PROPOSAL: PSU ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM ALTERATION
By Zachary Reed
The following is a proposal to implement a minor curriculum change to Penn State’s
Undergraduate Electrical Engineering program. This curriculum adjustment will allow
students an earlier introduction to Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) programming in their
electrical engineering college lifetime, which will provide many benefits to both students
and professors. I developed this recommendation based on my personal reflection of
the program, as I am currently a senior electrical engineering student.
NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Matrix Laboratory (MATLAB) allows for easy matrix manipulations, algorithm
implementation, data plotting, as well as many other functions correlated with electrical
engineering. Many core and higher level EE courses such as EE 350, 351, 330, 387, 380,
413, etc. require proficient knowledge and application of MATLAB program in lecture,
labs, and homework. The problem with the current curriculum outline is that MATLAB
programming is never officially taught before any of these junior and senior level
courses. This void causes friction between students, professors, and the course material
being taught. Professors must take time out of lecture, lab, and/or recitation to teach
and review basic MATLAB programming skills to students in order for them to complete
the required course work. This problem also affects students negatively in that they
must not only learn a new programming language in a short time, but also be able to
sufficiently apply this new found knowledge outside of the lecture hall. This extra
burden can be very taxing on junior level electrical engineering students with a heavy
workload already on their plate.
OBJECTIVE
The overall goal of this purposed curriculum addendum is to allow students an earlier
access to MATLAB programming, which will ultimately eliminate the unnecessary initial
friction between junior Undergraduate Electrical Engineering students and the course
work they wish to study. This change will also allow the Department to better uphold its
mission of, “… striving to provide an education in electrical engineering for our students
and instill in them the attitudes, values, and vision that will prepare them for lifetimes of
continued learning and leadership in their chosen careers.”
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DESCRIPTION OF CURRICULUM ALTERATION
The current EE program requires CMPSC 201 – Programming with C++, as its only
programming “entrance to major” prerequisite. I find this to be a misrepresentation of
the program, because I have almost foregone C++ programming and used MATLAB in
every course thereafter. C++ is not irrelevant, however, and is a major player in real
world engineering applications and should continue to be taught. That being said, I
propose the Electrical Engineering Department instill a CMPSC-equivalent course that
covers both C++ and MATLAB programming. I propose this course alteration because
my CMPSC 201 professor at Penn State Altoona made a point to teach MATLAB as part
of his course curriculum. The additional experience and instruction with MATLAB
allowed for an easier transition to the higher level electrical engineering design courses
later in my college career. While my colleagues were struggling to grasp the new
MATLAB programming language during the beginning of junior year, I was able to
refresh the topics I previously learned and focus on the applied course material – which
ultimately allowed me to excel in the course overall and not have to worry about
grasping an additional new concept.
NEW COURSE OUTLINE
The new sophomore-level CMPSC course will cover both C++ and MATLAB languages,
and will replace the current course CMPSC 201. The semester will be divided evenly
between the two, and will cover the main high level design topics of each respectively.
Just as with the current C++ program, the EE-relevant MATLAB topics as previously
listed will be introduced in lecture which will be supplemented with various examples.
Weekly assignments will be assigned for students to complete outside of the classroom
to reinforce the student’s understanding of the topics covered during lecture. Periodic
exams will be held to test these ideas fully throughout the progression of the semester.
PERSONNEL & QUALIFICATIONS
Any Electrical Engineering or Computer Science Department professor with
demonstrated knowledge of both C++ and MATLAB programming languages would be
suitable for teaching the newly altered course.
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EVALUATION
Under this new curriculum, a review assessment of students entering junior level design
courses such as EE 330 or EE 350 will evaluate the effectiveness and readiness of
students. This exclusively qualitative assessment will be used to compare students’
actual understanding of MATLAB programming with a predetermined comprehension
level as defined by Department professors, and will provide feedback for the curriculum
change.
CONCLUSION
This proposal is developed from my own personal reflection of The Pennsylvania State
University’s Undergraduate Electrical Engineering program, and is submitted to give
back to a program that I care about deeply by means of strengthening its curriculum for
prospective students. If you have any changes or suggestions, please contact me. I look
forward to my transition to the real world from the Penn State’s Undergraduate
Electrical Engineering program, and wish to provide as much feedback as possible in
order for it to continue to be the world class program it has always been. Thank you.
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633 Middle Ridge Road
New Enterprise, PA 16664
(814) 937-5945
zjr5014@gmail.com
October 2, 2013
Dr. David Salvia
Electrical Engineering Undergraduate Program Coordinator
The Pennsylvania State University
114 Electrical Engineering East
University Park, PA 16802
Dear Dr. Saliva:
The following proposal outlines a minor, but essential change to The Pennsylvania State
University’s Undergraduate Electrical Engineering program curriculum that I believe will
better benefit prospective engineering students. A description of the problem and an
outline for a solution are included in the proposal. Thank you for your time and
consideration. I may be reached during business hours at (814) 937-5945.
Sincerely,
Zachary Reed
Enclosure