Figure 1:   Computer Simulation of a Simple Generator

 

STUDENT SURVEY

 

To measure the effectiveness of these IT methods, a student survey was administered towards the end of the semester. The questions of this survey are listed in Appendix D. All students’ responses are presented in this section with brief interpretations.

 

A typical student population for Tech 175 is depicted in Table 2. Four majors were reported: IDT (15), EET (14), MET (4), and Others (4). Students were mostly junior level with an average GPA of 2.70. It should be noted that TECH175 is also a prerequisite for most upper-level EET courses.
 

Table 2:  Student Population and GPA

 

 

As shown in Table 3, the majority of students reported being familiar with IT. That was expected since most classrooms at NIU are fitted with multimedia capabilities.

 

Table 3:  Student Exposure to IT

 

 

Students also responded positively when asked whether or not IT is more effective than traditional presentation as shown in Table 4.

 

Table 4:  IT Effectiveness

 

 

Likewise, students have ranked high the use of PowerPoint, Blackboard, and simulation as depicted in Table 5, but their appreciation for videocassettes was somewhat lower.

 

Table 5:  IT Usage and Preference

 

        1. Excellent    2. Good    3. Average     4. Poor

 

When asked whether or not IT made it a better course, only 4% disagreed with this statement (Table 6). The majority of the students surveyed were in favor of using different instructional technologies in the classroom.

 

Table 6:  IT Made It a Better Course

 

 

The effects on class attendance are presented in Table 7. As shown, 62% of the students did not consider IT a big factor for attending classes. Nevertheless, 38% reported positive impact on class attendance.

 

Table 7:  Effects on Class Attendance

 

 

On the other hand, nobody wanted to terminate the use of IT in future course offerings as shown in Table 8. On the contrary, 86% of the students recommended their continuous use as demonstrated in Chart 2.

 

Table 8:  IT in Future Course Offerings

 

 

Chart 2:   IT Use Approval

 

FUTURE IMPROVEMENT

 

Several lessons were learned that would be applied for future improvement. Although simple analysis was used in this study, one may easily deduce that most students are appreciative of the use of IT methods and wanted the practice to continue, but they can also be critical. Therefore, educators must keep students engaged in the classroom by employing different teaching techniques and diversity. Actually, the best lessons may be derived from reading students’ comments and suggestions as listed in Appendix E.  These comments, which may seem conflicting at first, can provide valuable insight into what methods are effective and which ones are not.

 

For instance, the videos were described by students to be old and boring and, therefore, provide important feedback for consideration. It was also found that 38% of students were getting their class notes on-line if absent which suggests that students are not missing important information. On the other hand, this easy access may give students some incentives to miss classes. But Blackboard is still considered a valuable educational tool that can offer much more than a traditional course homepage and, therefore, teachers should take full advantage of its features, including testing, grading, and instant messaging. However, one should always recognize the fact that not all courses are suited for Blackboard offerings since some technology courses require concurrent teamwork and hands-on experience.

 

Although IT was shown in this study to have a positive impact on classroom attendance, its effects on students’ performance and retention were not established and thus require further investigation. Moreover, the variant in students’ responses relative to their major of study is another area where further examination may also be warranted.

 

CONCLUSIONS

 

This paper discussed changes needed to revitalize basic electricity courses in the Technology Department at Northern Illinois University. As a result, a new course description was developed based on information obtained from conducting an industrial survey and also investigation of similar programs at other academic institutions. Additionally, four different instructional technologies were presented to accommodate different learning styles in such multidisciplinary basic electricity courses. The outcome of a student survey to measure the effectiveness of using PowerPoint presentations, Blackboard, videocassettes, and computer simulation, as well as lessons learned for future improvements, were also discussed and presented this paper.

 

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

 

The author is thankful to all who participated from academia and industry to achieve the goals of this study.

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

 

[1]          NIU Technology Department: http://www.ceet.niu.edu/depts/tech

 

[2]        Cynthia J. Finelli, “Strategies for Improving the Classroom Environment,” Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 90, No.4, October 2001, pp. 491-497.

 

[3]        Marija Ilic and et al, “Introducing Electric Power into a Multidisciplinary Curriculum for Network Industries,” IEEE Transaction on Power Systems, Vol.19, No.1, February 2004.

 

[4]        Julie C. Stout, “Radical Course Revision: A Case Study,” the National Teaching & Learning Forum, Vol.10, No.4, May 2001.

 

[5]        Alisha A. Walter, “Quantitative and Qualitative Research Methods, Bridging the Gap,” Proceeding of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition, Session 3630.

 

[6]        Sheryl Gowen and Alisha A. Waller, “An Introduction to Education Research,” Faculty Development and Instructional Design Center, Workshop, October 25, 2003, Capital Room, Northern Illinois University.

 

[7]        John W. Creswell, “Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and mixed Methods Approaches,” Second Edition, 2003 by Sage Publications, Inc.

 

[8]        Timothy Ellis, “Animating to Build Higher Cognitive Understanding: A Model or Studying Multimedia Effectiveness in Education,” Journal of Engineering Education, Vol. 93, No.1, January 2004, pp. 59-64.

 

[9]        Michael Leasure and Ronald Sterkenburg, “Multimedia Presentation: Examples and Innovations,” 2001 ASEE IL/IN Sectional Conference, Proceedings pp. 014-109.

 

[10]       Promod Vohra, “Communication Technologies: Are We Jumping In Too Fast,” 2002 ASEE Illinois/Indian Sectional Conference, Proceedings, pp. 51-53.

 

[11]      Jack Wilson, “How Technology is Mandating and Transforming Continuing Education: Past, Present, and Future,” 6th WFEO International Colloquium, June 20-22, Nashville, TN.

 

[12]      Richard Marcellus and Omer Ghrayeb, “Effects of Smart Classrooms on Learning and Teaching Effectiveness: The Student’s point of view,” 2002 ASEE Annual Conference, Session 3557, CD Proceedings.

 

[13]      Robert E. Wood, “Teaching in a Smart Classroom: Data from One Instructor’s Experiences,” Camden: www.rutgers.edu/~wood

 

[14]      NIU Blackboard on-line courses: http://webcourses.niu.edu

 

[15]      VCR Educational Product, UCANDO Company.

 

[16]      Electricity & Electronics Interactive Software, Richard M. Roberts, Goodheart-Wilcox Publisher.

APPENDIX A

Academic Institutions Consulted

1. Rock Valley College, Rockford, IL

2. Kishwaukee College, Dekalb, IL

3. Point Park College

4. Electrical & Computer Engineering Technology, Purdue University, IN

5. Blue Mountain Community College, Pendleton, OR

6. York Technical College

7. Technical Career Institutions, NY

8. Department of Aerospace Technology, Saint Louis University, MO

9. Milwaukee School of Engineering, Milwaukee, WI 

10. Technology Department, University of Maryland Eastern Shore

11. Electronics & Computer Engineering Technology Dept, ASU East, Mesa, AZ

12. South Dakota State University

13. Electronics & Computer Technology Program, DeVry University, Chicago Campus

 

APPENDIX B

 

Companies Surveyed

1. Motorola, Arlington Heights, IL

2. Connor-Winfield, Aurora, IL

3. Honeywell, Freeport, IL

4. Omron Corp, Buffalo Grove, IL

5. Underwriters Laboratories, Norhbrook, IL

6. Tellabs, Naperville, IL

7. Hamilton-Sundstrand, Rockford, IL

8. Byron Nuclear Station, Oregon, IL

9. Northrup-Gruman, Rolling Meadows, IL

10. Yaskawa, IL

11. Skill/Bosch Power Tools, Chicago, IL

12. Baxter International, Crystal Lake, IL

13. Ingersol Milling, Rockford, IL

14. Woodward Governor, Inc, Rockford, IL

15. DANA Corp, Cornelius, NC

16. Ideral Industries, Dekalb, IL

17. ComEd, Joliet, IL

18. T.J. Adams Group, LLC

19. Kinney Industrial Services, Hammond, IN

20. Cherry Automotive, Waukegan, IL

21. AON Insurance, Winter Sprongs, Florida

 

APPENDIX C

 

Course objectives

1. Describe energy, power, electric charge, current, potential, and fields
2. Determine circuit configurations and use of Ohm’s, Power, and Kirchhoff’s Laws

3.      Demonstrate Proper use of analog and digital meters, scopes, and measurements

4.      Explain the basic operation of electric machines and motor control circuits

5.      Describe concepts and use of transistors, power supplies, and IC circuits

6.      Explain basic digital circuits and binary logic systems

7.      Employ the utilization of the computer to solve problems

 

Course Outlines

                                   

Week	Topics Covered
1	Science of Electricity and Electronics a) Nature of Matter, Static Electricity;   b) Basic Electrical Circuit;  c) Ohm’s Law
	Basic Instruments and Measurements a) Basic Analog and Digital Multimeters;   b) Electrical Diagrams
2	Basic Electrical Circuit Materials a) Conductors and Insulators; b) Common Circuit Devices;  c) Resistors.
	Energy and Source of Electricity a) Work and Power, Ohm’s& Watt Laws; b) Wattmeters and WattHours, Efficiency c) Chemical Action, Other Sources
3	DC Series Circuits a) Series Circuit Principles; b) Applications of Series Circuits.
	DC Parallel Circuits a) Parallel Circuit Principles; b) Applications of Series Circuits
4	DC Combination Circuits a) Reducing a Complex Circuit; b) Solving for Voltage and Current c) Troubleshooting a Combination Circuit
5	Magnetism a) Magnetic Principles; b) Electric Current and Magnetism; c) Relays, Buzzer, and Circuit Breakers.
6	AC Circuits and Generators a) Electrical Energy from Mechanical; b) Generators, Alternating Current, c) 3-Phase Generators, The Oscilloscope
7	DC Motors, Transformers a) DC Motor Operation, Types; b) Transformer Principles; c) Distribution System
8	AC Motors a) Induction Motors; b) Motor Protection and Troubleshooting
9, 10	Electronics Circuits (selected topics) a) Inductance in AC Circuits; b) Capacitance in AC Circuits c) RCL Networks and Filtering Circuits
11, 12	Semiconductors (selected Topics) a) Vacuum Tubes, Transistors, Amplifiers; b) Operation and Circuit Configuration c) IC Technology and circuits
13, 14, 15	Digital Circuits (selected Topics) a) Digital Fundamentals; b) Logic Gates and Families; c) Digital Applications

Section 1: Fundamentals of Electricity and Electronics; Section 2: Basic Circuits            

Section 3: AC Power, Motors, and Generators; Section 4: Electronics and Digital Circuits

 

APPENDIX D

Student Questionnaire

 

1- Please give the following: a) Your Major------     b) Your GPA------      c) Years in college------

2- Do you have any previous exposure to instructional technologies (IT) as used in this classroom?             Yes---------                 No-----------

3- Do you believe that using IT is more effective than classical presentation?               a) Definitely-----                     b) Somewhat----------             c) Not at all

4- Please rank on a scale of 4 the followings:          (1-Excellent, 2-Good, 3-Average, 4-Poor)              a) PowerPoint-------- b) Blackboard------- c) Videos--------            d) Interactive Software

5- In your opinion, did IT make it a better course? a) Yes, a lot-----                      b) Somewhat------       c) Not at all

6- What effects did IT have on your class participation and attendance? a) Increased--------           b) Decreased--------                c) No influence

7- Would you recommend these teaching methods be maintained in future course offerings? a) Yes---          b) No-----                   c) No opinion

8- What do you like MOST about instructional technologies used in this course and why?

9- What do you like LEAST about instructional technologies used in this course and why?

APPENDIX E

Comments made by students when answering questions 8 and 9.

 

8) What do you like MOST about Information Technology used in this course and why?

·        It’s clear and easy to work with. With Blackboard you can get the PowerPoint from class you missed

·        The projector along with the board is the best way to learn

·        I liked that, it really helped in the learning process

·        It was great

·        Availability and information

·        Easily accessible

·        Practice tests on Blackboard

·        Learning new formulas

·        On-line practice tests

·        Blackboard Website, because when I needed to look back on class notes, it was there

·        It was interesting yet informative

·        It was helpful

·        If I missed something due to illness or something else I can easily find out by using Blackboard

·        Blackboard, grades, assignments, drop box, etc…

·        PowerPoint presentation and ability to get it off the web

·        It’s good to receive notes or the power point slides to print out and have ready for class, instead of just taking notes. It’s easier to follow in the class

·        Lab was interesting

·        Very useful information not provided by book

·        If I was sick I can get note lectures

·        Typed notes are easier to read

·        The diversity

·        If you missed a class you could look at what was missed on Blackboard

·        The visual element

 

9) What do you like LEAST about Information Technology used in this course and why?

·        The video were old and boring and didn’t get students’ attention very well

·        Do not depend too much on it

·        It kind made you not want to come to class

·        Blackboard could have been used more effectively

·        Sometimes it’s kind of hard to pay attention to

·        The videos are older than me and seem like they are made with no budget

·        Put grades on Blackboard

·        Not enough classes

·        The videos because they were dull and boring

·        The videos seemed outdated

·        Nothing

·        Blackboard goes down too often

·        The videos

·        I would have liked to see my grades on Blackboard. My other classes did this, and this was the only class that didn’t.

·        There was nothing I can really say negative

·        Videos were horrible to watch

·        The complexity

·        If someone wants to see something not in the presentation, it’s harder to fit the demonstration in

·        Video’s annoying narrative