Developing Computer-Based Laboratory Instruments in a New Undergraduate Electrical Engineering Program

在本科电气工程实验室中进行的许多测量可以用通用的实验室设备进行，但是这种手工过程缓慢、乏味且容易出错。专门的仪器存在于许多测量任务中，但是专业仪器的费用本科生实验室可能难以证明。基于计算机的实验室仪器提供了这种专用仪器的低成本替代方案。这个主题是将技术融入教育的项目正在进一步发展现有的工具；积极引导本科生参与新仪器的设计和测试；将这些新工具纳入本科课程；以允许其他工程项目容易复制的形式创建和传播软件、硬件设计和课程材料。该项目采用了威斯康星大学约翰·韦伯斯特教授的研究实验室和德克萨斯大学泰勒分校（UT-Tyler）健康与运动学系的研究实验室的基于计算机的实验室仪器的概念，这些概念已在德克萨斯大学泰勒分校的电气工程系本科课程中实施。

Engineering - Electrical (55)Many measurements made in undergraduate electrical engineering laboratories may be carried out with general purpose laboratory equipment, but this manual process is slow, tedious, and prone to error. Specialized instrumentation exists for many measurements tasks, but the expense of specialized instrumentation undergraduate laboratories may be difficult to justify. Computer-based laboratory instruments offer a low-cost alternative to such specialized instruments. This project, whose theme is integration of technology into education is further developing existing instruments; to actively bring undergraduate students into the design and testing of new instruments; to integrate these new instruments into the undergraduate curriculum; and to create and disseminate software and hardware designs and curriculum materials in a form permitting other engineering program to readily duplicate. The project adapts concepts of using computer-based laboratory instrumentation from the research laboratory of Prof. John Webster at the University of Wisconsin and the research laboratory of the Health and Kinesiology Department of the University of Texas at Tyler (UT-Tyler) which are implemented into the Department of Electrical Engineering undergraduate curriculum at the UT-Tyler.