Educational Research on a Educational Research on a Platform for LearningPlatform for LearningTMTM

Terri Fiez, Roger Traylor and Don Heer July 13, 2005

Outline

• Background on Oregon State University

• Motivation Behind Educational Changes

• Program Overview• Partnering with FIT

Oregon State University• ~20,000 Students from all

over the world• 20% students study

engineering

• Agriculture, Oceanography, Forestry, Science, Pharmacy, Liberal arts

• Approximately $200M in external research funding per year

Oregon State University College of Engineering 22nd Largest in United States ~570 B.S. graduates

Student UnionIn Central

Campus

Corvallis is located in the area known as the Willamette Valley.

Corvallis is 40 miles from the coast

Scenic areas exist all throughout Oregon Here is Crater Lake – center of ancient volcano

View from Campus of Mary’s Peak

OSU’s Engineering Top 25 Goal

People. Ideas. Innovation.OUR FOCUS

Work Ready GraduatesCollaborative Research

School of EECS will Move into new Kelley Engineering Center in

August142,000 sq. ft.

Specialized Research & Eduction Labs Throughout BuildingBuilding Designed to Promote Collaboration

School of EECS

Electrical & Computer Engr.

• 700 Undergrads• 200 Graduate

Students (about ¼ Ph.D. students)

• Typically 150-200 freshmen/sophomores

Computer Science

• 600 Undergrads• 120 Graduate

Students (about 1/3 Ph.D. students)

• Typically 150 freshmen

Motivation Behind Educational Changes

The Global Need

Knowledge integration should be at the core of an engineering education...”

Engineers must be enablers to "wealth creation" …through innovation… rather than simply be a commodity on the global market

Joseph Bordogna, NSF Deputy Director

Our Constituent Needs

0

50

100 Depth

Breadth

Professional

ProblemSolvingCommunity

Innovation

Community, Problem Solving and Innovation

Impo

rtan

ce

A Platform for LearningPlatform for Learning Integrated Across the

Curriculum

Key Features of the Platform for Learning

• Personal Ownership• Curriculum Continuity• Contextual Learning• Fun Factor• Hands-on/Active

Learning

TekBots• TekBot evolves through 4 year curriculum

• Knowledge integration by building on TekBot

• Challenge problems enhance innovation

In the Beginning…

There was Sparky!

Sparky Made ECE Fun!But it ended there …

Until we introduced layering on the robot

It grows and matures as the student does

☺ The fun continues

Introducing the TekBots Platform

Motor Controller

Proto Board

AnalogBoard

TekBots Program Overview

Integrated Curriculum

DigitalSystems I

DigitalSystems II

ComputerArchitecture I

ComputerArchitecture II

ComputerNetworks

Signals &Systems I

SignalIntegrity

Signals &Systems II

C/C++Programming

DataStructures I

OperatingSystems

CompilerConstruction

SoftwareEngineering

Circuits IIIntro to ECE Circuits I Electronics I Electronics II

Freshmen Sophomore Junior

Electronics

Hardware

Signals

Software

Platform Evolution

Digital Controller

Basic Robot

uController Board

FPGA Sy stem FPGA Sy stem

Adv . Sensors Adv . Sensors

FPGA Sy stem FPGA Sy stem FPGA Sy stem

uController Board uController Board

Sy stems Board

uController Board uController Board

uController Board uController Board uController Board

Intro toECE

DigitalDesign I

ComputerArchitecture I

AdvancedDigital Design

Digital VLSIDesign

ComputerArchitecture I I

EmbeddedSystems

Signals &Systems I

Signals &Systems I I

Senior DesignI

Senior DesignI I

Senior DesignI I I

Basic Robot Basic Robot Basic Robot Basic Robot

Basic Robot Basic Robot

Basic Robot Basic Robot

Comm. Sy stem

Base Station Base Station

Circuits I Circuits II

Basic Robot Basic Robot

IR Comm board

Electronics Board

Basic Robot

Electronics IISensor Board

Electronics Board

Basic Robot

Electronics I

Digital Controller

DigitalDesign II

Basic Robot

uController Board

ComunicationNetworks

Basic Robot

RF Comm Board

Basic robot

uController Board uController Board

32-bit uP Board

ComputerProgramming

Data StructuresOperatingSystems

32-bit uP Board

CompilerConstruction

Basic Robot

uController Board

SoftwareEngineering

uController Board

Electronics Board

SignalIntegrity

TekBots Courses

Intro to ECE

Digital Logic

MicrocomputerArch.

MicrocomputerSystem Design

Basic Circuits

Signals & Systems

Senior Design

Intro to Mech. Engr.

Introducing the TekBots Platform

Motor Controller

Proto Board

AnalogBoard

Bridging the Analog-Digital Divide

Introduction to Digital Design

DigitalPLD Board

Electrical Engineering for Non-Majors

• Electrical Fundamentals • Taken by all engineering majors at OSU

(150-200 students each quarter)– DC Circuit Analysis

• Introduced Data Logger with sensor interface capability

ECE 375: Microcomputer Architectures

• Custom board introduced that allows hands-on experiences

• Key platform to be leveraged in other courses

• Biggest challenge was consistency in instructor teaching

Signals and Systems (ECE 352)

• Significant Matlab component• Camera allows capturing and

processing real images• Students enjoy the application

ECE473 Microcontroller System Design

Expensive, Laborious, Little learning Enhanced learning with system focus

– leverages previously build C board

High level of knowledge integration C architecture C programming The HW/SW interface Analog design System level debugging

The Mechatronics Platform

• The Platform for Learning targeted at Mechanical Engineering

• Heavy emphasis on mechanical design and ‘scaffolding’ for electrical and programming concepts.– Mech_lib– Mx_ctlr– Lots of examples

Impact• More than 3000 Students using TekBots

– Oregon State, Texas A&M, U Nebraska, Linn Benton Community College

• 300 Students using Mechatronics Platform• 3 Journal and 7 Conference Papers• Three Active University Partners – We look

forward to adding FIT• Kids attracted to engineering because of

TekBots

Making Connections Between Topics and Classes

DC Circuits Electromagnetics Micro-Controllers

Topic

Topic

Topic

Topic

Topic

Topic

Topic Topic

Topic

Topic

Topic

TopicTopic

TopicTopic

TopicTopic

Curriculum

Challenge ProblemsCreating Innovation Opportunities

Lab Title Challenge Question

Robot Gymnastics Speed and Accuracy Challenge: Set your TekBots robot to make as many laps as possible without straying from a defined circle in a minute.

Ohm’s Law in Practice

Make a ‘Resistor’: Build a PWM from a 555 timer chip that models a resistor in series with your motors. Make a simple cruise control.

KVL: Friend or Foe? Exploring Power: Explore why power consumption is important on cell phones, Martian rovers, and vacuums.

Working Together Works

All Powered Up: Explore the differences if any of various series/parallel circuits made from motors and batteries.

Transistors Can you Feel the Noise: Build a simple amplifier and inspect the noise on your robot’s motors. Find how to reduce this noise.

Go Towards the Light Reverse Psychology: Can you make your light-loving robot scared of the light?

Design Research ModelTom Thompson

Assessment of TekBotsDrives Education Innovation

Lab AidEvaluations

ActiveObservers

Student Evaluations

PilotInterviews

ClassSurvey

Industry Evaluations

TekBots Enhances Community and Idea

GenerationSubscales and scales Pre survey score Post survey score PercentChange

Probability that measured quality changed from TekBots.

Mentoring 10.5 /20 12.2 /20 15.9% 99.87%

Leadership 9.8 /20 11.4 /20 16.1% 98.72%

Total Community 20.3 /40 23.6 /40 16.0% 99.8%

Novel Ideas 11.3 /20 10.5 /20 2.7% 94.57%

Many Solutions 10.5 /20 10.8 /20 1.5% 35.18%

Technical Competence 8.8 /20 10 /20 13.6% 84.66%

Likes Problems 9.8 /20 10.3 /20 5.1% 58.7%

Valuable Answers 8.7 /20 9.7 /20 11.4% 82.39%

Total Innovation 49.1 /100 51.3 /100 2.4% 50.49%

Activating Learning in the Classroom

Roger Traylor• What is Active Learning? – Learner is the driving force, instructor is

facilitator– Can include cooperative learning, hands-on

instruction

• Why use it?– Students fall asleep in lecture (duh!)– 90 yrs of research, 600 studies show it works– Big classes need it badly– How it can be done? – How can I cover the material?

Outreach ProgramsGale Sumida

• DaVinci Days• Saturday Academy• Data Pod Recovery Race• Engineering Expo• ISEF

Educating Work Ready Engineers Educating Work Ready Engineers for for

the Next the Next DecadeDecade

Depth and Breadth

Troubleshootingand

Hands-on Learning

Lab

Lecture

Innovation

ContextKnowledgeIntegration

PlatformFor

Learning

Partnering with FIT• Understand interest • Identify local challenges (if there

are any)• Identify pilot to “try” concept • Continue to build the connection

between our programs – joint competitions? Collaborative projects?

Summary• We welcome collaborators on TekBots• Share innovations and passion for

education• TekBots is still early in development• International community of innovators

will only enhance each of our programs

TekBots Sponsors

National Science Foundation