ECE Curriculum Committee Meeting Minutes for April 4, 2008

1. The Minutes of the March 28, 2008 meeting were approved.
2. The ECE 333 course proposal by Patrick Chapman was approved with minor corrections.
3. Erhan Kudeki stated that instructors should not expect junior-level students to have mastered all concepts covered in previous courses; instructors of 300-level courses must accept the need to review and solidify basic concepts. He emphasized that the third year is a time of synthesis, in which students make the connections between the mathematics, physics, chemistry, and basic ECE material seen in earlier courses. Our advanced core courses must be aimed at helping students accomplish this synthesis; otherwise, the courses should be positioned out of the core in the fourth year when students can delve deeply into specific subjects.
4. The Curriculum Committee reviewed the course outline of ECE 430. Patrick Chapman pointed out that the course was always intended to be taken at the junior level, that the original elevation of the number from 330 to 430 was an executive decision rather than one made by the course directors based on content. He suggested that relatively little change might be required to meet the Curriculum Committee's goals. Erhan Kudeki stated that the course plays an important role in synthesizing students' understanding of circuits, electromagnetics, and mechanics.
5. The Committee adjourned at 11:52 AM.