The project, "A Remote Wireless Sensing and Control Laboratory," provides an integrated laboratory experience in Electrical and Computer Engineering to Engineering students with a wide range of interests in Computer, Electrical, Civil/Environmental, and Mechanical Engineering. Broad-ranging applications of the laboratory include smart sensors and person detection, web-based acquisition and control, and wireless communication system.
Two particular applications encompassed by these projects include an intelligent security system, and an energy conservation system resulting from monitoring room usage. Experiments being adapted and extended for more in-depth and multi-disciplinary applications include several compiled in Agilent's Educator's Corner, as well as contributions from Springfield Technical Community College's "The Wireless Telecommunications Laboratory Project." This multi- and inter-disciplinary Remote Wireless Sensing and Control Laboratory is being evaluated to determine how it can be most effectively utilized as a pedagogical tool. Assessment is being done by incorporating questions into surveys currently in use by Swarthmore's Engineering Department, including course evaluations, senior surveys, and alumni surveys that provide longitudinal information. Outside evaluators, including Swarthmore's Engineering Council, are also assessing the impact of this work on current students. Results are being compiled for dissemination via articles and presentations to ASEE's Journal of Engineering Education and Annual Meeting, and the Council on Undergraduate Research. Because web-module-development is integral to many experiments, especially those related to the web-based acquisition and control project, extensive use of the web is a critical component of this work. Results will also be posted and linked to sites such as Agilent's Educator's Corner.
