"Growing Pains in Designing and Implementing Successful Remote Laboratory

Courses" with Christopher Peters, Ph.D., Teaching Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering

Abstract:

Laboratory courses in engineering are used throughout curricula to strengthen important topics. Often these courses use very expensive, nonportable equipment such as test measurement equipment. However, the occurrence of COVID-19 resulted in implementing remote learning for students. Thus, a need to implement remote lab courses rapidly and effectively was paramount. Moreover, the development of these courses can be very challenging, with the ultimate goal to have the same outcomes as the on-campus equivalent lab courses. Often is the time the class either changes significantly, or even is not feasible to teach remotely due to equipment considerations.

This presentation discusses developing and implementing three different lab courses for a remote environment. First, a new project for Electrical and Computer Engineering focused Freshman Design. Second, a modification of a current course (ECE 303). Finally, using the lessons learned from the first and second course, a new course, being lectured for the first time this spring, is a prime candidate for a remote laboratory course. These lessons can be applied to many STEM majors requiring hardware, which are discussed throughout the presentation.

Speaker:

Christopher Peters, Ph.D., began his post high school education by serving in the U.S. Navy, where he operated, maintained, and supervised the propulsion and auxiliary equipment in the engine room of the USS BARBEY (FF-1088). Upon an honorable discharge, Christopher pursued his formal education, obtaining a B.S.E., M.S., and Ph.D. in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Michigan (2001), with his focus on researching the time-evolved spectrum of highpower microwave devices. He started his first post-education occupation working at Lockheed Martin, where he was responsible for the aligning, calibration, and far-field analysis of shipboard radars. In 2008, he became a full-time Teaching Professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department at Drexel University. Since his academic pursuit, he has supervised over 40 senior design teams, three BS/MS students, and co-advised 3 students pursuing their Community Based Masters Project in the School of Public Health. Additionally, he has instructed over 30 distinct courses, and is the driving force of the Nuclear Engineering minor. His current interests are focused on developing educational tools using the integration of hardware in currently available commercial video games.

Happy Hour begins at 3:30pm

Presentation begins at 4pm

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