1. Attracting Product-oriented Sophomores to ECE Gunar Schirner Keywords: -ECE Curriculum -Computer Engineering Introduction -Product-oriented students -Common HW platform Credits: ECE curriculum reform: ECE Undergraduate Studies Committee EECE2150: Nick McGruer, Deniz Erdogmus, Mark Niedre, Dana Brooks EECE2160: Dave Kaeli, Gunar Schirner

2. Why? What problem are you solving? – Students become more product oriented More motivated by creating something than the theoretical foundations – Expanding ECE topics Students need to discover preferences early Cannot cover “everything” in curriculum – High effort for integrating real hardware into classroom What are your educational objectives? – Spark curiosity and likes about ECE theoretical topics – Connection between broad range of ECE topics – Create curriculum with more flexibility – Simplify lab-integration with common platform

3. When? 2009-2014:First gen. Personal Active Learning (PAL) platform, custom design. Acquired 75 units and integrated into 5 courses. 2009/09 - 2013/06: Undergraduate Studies Committee revises undergrad curriculum, accepted 2013/06 by faculty 2012/01: Start development of EECE 2150 PAL, pilot 2012/09 2013/06: new platform ZedBoard (Xilinx Zynq) 2013/06: Start development EECE2160, pilot 2014/01, 14 students 2014/09: Construction integrated classroom / lab facilities 2014/09: New curriculum active. EECE2160 taught in 4 sections with 122 students total, and EECE2150 in 3 sections and 92 students in total 2014/09: Upgrade of ”downstream” courses begins.

4. What? 2) Revised undergrad ECE curriculum (EE, CE) – Introduced 2 sophomore courses as EE, CE intro Product / Lab driven to motivate students Integrate 3 subjects each in 1 semester! – Biomedical Signals and Circuits Build EKG! – OpAmps – Signal Acquisition – Signal Analysis (e.g. heart rate?) 1) Introduced common hardware platform for ECE 1 st Gen: custom build: Personal Active Learning (PAL) 2 nd Gen: ZedBoard (Xynq – ARM + FPGA)

5. What (2)? 3) New Course: “Embedded Design: Enabling Robotics” – Control robotic arm, from WiiMote, via Bluetooth to Linux, controlling an FPGA to generate PWM signals for servo. Linux C/C++ Programming (including some OO) Digital Design (combinatorial, intro to sequential) Networking (Bluetooth interfacing)

6. Where? Prognosis? Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA Scaling: -All ECE sophomores, + CS students -Fall 2015: 6 sections (192) of CE, 5 of EE intro (160) Challenges / Questions: -Scaling across new instructors -Evaluation -> publication -Other institutions?