Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Undergraduate Curriculum Reform

• Last major curriculum restructuring was before I was hired

• Study Group to Examine Curriculum over summer / fall– Chair - Law– Faculty - Arnold, Fox, Harris, Jordan, Lam, Nishida

– External - Khargonekar, Hawkins– Students - Knauer, Sapp

• Reviewed issues with current curriculum and students

• Reviewed peer school curriculum• Drafted a strawman proposal for feedback

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Current Issues

• Incoming student population is different from 20 years ago– Top Florida kids, UF is selective– No practical experience - no heathkit, soldering, tinkering

– Internet savvy - google answers, social network, wiki– Tend to not read textbooks, don’t think linearly

• UF Population Experience– Retention is an issue, declining enrollment, poor attendance, motivation - students do not appear excited about the material

– Curriculum has been static - some changes but mostly minor

– Problems doing real senior design unless computers - theory first courses hurt senior design

• Graduation– Job market has changed, more engineering support jobs, more jobs require advanced degrees

– More students headed to grad school - 30% in surveys

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Peer School Study

• Links on web - http://www.ugstudy.ece.ufl.edu

• Looked at GaTech, Michigan, Purdue, Illinois, MIT, CMU, Duke, RPI, Olin

• Generally - more early curriculum courses

• Programs with recent change have added more freshmen / sophomore year courses

• Introductory courses with lab experience to help motivate students to learn rigor later

• Real courses, real content

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Principles of redesign

• Lower Division courses– Meaningful, important concepts covered and learned

– Lab and project based learning– Math Level appropriate

• Focus less on required breadth and give more depth opportunity

• Provide more electives in and out of department for students to obtain career skills

• Spread out GenEd so the junior / senior years are less intense

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Overview

Soft skills and University general requirements Ethics, Gen Ed requirements, Science Statistics, Analysis

ECE Foundation courses Computers, Electronics, Signals, E&M

ECE Science courses Computing, Electronics, Devices, E&M, Signals, Applied Statistics

ECE Integrated courses Courses that are electives covering 2 or more science areas

RF electronics, VLSI Design, Optical Devices and Systems, Communications Electronics (as examples)

ECE Depth courses Required to take electives in one area

ECE Electives

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Major Changes / Features

• First Semester Freshmen start with EE• Dropped Calc III, Physics II

– Merge Calc III into E&M– Physics II curricula in E&M, Electronics

• Added Modern Physics• Teach our own Statistics• Gen Ed in all semesters

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

A Proposed Curriculum

Semester Course 1 Course 2 Course 3 Course 4 Course 5

Fresh 1 (17) Foundation Computers (4)

Computer Language (2) Calc I (4) Chem I (4) Gen Ed (3)

Fresh 2 (17) Foundation Electronics (4)

ECE Analysis (3) Calc II (4) Phys I (4) ECE

Seminar (2)

Soph 1 (17) Foundation Signals (4)

Science Computers (4)

Diff Eq (3) Bio (3) Tech Writing (3)

Soph 2 (17) Foundation E&M (4)

Science Electronics (4)

Integrated (3) Modern Phys (3) Gen Ed (3)

Junior 1 (16)

Science Signals (4)

Science Devices (3) Integrated (3) College

Breadth (3) Gen Ed (3)

Junior 2 (15)

ECE Statistics (3)

Science E&M (3) Depth (3) College

Breadth (3) Gen Ed (3)

Senior 1 (15) Design I (3) ECE Elective

(3) Depth (3) Elective (3) Gen Ed (3)

Senior 2 (15) Design 2 (3) ECE Elective

(3) ECE Elective (3)

ECE Elective (3) Gen Ed (3)

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Comparison by credit• Math and Science

– Proposal (28) - Calc I (4), Calc II (4), Diff Eq (3), Chem (4), Phys I (4), Bio (3), Modern Phys (3), ECE Analysis (3)

– Current (33) - Calc I (4), Calc II (4), Calc III (4), Diff Eq (3), Chem (4), Phys I (4), Phys II (4), Bio (3), ECE Analysis (3)

• General Education– Proposal (23) - Gen Ed (18), Tech Writing (3), Seminar (2)– Current (23) - Gen Ed (15), Tech Writing (3), Free Elective (3), Seminar (2)

• College Breadth– Proposal (6)– Current (9)

• Required ECE Core– Proposal (45) - Circuits and Electronics (8), Devices (3), Computing (10), E&M

(7), Signals (8), Applied Stats (3), Design (6)– Current (36) - Circuits and Electronics (8), Devices (3), Computing (6), E&M

(3), Signals (7), Statistics (3), Design (6)• Technical Electives

– Proposal (27) - Integrated (6), Tier 3 Depth (6), Other (15)– Current (29) - Technical Specialization (11-12), Other (17-18)