available as steaming and podcasts.
Regarding SPICE, Prof. Mudumbai arranged for a guest instructor (Prof. A. Kruger)
for this. He gave an overview of SPICE and demonstrated how to solve some of their
homework problems with MicroCap SPICE.
Fall 2013 (Bai, Andersen, Thedens) There were three sections: two were taught in the
traditional manner, and the third section, taught by Prof. Bai, was experimental. In
particular, the following were added:
1) Motivational material and material on real-world application of circuits.
• This included videos from Youtube and others on applications of various
sensors and actuators based on the electrical circuits in electrical engineering,
chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, civil engineering, and
biomedical engineering.
• A number of actual devices specially made for the classes were demonstrated,
including a camera flash light made by a resistor and a capacitor, resistive touch
pad screen, audio synthesizer, dimer light, hand-gesture controlled sound,
synthetically generated audio, and others.
2) More review material.
• After-class exercises with detailed steps were available in ICON for each
chapter. These materials were additional examples that were not discussed
during the classes.
• Some class videos were generated and stored in ICON so students could view the
classes as many times as they would like after the class.
Assessments:
1) The students generally appreciated motivational and application materials that
directly relate the course material to their majors.
2) To fairly assess if these materials contributed to student learning, it was decided at
the beginning of the semester by all three instructors that all three sections have the
same pace of teaching, the same homework assignments, mid-term exams, and final
exam. The students in the experimental section seemed not to like the idea. The
added material reduced instruction time for the theoretical part, so that the pace in
the new section had to be little faster than the other two sections. This caused
difficulties for the bottom half of the students in the experimental section.
Suggestions:
Introducing motivational and application material seemed like a good idea and was
generally well-received by the students. However, this necessitated faster-paced
lectures with respect to the theoretical material. For future course offerings, if the
motivational/application materials are retained, some topics in the current coverage
have to be removed or shortened.
Spring 2013 (Andersland) – The course was taught from Irwin/Nelms 10th Edition. Aside
from covering transformers (10.1-10.3) before power analysis (9.1-9.4) no changes were
made to the standard syllabus. Assessment scores show slight declines in students’
performance on goal 3, operational amplifiers, goal 5, source transformations and
superposition, goal 9, use of phasors, goal 10, AC analysis, and goal 11, transformers. Not
sure why, as the course materials and lectures closely mirrored the fall 2012 course
offering. Reducing the material to be covered, improving student background in complex
numbers or perhaps “flipping” select sections could all be viable approaches to improving
student scores. One clearly positive change: after seats were assigned for all three
exams, the “likely cheating instances” detected by our post-exam statistical scans
dropped substantially. Overall the course continues to meet its objectives.
Fall 2012 (Andersland/Andersen) – The course was taught from Irwin/Nelms 10th Edition.
No changes were made to the standard syllabus. In particular, op-amp sections (4.1-4.3)
were covered, and DC, transient and AC Multisim10 exercises were included, as the nonEEs’ curriculums’ expect coverage of both. The optional design exercise component of the
course (five open-ended homework design problems) was dropped, and some end-ofsemester material on transformers was omitted to free up more time for traditionally
difficult sections on phasors and AC analysis. Student course-goal performance improved for
all goals except for goal 4 “Determination of the Thévenin equivalent of a circuit”, goal 6,
“Use of SPICE to describe and analyze circuits” and goal 11, “Formulation of basic voltage
and current relationships in transformers.” The problem in the goal 4 and goal 11 cases is
likely that in our focus on spending more time on phasors and AC analysis, goals 4 and 11
got less attention. The lower score for goal 5 seems to reflect the fact that a good number
of students simply didn’t attempt the SPICE problems. Despite its drawbacks, principally
the ready web-availability of free and for-fee solution outlines, homework was once again
assigned using the Irwin/Nelms text’s WileyPlus on-line supplement to algorithmically
generate unique numbers for each student’s problem assignments and provide students with
opportunities to check their answers (up to five times) prior to homework submission.
Students do like the instantaneous feedback it provides. With respect to previous
recommendations: (1) video Multisim tutorials put together by the CoE electronics shop were
used to reduce the class time spent explaining the software. (2) the automated cheating
detection mechanisms developed in fall 2011 were continued – unfortunately the incidence of
detected cheating did not fall. To further combat the problem it may be necessary to begin
assigning exam seats and (3), as noted above, to free up more time for phasors and AC
analysis less time was spent on other topics. Overall the course continues to meet its
objectives.
Spring 2012 (Thedens) –
Fall 2011 (Andersland) – The course was taught from Irwin/Nelms 10th Edition. Aside from
covering transformers (10.1-10.3) before power analysis (9.1-9.4), and incorporating five
small design exercises into homework, no changes were made to the standard syllabus.
In particular, op-amp sections (4.1-4.3) were covered as the non-EEs’ curriculums’ expect
coverage. The for-fee Wiley-plus supplement was not used as its videos are available for
free elsewhere on the Wiley site and its algorithmic versions of the text’s problems add
little value given the ready web-availability of free and for-fee solutions (e.g. at
cramster.com). To discourage students from copying these solutions homeworks were
assembled from pre-9th edition Irwin/Nelms problems. NI Multisim 11.0 was adopted as the
SPICE platform because, now that the CoE has a license, it will be used in all
subsequent circuits courses. Recommendations: (1) Brief Multisim tutorials tailored to
059:008 should be identified/developed and shared because the text provides none and giving
Multisim “how-to” lectures does not make sense given that the lecture time is needed for
other topics (see 3). Additionally, the possibility of using Multisim’s simulation capability (a
feature distinct from SPICE) to enhance lectures or introduce virtual labs to homeworks
should be considered. (2) Given that fall enrollment may soon reach 400+ (it was 350
earlier this semester), thought must be given to improving the efficiency, fairness and
security of midterms (the incidence of cheating was noticeably higher this semester with
six cases forwarded on to the Dean). Adoption of some of chemistry, physics and
biology’s approaches (e.g., machine grading with automated cheating detection, multiple test
versions, ID checks and assigned seating) may be helpful. (3) To improve students’ phasor,
frequency domain and transformer competencies (objectives 8-10) we need to somehow find
more time for these topics. As all the easy cuts (e.g., wye-delta, non-ideal and RC-op
amps, 2nd order circuits and the latter halves of the power analysis and transformer
chapters) have been made, the only way forward I see is to reduce the time spent on ad hoc
analysis in chapter 2, to push the “how-to” SPICE lectures to discussion and tutorials,
and to only discuss max power transfer in the more general steady-state case (i.e., subsume
5.4 in 9.3). Alternatively, if the non-EE departments agree, we could drop op-amps
altogether as past instructors have suggested. Overall the course continues to meet its
objectives.
Spring 2011 (Thedens/Biechel) – Although the recommendation of the previous offering
was to remove the Op-Amp section of 59:008, this material continued to be covered here.
The limitations identified in the Fall 2010 are accurate, though it should be considered
whether the FE exam expects knowledge of this material at this level of detail. The 10th
edition of Irwin/Nelms was available, and so the course was taught with either textbook
being acceptable. Homeworks were written from scratch (not taking problems from either
textbook), and the textbook changes between 9th and 10th editions are largely cosmetic. The
online components provided by the publisher were not directly used during the semester, as
there did not appear to be significant demand from the students. With the update to the 10th
edition, the SPICE related material for the course should be evaluated in light of changes to
the textbook. The printed textbook has eliminated any SPICE components, leaving these
to the online materials. While there are multiple products described in these online
materials, the software available on the Engineering workstations (MicroCap) is not
among them. The MicroCap software used here is sufficient for our purposes (and a
version for students can be downloaded free), but continued use may require some
supplemental reference/help material. The size of section BBB permitted the use of the
electronic classroom for demonstrations, which was helpful, but the AAA section was too
large for this to be practical. As a result, students weren’t very familiar with the
software and in a larger than average number of cases did not complete the SPICE related
portions of homework, partly as a result of its small contribution to the overall grade.
Fall 2010 (Andersen/Beichel) – No changes made to standard syllabus. We recommend that
the Op- Amp section of 59:009 be removed from this course and added to the instrumentation
course. The op- amps are an instrumentation topic and better taught there. Further it is not
possible to do a good job with the op-amp material due to limited time constraints.
Teaching only the ideal op-amp material does not give the students an adequate
perspective on these devices and can be misleading. For example, the important
considerations in biasing these devices are not discussed at all and without that
understanding, students will not be able to develop functional op-amp designs.
Spring 2010 (Thedens) – This course covers fundamental material whose foundations are
largely unchanged over the years. It has a lengthy history with the same reference
textbook series and continued to be taught using a traditional approach. Lecture followed
the outline of the textbook with some non-textbook examples added to elucidate concepts
that are more difficult for students and approach them from a different (e.g. design)
perspective. Homework problem sets are assigned for practice on these concepts.
Occasional quizzes were given to help students assess their own progress. The primary
assessment was the written exams (two midterms and one final exam). Given that there is no
laboratory component, this model seems to still be adequate. For this semester, homework
problems were prepared by the instructor rather than taking problems from the textbook,
though problems were largely inspired by those in the text. This had several beneficial
outcomes. The first was that it permitted students to use either the 8th or 9th edition of the
textbook at a cost savings to them, since the material in the two editions has changed
very little. Second, it prevented some 'shortcuts' for students on the homework problems,
as solutions to the existing textbook exercises are ubiquitous on the internet. Finally, it
permitted some greater variety in the type of questions asked and the approach to the solution,
as the textbook suffers from a certain sameness to many of the problems. As has been the
case in previous semesters, even with the required prerequisites many students were not
especially comfortable with differential equations or complex numbers. I typically (in
response to questions) did some off-the-cuff review, particularly of polar/rectangular
relationships in complex numbers. Some supplemental material on complex numbers
and/or first-order differential equations may be helpful for many students. The version of
SPICE in the computer labs no longer matched what was in the textbook. The textbook uses
PSPICE, while the engineering computers use MicroCap (the student/demo version). The
student version of MicroCap was better supported by the software company (PSPICE was
technically no longer available) and there were some additional on-line resources to cover
what was not in the textbook. This version also felt more up-to-date than the aging version of
PSPICE, so overall this was a positive.
Fall 2009 (Andersen/Kruger) – No changes made to standard syllabus. We recommend that
the Op- Amp section of 59:009 be removed from this course and added to the instrumentation
course. The op- amps are an instrumentation topic and better taught there. Further it is not
possible to do a good job with the op-amp material due to limited time constraints.
Teaching only the ideal op-amp material does not give the students an adequate
perspective on these devices and can be misleading. For example, the important
considerations in biasing these devices are not discussed at all and without that
understanding, students will not be able to develop functional op-amp designs.
Spring 2009 (Thedens) –
Part B. Quantitative Assessment Results. Enter in the table below an assessment of the
percentage of passing students achieving mastery (B+ to A+ level achievement),
competency (C- to B level achievement) or exposure (D- to D+ level achievement) for each
course learning goal.
To make room for the leftmost “new” entry, delete the rightmost “old” entry.
Course Learning Goal And
Assessment Basis
1. Application of Ohm’s Law and Kirchhoff’s
Laws to resistive circuits.
(assessment basis: related exam ques. scores)
2. Analysis of resistive circuits using node and
loop analysis.
(assessment basis: related exam ques. scores)
3. Modeling of ideal operational amplifiers and
analysis of basic op-amp configurations.
(assessment basis: related exam ques. scores)
4. Determination of the Thévenin equivalent of
M
C
E
M
C
E
M
C
E
M
Sp15
A
64
31
5
45
53
2
65
24
11
24
Sp15
B
F14
A
43
52
5
31
59
10
65
25
10
21
F14
B
Sp14
F13
Sp13
50
45
5
52
45
3
40
45
15
15
55
38
7
50
44
6
35
50
15
10
53
44
3
60
34
6
34
31
35
14
a circuit.
(assessment basis: related exam ques. scores)
5. Simplification and analysis of circuits using
source transformations and superposition.
(assessment basis: related exam ques. scores)
C
57
58
E
19
21
M
37
30
C
61
66
E
2
4
6. Use of SPICE to describe and analyze
M
45
75
circuits.
C
42
11
(assessment basis: SPICE hw exercise scores)
E
13
4
7. Characterization of capacitors and inductors. M
45
41
(assessment basis: related exam ques. scores) C
50
56
E
5
3
8. Computation of the transient response of
M
48
39
single capacitor or inductor circuits.
C
48
58
(assessment basis: related exam ques. scores) E
4
3
9. Representation of sinusoidal signals in the
M
23
43
frequency domain using phasors.
C
73
39
(assessment basis: related exam ques. scores) E
14
18
10. Computation of impedance and analysis of M
29
16
AC circuits in the frequency domain.
C
60
67
(assessment basis: related exam ques. scores) E
11
17
11. Formulation of basic voltage and current
M
26
15
relationships in transformers.
C
66
62
(assessment basis: related exam ques. scores) E
8
23
(* = outcome of a single multiple choice question)
Part C. Please attach a current syllabus.
52
33
23
70
7
0
0
100
31
65
4
30
60
10
10
60
30
15
65
20
N/A
57
33
23
72
5
20
60
20
30
62
8
30
62
8
8
60
32
19
65
16
24
0
76
51
35
53
27
20
23
60
17
27
67
6
37
56
7
15
42
43
13
57
30
29
0
71*
ENGR:2120:0AAA – ENGINEERING FUNDAMENTALS II: ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS
The University of Iowa, College of Engineering, Spring 2015
Section 0AAA: M W F 1:30-2:20, 350 VAN
Course Web Site: Iowa Courses On Line ( http://icon.uiowa.edu/ )
Required Texts:
(1) J.W. Nilsson and S.A. Riedel, Electric Circuits, 10th Ed., Pearson, 2015, and access to its on-line MasteringEngineering
supplement ( http://www.masteringengineering.com course ID MEANDERSLAND70947 )
(2) G.M. Wierzba, ENGR:2120 Video e-Notes ( http://stores.lulu.com/willowepublishing )
Instructor:
Assoc. Prof. Mark Andersland, 4314 SC (335-6167), mark-andersland@uiowa.edu
Teaching Assistants:
Mr. Eric Bechtold
1306D SC, eric-bechtold@uiowa.edu
Mr. Logan Sloan
1306D SC, logan-sloan@uiowa.edu
Mr. Conrad Thompson 1306D SC, conrad-thompson@uiowa.edu
Office Hours:
M
12:00-12:50 (Thompson), 3:35-4:25 (Andersland)
Tu 10:00-10:50 (Thompson), 3:00-3:50 (Sloan)
W 3:35-4:25 (Andersland), 5:00-5:50 (Sloan)
Th 3:30-5:20 (Bechtold)
F
9:30-10:20 (Thompson), 10:30-11:20 (Bechtold), 11:30-12:20 (Sloan), 3:35-4:25 (Andersland)
Sec.
A31
A32
A33
Discussion Section Schedule:
time
room
TA
Tu 12:30-1:20 pm
Tu 2:00-2:50 pm
Tu 3:30-4:20 pm
214 EPB
106 EPB
2133 SC
Mr. Thompson
Mr. Sloan
Mr. Bechtold
Content: ENGR:2120 is a 3 s.h. introductory circuit analysis course that is required by all engineering majors at The
University of Iowa. Its goals are to: introduce basic electrical quantities, components and concepts; develop ad hoc
and systematic tools for circuit analysis; and develop basic intuition about how circuits work.
Format: This section of ENGR:2120 will be “flipped”. Flipped courses move professors’ lectures out of class to free up time
to practice applying the lectures’ content in class. You can’t learn circuits by simply listening to a professor
lecture and run through examples; problems must be solved. Ideally, lots of problems, of widely varying
types, are solved. Too often in traditional courses only homework problems and a few pre-exam practice problems
actually get solved because class time is filled by lectures. Flipping refocuses class, instructor, and TA time
on actively helping students learn how to solve circuits problems rather than passively lecturing about
how to do so.
Grading: Grades are determined based on a weighted average of your score on two midterm exams (22.5% each), one
comprehensive final exam (30%), the best 10 of 12 homeworks (15%), and the best 37 of 43 in-class assignments (10%).
Final grades will be curved. Because assignments are worked and submitted on-line, and because the lowest six in-class
scores and the lowest two homework scores are discarded, late in-class and homework submissions will not be
accepted. Grade records will be posted on the course’s ICON page. Should a discrepancy be found please contact
Mr. Sloan at logan-sloan@uiowa.edu.
Exams: Midterm exams are scheduled for Friday, March 6, and Friday, April 24, from 6:30-8:30 pm in 101 BBE.
The final exam will be held Monday, May 11, from 3:00-5:00 pm in 101 BCSB. All exams will be closed book
and closed notes. Bring No. 2 pencils and a University ID. Exam paper is provided. Calculator use will be limited to
basic non-graphing, non-programmable, scientific calculators. Makeup exams may be given in the case of legitimate
conflicts (provided that arrangements are made in advance), or serious illness. In accordance with college policy, the
minimum penalty for cheating on an exam is failure of the exam. To discourage cheating, exam questions may be
modified in subtle ways from exam to exam.
In Class Assignments: In-class assignments are intended to help you develop problem solving skills. Students are
encouraged to work together to develop these skills. As each problem contributes less than 0.07% to your
final grade the focus should be on learning, not earning every possible point. Assignments are distributed,
submitted, and graded, on-line using Pearson’s MasteringEngineering platform, which can be accessed from most
pcs, tablets and smart phones. They open 5-10 minutes into class, close 3 minutes after class, and typically consist
of 3-5 graded problems. Although every student’s problems are of the same form, their parameters may vary from
student to student. Points are only awarded for correct answers. Up to 3 incorrect answers may be entered before a
problem is scored as incorrect. It is recommended that you work all problems in a course notebook for later review, as
written in-class work is not collected.
Homework: Homework is intended to help you check your mastery of the current week’s concepts. You are welcome
to seek help from classmates, the TAs, or the instructor if you get stuck, BUT all work you submit
must be your own. In accordance with college policy, the minimum penalty for submitting others’ homework as
your own is the zeroing of all homework scores. More significantly, students who don’t do their own homework rarely
do well on exams. As with the in class assignments, homework assignments will be distributed, submitted and graded
on-line using MasteringEngineering. They are posted on Fridays at 4:30 pm, due the following Friday at 4:30 pm, and
typically, consist of 5-7 graded problems. Once again, although every student’s problems are of the same form, their
parameters may vary from student to student. Points are only awarded for correct answers but up to five incorrect
answers may be entered before a problem is scored as incorrect. Unlike in-class assignments, to earn full credit,
written supporting work must be submitted to your discussion section TA at the beginning of the
discussion section following the homework’s due date. The cover page of this submission must be a printout
of your assignment with the answers and your discussion section clearly indicated.
Computer Software: Students are encouraged to use math software such as Maple, Mathematica, and MatLab, or the free
on-line equivalent, wolframalpha.com, to do the computations required to solve in-class and homework problems. At
times we may also use NI Multisim, a SPICE-based circuit simulation program to analyze circuits. Maple, Mathematica, MatLab and NI Multisim are installed on all College of Engineering computers and are accessible in 350 VAN
(and off campus) via the CSS-supported, virtual desktop application.
Best Practices: Success in flipped ENGR:2120 hinges on buy-in. The in-class exercises offer 43 hours of classmate-assisted,
instructor and TA-guided, circuits problem solving practice. To fully benefit, you must come to each class prepared.
To prepare, read the book, watch lecture and problem solving videos, work the pre-class exercises and/or preview the
mini-lecture power points. After class review the class material by watching additional lectures or problem
videos, getting started on the homework, and/or reworking in-class problems. If a topic stumps you, go to office hours,
download a Mastering Engineering study guide, and/or review more problem solving videos. Most importantly, during
class, participate—ask questions, solve problems and help and learn from classmates!
Disabilities: Students that require modification of seating, testing, or other requirements, will be accommodated. Speak
with your instructor to make the arrangements.
TENTATIVE SYLLABUS (as of 2/17/15)
Date
Topic
N&R Sec
W 1/21
circuits intro & course structure
F 1/23
units & prefixes
1.1-1.3
M 1/26
voltage, current & sign convention
1.4-1.5
W 1/28
power, energy & power balance
1.6
F 1/30
sources, resistors & Ohm’s law
2.1-2.3
M 2/2
Kirchhoff’s voltage & current laws
2.4
W 2/4
analysis & dependent source circuits
2.5
F 2/6
parallel & series resistors
3.1-3.2
M 2/9
voltage & current divider
3.3-3.4
W 2/11
meters & measurement
3.5-3.6
F 2/13
analysis terms & Cramer’s rule
4.1,A1-A5
M 2/16
node analysis
4.2
W 2/18 node analysis w/ dependent sources
4.3
F 2/20
node analysis w/ floating voltages
4.4
M 2/23
mesh analysis
4.5
W 2/25 mesh analysis w/ dependent sources
4.6
F 2/27
mesh analysis w/ current sources
4.7-4.8
M 3/2
superposition and linearity
4.13
W 3/4
source transformations
4.9
F 3/6
Thévenin-Norton equivalents
4.10
EXAM #1 - Fri, 3/6, 6:30-8:30 pm, 101 BBE
M 3/9
Thévenin-Norton analysis
4.11
W 3/11
maximum power transfer
4.12
F 3/13
ideal op-amps
5.1-5.2
Date
Topic
N&R Sec
— SPRING BREAK 3/16 –3/20 —
M 3/23
inverting & summing amps
5.3-5.4
W 3/25
non-inverting & differential amps
5.5-5.6
F 3/27
inductors & capacitors
6.1-6.2
M 3/30
parallel & series L & C
6.3
W 4/1
mutual induction & dots
6.4
F 4/3
RL circuits transient response
7.1 & 7.3
M 4/6
RC circuits transient response
7.2 & 7.3
W 4/8
general step response solution
7.4
F 4/10
sequential switching response
7.5
M 4/13
sinusoidal responses & phasors
9.1-9.3
W 4/15
phasor R, L & C models
B1-B4, 9.4
F 4/17
phasor KCL/KVL & simplifications
9.5-9.6
M 4/20
V & I divider, & superposition
9.6(no Y-∆)
W 4/22 source transforms & Thévenin-Norton
9.7
F 4/24
node & mesh analysis
9.8-9.9
EXAM #2 - Fri, 4/24, 6:30-8:30 pm, 101 BBE
M 4/27
linear transformers
9.10
W 4/29
ideal transformers
9.11
F 5/1
instantaneous/average/reactive power
10.1-10.2
M 5/4
rms values, complex power
10.3-10.4
W 5/6
power transformations, max power
10.5-10.6
F 5/8
review
Final Exam - Mon, 5/11, 3:00-5:00 pm, 101 BCSB
A more detailed syllabus listing links to 77 lecture videos, 260 problem solving videos and 9 study guides, indexed by topic,
is posted in the table of contents section of ENGR:2120:0AAA’s icon.uiowa.edu web page.