Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute First Year Engineering Skills Courses

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Rensselaer Polytechnic InstituteFirst Year
Engineering Skills Courses

• Kenneth Connor
• Electrical, Computer, and Systems Engineering

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First Year Skills Courses

• Engineering Processes
• John Szczesniak
• Engineering Graphics and CAD
• Doug Baxter
• Introduction to Engineering Electronics
• Paul Schoch, Ken Rose, Bruce Carlson, Partha
  Dutta, Bill Mielke

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EE First Year Schedule

• Fall Credit Hours
• ENGR-1100 Intro. to Engineering Analysis 4
• ENGR-1310 Intro. to Eng. Electronics 1
• ENGR-1500 Chemistry of Materials I 4
• MATH-1010 Calculus I 4
• Humanities or Social Sciences Elective 4
• Spring Credit Hours
• ENGR-1200 Engineering Graphics CAD 1
• MATH-1020 Calculus II 4
• CSCI-1100 Computer Science I 4
• PHYS-1100 Physics I 4
• Humanities or Social Sciences Elective 4

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CSE First Year Schedule

• Fall Credit Hours
• ENGR-1200 Engineering Graphics CAD 1
• ENGR-1500 Chemistry of Materials I 4
• CSCI-1100 Computer Science I 4
• MATH-1010 Calculus I 4
• Humanities or Social Sciences Elective 4
• Spring Credit Hours
• ENGR-1100 Intro. to Engineering Analysis 4
• ENGR-1310 Intro. to Eng. Electronics 1
• MATH-1020 Calculus II 4
• CSCI-1200 Computer Science II 4
• Humanities or Social Sciences Elective 4

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Engineering Processes

• The use of basic machine tools such as
  lathes, milling machines, drill presses, band
  saws, and grinders, including micrometers,
  vernier calipers, and other devices of use in a
  machine shop or laboratory. Welding techniques
  and tool making are also considered.
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• Fall, spring, and summer terms annually. 1 credit
  hour, 3 contact hours

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Engineering Processes

• Cannon/Catapult Project
• Lathe
• Vertical Miller
• Gas Metal Arc Welding and Oxyacetylene Brazing
  Lab
• Plastic Welding Lab
• Misc
• Measurement Tools
• Grinding
• SAFETY
• Final Exam

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Engineering Graphics and CAD

• An introduction to the techniques for
  creating solid models of engineering designs.
  Topics include three-dimensional modeling of
  parts and assemblies, visualization, orthographic
  and isometric free-hand sketching, and
  computer-generated design documentation.
•  
• Fall, spring, and summer terms annually. 1 credit
  hour, 3 contact hours

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EGCAD Self-Taught Solid Modeling

• SolidWorks
• Solid Modeling Software on Laptops
• PDMWorks
• Secure Data Base Manager on Laptops
• Course CDs
• 2 CDs
• Lectures 1-6
• Lectures 7-12
• Video Lectures
• 4 to 5 15 Minute Segments / Lecture
• Manual and Course Problems

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EGCAD Web Interface

• WebCT and Traditional Internet Pages
• Display Video Lectures
• Lecture Data (Parts, Assemblies, etc.)
• Quizzes
• Weekly Quizzes
• Laboratory Quizzes
• Course Information
• Student Projects

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EGCAD Online Quizzes
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EGCAD Viewing the Lecture Online
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Introduction to Engineering Electronics

• A hands-on experience with electronic
  circuits and modern opportunities to build and
  test simple electronic circuits that illustrate
  basic concepts. A design project is included.
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• Fall and spring terms annually. 1 credit hour, 3
  contact hours

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IEE Principles and Goals

• Hands-on laboratory and design experiences build
  student confidence, stimulate curiosity, and
  demonstrate the relevance of engineering work
  thereby increasing motivation and retention.
• Build on students limited tinkering experiences
  to build and sustain interest in engineering
  (particularly electrical, computer and electric
  power).
• Give students first-hand experience with
  electronic circuits chosen to demonstrate that
  engineering work is relevant, rewarding, and even
  fun.
• Prepare students for design activities in the
  rest of their undergraduate engineering courses.

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IEE Activities

• Basic Instrumentation
• Oscilloscope, Digital Multimeter,
• Function Generator, DC Power Supplies
• Voltage, Current, and Power
• Series and Parallel Resistance, Voltage Dividers
• AC and DC voltage measurements
• Diodes and Transistors
• Binary Counter
• 555 Timer
• 7-segment LED display
• Stepper motors
• IR communication
• Flash camera
• Magnetic-Levitation controller

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IEE Course Structure

• 11 One Hour Lectures
• 11 Two Hour Labs
• Tutorials, Lectures, and Labs on WebCT

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IEE Flash Camera
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IEE Flash Camera Light Sensitive Trigger
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IEESolar Cell

• In this laboratory session, students are
  introduced to microelectronics fabrication
  technologies. They learn how to fabricate a
  simple semiconductor p-n junction. During this
  session, they will fabricate a silicon solar cell
  used for generating electric power directly from
  sunlight. The fabrication of this device is
  implemented in the class 100 clean room
  environment.

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IEE Solar Cell

• Wafer Handling
• Impurity Diffusion
• Metalization
• Photolithography
• Contact Annealing
• Device Testing

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IEE Evaluation Key Results

• Most students would recommend IEE to their
  friends and they were more satisfied with their
  education as a result of taking IEE.
• An increase in student confidence was marginal
  during the course itself. However, when the
  students were surveyed again in Introduction to
  Engineering Design, the most positive result was
  in response to the statement, IEE helped prepare
  me to complete the design projects in IED.
• The most satisfying observation is that
  improvements in motivation and confidence can be
  measured in subsequent semesters for this 1
  credit course.