Enhancement of traditional mode of teaching based on the experience of project-based learning
Project based learning (PBL) has become more popular due to its student centered nature of learning compared to traditional modes of learning. However, it is not always feasible to implement it due to several reasons. At the University of New South Wales, the PBL mode was trialled on an introductory Digital Signal Processing course for two consecutive years and the evaluation was previously reported. After that, based on the experience of PBL implementation, some elements of PBL have been incorporated with traditional mode of teaching to enhance the traditional mode and that enhanced traditional mode have been continued. The experience of enhancing the traditional mode with components derived from PBL, particularly the inclusion of conceptual design presentation and laboratory tests, are promising. This paper presents the task description of PBL and experience of how some of the components of PBL can be utilized to enhance the traditional mode of teaching.
Teaching Signal Processing Through Frequent and Diverse Design: A Pedagogical Approach
In this article, we describe and discuss the design-based approach for signal processing education at the undergraduate level at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney. The electrical engineering (EE) undergraduate curriculum at UNSW Sydney includes three dedicated signal processing courses as well as a design course that involves a major signal processing task. Design- and project-based teaching permeate the curriculum and form a primary method of content delivery to not only cement the understanding of theoretical concepts but also strengthen students? ability to apply these concepts to practical problems.
Education and careers 2000. Enhanced skills for engineers
What separates high-potential engineers, who rapidly rise within their organizations to positions of great prominence and leadership, from those who do not advance? Why are some engineers capable of transforming their technical knowledge and experience into successful entrepreneurial ventures, while others fall short of this financially rewarding accomplishment? Or, as a dedicated individual contributor, what will best prepare you as your organization embarks on the widely dreaded restructuring, downsizing, or right-sizing exercise? Highly successful professional engineers are not only technically astute, but also often possess some of the extra or soft skills that many experts believe are necessary for engineers and scientists to increasingly embrace as we move forward in the 21st Century. The ideas presented in this article are based on interviews with various industry executives and managers, and industry-savvy government leaders, as well as academic leaders, from both the USA and around the world. The consensus results indicate that engineers and scientists should understand the career enhancing value of the soft skills in order to progress in today's global open market economy. The paper discusses the importance of developing these skills through educational and other professional enrichment activities. It is expected that these skills will be required for the members of the global workforce of the 21st Century. This will also be an era in which the responsibility for career development is no longer the duty of the organization but rather that of the individual engineer.