The project is developing a state-of-the-art wireless communication systems laboratory facility and course that enables students to design, test, and simulate wireless systems and circuits using modern instrumentation and CAD/CAE software. The laboratory is utilized in all wireless systems courses at all levels, and it is building a bridge between courses in this area and those in related areas such as RF circuits and devices. In addition, the laboratory is serving as a resource for undergraduate projects and as a tool for outreach to the local community. The evaluation effort, which is being conducted with support from the University's center for teaching excellence, is utilizing student and employee surveys and a specially designated student evaluation team. The investigators are using a long standing industrial advisory committee to guide their efforts and they are disseminating their materials and results though postings on their website, papers at educational conferences and in educational journals, presentations at a special wireless and microwave technology conference, and promotions by the equipment manufacturer. The broader impacts of the proposed activity include dissemination of the course material; summer workshops for two-year college students, high school teachers and local engineers; and outreach to the local high schools through participation in a successful ongoing program.
