Integrating Experimentation with Theoretical and Simulation-Based Analysis in Electrical and Computer Engineering Laboratories

当前全面改革四年制本科课程的一个组成部分是创建一个虚拟实验室，通过设计和构建电子和数字系统，将现实世界的实验与正在设计的系统的理论和模拟分析结合起来。实验室体验实现了两个重要目标：首先，它给学生一种使用真实硬件的感觉，并使他们意识到理论与实践之间的差异；其次，它提供了一个只有通过实践才能发展直觉的机会。该实验室包括用于数据采集和实时控制的PC设备，基于PC的分析和模拟能力，以及允许在实验室时间之外进一步离线分析的网络连接。

An integral part of the current effort to completely overhaul the four-year undergraduate curriculum is the creation of a Virtual Laboratory, which integrates real-world experimentation, through the design and construction of electronic and digital systems, with theoretical and simulation-based analyses of the system being designed. The laboratory experience accomplishes two important goals: first, it gives the student a feel for working with real hardware and creates an awareness of the discrepancies between theory and practice; second, it provides an opportunity for developing intuition that comes only through practice. The laboratory includes PC equipment for data acquisition and real-time control, PC-based analysis and simulation capabilities, and network connections to allow further offline analysis outside of laboratory hours.