Introducing an industry oriented graduate course: Testing of digital systems
According to the International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS), for more than four decades, the semiconductor industry has distinguished itself by the rapid pace of improvements in its products. However, the cost of the increased functionality of components, circuits, and systems, is the requirement of more verification and test of the electronic products. In current projects, verification engineers outnumber designers, with the ratio reaching two or three to one for the most complex designs. Additionally, the present globalization trends and needs are driving the universities worldwide, to find new avenues in the programs that they are offering, to be attractive to their prospective students. Addressing the above mentioned matters, an industry oriented graduate course “Testing of Digital Systems” was created and offered for the first time in the academic year 2009–2010 at Rose Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana. The paper presents the rationale, integration of the new course in the ECE curricula, description of the course and laboratory activities developed around an industrial grade Automatic Test Equipment, preliminary assessment plans and conclusions.
Integrating Extensive Functional Verification Into Digital Design Education
A different approach to teaching digital systems design using hardware description languages (HDLs) within a limited time budget is presented. The proposed approach modifies the content of the lectures, placing more emphasis on the functional verification of hardware designs as opposed to the established method of teaching HDL semantics and syntax. The educational research study conducted by the author and the Office of Institutional Research, Planning, and Assessment, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, IN, suggests that the extensive coverage of functional verification: 1) improves the learning process and the achievement of concepts and skills in digital design; and 2) encourages a deeper approach to learning, producing highly qualified graduates for today industry's needs.
A handheld data acquisition system for use in an undergraduate data acquisition course
A handheld data acquisition (DAQ) system was designed and built for use in an undergraduate engineering course. The system is based on a PocketPC computer and a low-cost serial DAQ card. The DAQ system runs under WindowsCE, an embedded real-time operating system. The DAQ hardware is supported by a free development system and custom software that allows applications to be tested under emulation with simulated I/O before being downloaded to the DAQ hardware. Several lab experiments were developed that complement the DAQ hardware.