Ronald Roedel

The wave concept inventory-a cognitive instrument based on Bloom's taxonomy

The Foundation Coalition at Arizona State University (USA) has developed a new instrument to measure the cognitive development of electrical engineering students in the area of wave phenomena. Originally, the objective was to measure the difference between a novel upper division course offering which integrated an introduction to the properties of electronic materials and the first course for electrical engineering majors in electromagnetic engineering. The instrument consists of 20 multiple choice questions with multiple correct answers in many of the situations presented. In fact, choosing more than one correct answer correlates with an increased understanding of the material. The knowledge of the multiple correct answers has been tied to the levels of learning as presented by Blooms taxonomy of educational objectives. That is, a student that has a higher level of understanding of a particular concept is more likely to correctly choose the multiple correct answers. However, students choosing a higher level answer before a lower level answer is not likely to understand the concept at the higher level. In other words, the student may be guessing. This paper describes how the questions are tied to the levels of learning and presents a discussion of the focus group conducted on the instrument in order to verify the wording of the instrument.

ECE curriculum in 2013 and beyond: vision for a metropolitan public research university

In this paper, the authors discuss the anticipated curriculum of electrical and computer engineering (ECE) programs in the year 2013 and beyond for a prototypical metropolitan public research university. Assumptions are made regarding the evolution of the relevant technology addressed by the curriculum, the nature of metropolitan public universities in the next decade, and the nature of the learning environment, technology, and educational focus based on present trends. A 128-credit-hour curriculum is proposed that addresses these challenges.

Team-based projects for assessment in first-year physics courses supporting engineering

Two team oriented, project based exercises developed and used for student assessment in an integrated freshman program are described. These projects allow assessment of student progress toward meeting desirable student outcomes such as ability to work in teams, ability to communicate, and able to apply science and engineering to the solution of problems. One project involves measurement of the velocity of a projectile; the other one involves the measurement of the ambient magnetic field strength. Lists of parts supplied to each student team are included, as are photos and sketches of the more complex pieces of equipment. Student comments and faculty roles are also discussed.

Use of the Internet to support an integrated introductory course in engineering, calculus, physics, chemistry, and English

Arizona State University has been offering an introductory course that integrates engineering design and modeling, calculus, physics, chemistry, and English through the Foundation Coalition, an Engineering Education Coalition sponsored by the National Science Foundation. One of the critical components of courseware developed through the Foundation Coalition is the infusion of technology enhanced education. This paper describes the use of the Internet, through the World Wide Web and through videoconferencing, to support this introductory course. It is interesting to note that the success of Internet usage is directly tied to the performance of the net. That is, when Internet traffic or bandwidth problems arise, both the students and the faculty become less enthusiastic about using the technology.

The fabrication of Ga/sub 1-x/Al/sub x/As-GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors for rapid material analysis

We report a procedure for fabricating Ga/sub 1-x/Al/sub x/As-GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors with a single Al-Ge-Ni metallization step for rapid material analysis. Al-Ge-Ni produces an excellent ohmic contact to both n- and p-type GaAs, and eliminates the need for two metallization steps to produce the three transistor contacts. Complete transistor fabrication, which includes separate etching steps to the base and the subcollector, can be carried out in approximately four hours. We have used this rapid turnaround time to enhance wafer yield by minimizing the lag time between the onset of a growth problem or reactor hardware problem and subsequent growth runs. >

The Arizona tri-university Master of Engineering program

In collaboration, the three state universities in Arizona offer a Master of Engineering degree program designed to serve the advanced educational needs of employment-bound professionals and residential students. The resulting educational program serves a target population that is best described as technically sophisticated part-time students in full-time employment. Arizonas MEng program offered 25 web courses during Spring 2002, 84 students are currently registered in the program, and 16 have graduated. These numbers are all expected to grow significantly during the coming few years. Available courses, programs of study, student demographics, and program highlights and challenges are described, as are the administrative structure and industrial partnership that support this collaborative educational program.

Comparison of electrical and optical characterization in Cu-gettered, semi-insulating GaAs

We have compared electrically and optically determined microscopic and macroscopic material parameters in Cu-doped, semi-insulating (SI) GaAs as a function of gettering. We find significant changes in the panchromatic scanning electron microscope room temperature cathodoluminescence (CL) images obtained before and after Cu contamination of undoped SI-GaAs. Electrical and optical measurements also indicate significant changes. These measurements include thermally stimulated current (TSC), Fourier infrared transform spectroscopy (FTIR), and photoconductive spectroscopy. After gettering by mechanical damage and subsequent heat treatment, the electrical characteristics revert to their pre-doping characteristics, indicating successful gettering.