This project is developing an undergraduate laboratory environment that incorporates cooperative learning with structured problem solving. The PI is creating ten laboratory exercises for utilizing RF and microwave equipment to support two existing lecture courses. Cooperative learning is a well-known method for engaging students in an active learning process that can improve a student's problem solving skills, individual accountability, and team work. The changes in these courses should not only enhance student learning but also increase the number of students enrolling in these courses and hence the number of graduates, particularly African-American graduates, with experience in the RF and microwaves area to meet important shortages in industry. The evaluation effort includes the collection of both quantitative and qualitative data using multiple assessment strategies. Dissemination activities are based on publishing the project's methods and data in appropriate engineering education journals and on a focused outreach effort for HBCUs involving a workshop for interested faculty. Broader impacts include the dissemination of the material, particularlyto HBCUs and the increased participation of African-American students in the field.
