Rachid Manseur

A Synchronous Distance Learning program implementation in engineering and mathematics

Distance learning is increasingly seen by many institutions as an efficient and economical method for expanding educational programs to remote locations in hopes of increasing student enrollments by reaching beyond limited geographic areas of coverage. However, the introduction of distance learning into a traditional program requires changes that directly or indirectly affect several aspects of the educational program well beyond student enrollment. Teaching quality, teaching methods, faculty workloads, student satisfaction, and student perception of instructor efficiency are also impacted. Some effects of Synchronous Distance Learning (SDL) on many areas of operation of an educational program can be effectively measured and the success of the SDL implementation can be assessed. The results of this research are useful in assisting educational institutions considering SDL as an option for expanding their offerings. The stated improvements and goals of the expansion may have indirect effects that must also be considered but are rarely foreseen or taken into account during the planning and design phases. This article concentrates on SDL in engineering and mathematics but its findings are applicable to other disciplines as well.

Infused communication skills in an engineering curriculum

Among the important ABET mandated aspects of any engineering program is the incorporation of communication skills in the curriculum. This article discusses some of the research results obtained by a team of faculty members tasked with the goal of infusing communication skills in a new electrical and computer engineering program under development. This program is project-based and includes innovative and multidisciplinary aspects in its curriculum. The results presented here include the development of a modern technical writing course, the integration of communication skills into engineering materials, and multidisciplinary methods that partner students enrolled in the Arts, Media, and Communication Studies with Engineering teams. In addition, data collected from the students will be used to help understand the role that communication plays in the design and manufacture of products. The outcomes of this externally funded research are useful to engineering programs but they can also be adapted to other disciplines where communication skills play an important role.

Panel - reforming mathematics requirements for a modern engineering education

The need for reform in undergraduate engineering curricula has been recognized in recent years. One important and vital aspect of such a reform concerns preparatory mathematics in engineering education and the revision of mathematics content in a modern engineering curriculum, the topic of this panel session. It has become increasingly obvious that the standard series of three calculus courses followed by one course on differential equations is now obsolete and insufficient to provide needed mathematical skills for a modern engineering education. ABET now requires discrete mathematics and applied statistics among other topics. Newly developed engineering programs have adopted different mathematics courses in their degree programs. A new electrical and computer engineering program is under development at the State University of New York at Oswego where a modern engineering curriculum must also face the challenge of smooth integration within the existing traditional curricular organization of a public university. The panelists will discuss the evidence in support of reform and engage discussions on directions, course content, and other issues for a successful revision of engineering education.

Software — Aided robotics education and design

Robotics is a multi-disciplinary branch of science and technology. It is concerned with the study of multiple bodies in coordinated and controlled motion in space. As such it is inherently 3-dimenstional and requires a multidisciplinary approach that combines a variety of technologies, engineering disciplines, and advanced mathematics. Teaching robotics requires a solid understanding of the kinematics, dynamics, and control of solids in motion. This work described a set of software tools designed and developed to facilitate the teaching of robotics by offering an interactive interface for visualization, symbolic equations generation, and numerical computation. The visualization section creates 3-D virtual models of robotic mechanisms from mathematical descriptions of the mechanisms based on the popular Denavit-Hartenberg modeling method. This article describes the software and provides examples of its uses in robotics education.

Robotics engineering program and curriculum development

Robotics, as a multi-disciplinary branch of science and technology, is concerned with a variety of computer-controlled electro-mechanical structures designed for a multitude of applications. Less than a decade ago, robotics was a graduate-level field of research in engineering & computer science offered only at a few large engineering institutions. It has now become an engineering discipline of its own with a small but increasing number of schools offering an undergraduate engineering degree in robotics engineering. This article provides an overview of new undergraduate curricula in robotics engineering and the challenges associated with its curriculum development.

Design and implementation of a new engineering mathematics course

Mathematics education is an essential part of every engineering curriculum. The question of how much math should be included in an engineering curriculum is under discussion and the mathematics content has come under closer scrutiny with the aim of teaching engineers mathematical topics that have close practical relevance to their discipline at a time when those topics are most needed. This article discusses research that has led to the development of a new mathematics course that combines topics needed for better engineering studies. The course position within the curriculum is selected to provide just-in-time teaching to optimize effectiveness in engineering education.

Software-aided design of robotic mechanisms

Robotics, as a multi-disciplinary branch of science and technology, is concerned with a variety of computer-controlled electro-mechanical structures designed for a multitude of applications. A large body of knowledge has been accumulated on the operation and control of robot manipulators consisting of single kinematic chains. That knowledge is now being applied to multi-structure mechanisms that combine several kinematic chains into a variety of arrangements to create more complex robots. This article describes a software package developed to facilitate the design, analysis, and simulation of robot manipulators that can be effectively applied to the development and study of complex robotics structures through a divide-and-conquer method. The application of the software to the design and analysis of humanoid robots is described as a typical example application.

Development and integration of a new electrical and computer engineering program

This article reports on the development of a new Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) combined degree program, and a corresponding department at a traditionally liberal arts public university. There are many aspects discussed in this writing — from high-level choices to the resources needed for such an endeavor. A new program requires many steps to achieve its approval, its successful integration in the academic infrastructure of the institution, the design of its curriculum, the hiring of faculty, the design of facilities, the institutional support in the form of resources, and the recruitment and retention of students.

Work in progress — Mathematics preparation for a modern engineering program

This work in progress report discusses aspects of the modernization of lower and upper division mathematics courses within an electrical and computer engineering curriculum under development. The justifications for reform are presented and a few initiatives for reform are proposed. Mathematics education in engineering curricula has undergone very little progress within the past century, while the field of engineering and the educational demands of the engineering workforce have changed quite significantly. A new approach to mathematics preparation is needed in improving the mathematics courses already present in the curriculum and in the introduction of new courses in terms of usefulness and relevance to engineering education.