Electrical Engineering (55)-The University of Florida's (UF) undergraduate Digital Signal Processing (DSP)-track consists of a junior Discrete-Time Signals and Systems and a senior DSP courses. An assessment of these courses would lead one to conclude that they are academically strong by engineering science standards. They are, however, in danger of failing to provide the technology-centric learning experience requested by students and employers alike. Fortunately there are reforms underway within the engineering education and training community that may provide the means of making UF's DSP program more relevant and effective. First, a studio-based content delivery strategy, championed by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), has been demonstrated effective in delivering technology-centric material. Secondly content delivery frameworks developed in the private sector to train practicing engineers, has been successfully used to impart specific skills in minimal time. A studio-based learning environment, combined with a professional training framework defines the proposed InvestiGATOR innovation in the context of the NSF's CCLI/A&I program. Studio instruction is being reintroduced into the UF DSP curriculum using the recently developed Interactive DSP Teaching Laboratory as an enabling instrument. The DSP courses are being delivered in a studio format support along with new supplemental structured DSP micro-processor (TI C'6000 DSK) and MatLab-centric learning material designed to support in-class studio activities as well as hands-on authentic laboratory studies. A formative evaluation using a CIPP model is being used to track student's preparation and attitudes attributable to an InvestiGATOR experience. Supporting this project is cost-shared contributions from Texas Instruments and Mathworks.
The InvestiGATOR has broad and important impact on engineering, science, and technology education. The studio-based and training material format will be exported to many universities and disciplines. InvestiGATOR material will be distributed via Internet downloads, the educational outreach programs of our industrial partners, and through follow-on publications.
