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This paper describes the work in progress for education in Electric Power, Control and Energy Systems (EPCES) at undergraduate and graduate levels, initially commencing in high schools. Further, the paper describes a methodology to build a robust pipeline of high school students who go on to choose electric power/control/energy as a field of study as undergraduates. This paper describes the graduate courses developed and being developed. This paper is based on previous papers and provides the updates since the results reported therein. Resulting from this process are students having the flexibility upon graduation to work in industry or to go on to graduate school and doctoral research, or to work in a field different than power/control/energy.

Nowadays, a huge amount of ambiguous e-learning materials are available in World Wide Web irrespective of various objectives. These digital educational resources can be reused and shared from centralized online repository and it will avoid the redundant learning material. The main goal is to design consistent adaptable e-learning course material for web-based education system with emphasis on the quality of learning. This can be done by organizing learning object in a prescribed manner and it can be reused in feature. Such reusable learning objects are enhanced further to become adaptive reusable learning objects that are virtually cognitive and responsive towards the specific needs of the user/customer. This paper proposes the cognitive architecture to offer an adaptive reusable objects (RLO) based on individual profile of e-learner besides their cognitive behaviour while learning.

ABSTRACT Three graduate-level short courses on ecological agriculture and food systems were held in 1995–1997 in Norway to introduce systems thinking, creative research methods, and innovative learning approaches. In 1999, a three-day evaluation and planning workshop was held to assess course impacts, to determine relative importance of content areas, to compare learning methods with special attention to case studies, and to vision and develop action plans for future education in the region. Students and faculty agreed that soft systems research methods and varied learning processes in the course were more valuable than specific technical content that can be learned in other venues. Nine priority education areas were identified for ecological agriculture: (1) systems thinking, (2) research methods, (3) farmer/stakeholder participation, (4) improving production methods, (5) relating agriculture to food systems, (6) learning about learning, (7) values and ethics, (8) faculty development and institutional ch...

A survey was conducted to collect the student’s learning outcomes when using virtual (simulation) labs in teaching. Two general physics courses [Phys I (2425) and Phys II (2426)] were chosen to conduct the survey. Five simulation experiments were performed by our students in Physics I and five experiments in Physics II. PhET (University of Colorado) interaction simulations were used by our students. The simulation experiments are covering most of the General Physics courses topics (Mechanics, Electricity, Heat, Thermodynamics, and Waves). Survey results show that performing the conventional simulation labs enhances the student's understanding of the theory and the physical concepts covered by the simulation. The resemblance of most simulations to real-life enables some of the students to improve or think of improving the simulation scenarios. The responses of our students indicate that the majority prefer that virtual experiments to be part of the conventional lab and not to be fully substituted.

ABSTRACT This article describes the development of techniques for integrating energy audits into an energy education program targeted to provide experiential educational to accelerate the development of related knowledge and skills. These techniques were refined in the classroom during the fall of 2005 as part of an electrical/mechanical engineering course concerned with the design and analysis of systems for the production, conversion, and use of energy. Major goals of the class were (1) to facilitate the development of analytic capabilities and skills for the design and optimization of various energy systems in commercial businesses and industry in new ways; and (2) to enhance the speed, quality, and efficiency of learning. The approach has resulted in increasing both the level of understanding and the rate at which it is obtained. This is accomplished by directly involving students in energy audit and research activities and by using computer visualization tools to facilitate the development of needed ...

The way an energy system is designed and operated has a direct impact on the environment (during normal operation) and the society (mostly during major disturbances and blackouts). Electrical engineering students in general learn about the environmental concerns associated with various power generation technologies as well as the importance of the availability of power for the society. However, these topics are typically not discussed in sufficient detail to teach the students about the delicate interrelation between energy, environment and the society. Most assignments, class activities or course projects focus on engineering excellence and cost efficiency. What seems to be missing is having the students exposed to realistic operation and design scenarios that present one or more ethical dilemmas. It is only then that the students learn to make environmentally and socially aware decisions and view the problem beyond engineering principles alone. This paper presents a pedagogical perspective on developing educational modules and active learning exercises centered on social and environmental ethics, suitable for graduate and undergraduate courses that focus on the design and operation of energy systems.

Rapid declination of fossil fuel and environmental pollution is a matter of concern for modern society. A substantial part of these fuels is used for generation of power. Thus, conservation of electricity can slow down the decaying of these fuels, expenditure of money and environmental pollution. Educational institutes are one of the leading consumers of power. There are a lot of opportunities by which electricity in institutes can be preserved. This study explores and analyzes building-wise and equipment-wise energy consumption during the summer season in a typical institute located in the north-eastern part of India. The possibilities of curbing electricity, money, fossil fuel and the emission of greenhouse gas have also been investigated in the paper. It has emerged from the result that electric fans and lighting arrangements draw maximum electricity in summer. They devour 72.99% of the total energy used in the institute. Adoption of some simple methods for energy conservation can save 13,779.60 kWh of electricity and 35.39% of its bill per month. Thus, 3030.91 kg of natural gas can be retained and consequently, 15,114.88 kg of greenhouse gas can be prevented from emission.

Year-long senior design capstone courses used to be simple to manage; however, over the past several years they have become increasingly cross-disciplinary and technical in nature, to the point where a single faculty advisor will probably not have sufficient breadth and depth of expertise in all areas of the project to provide adequate guidance and supervision. The Electrical & Computer Engineering and Computer Science Department at Ohio Northern University has responded to this challenge through the establishment of a “Project Review Board” for each senior design capstone project that consists of three faculty members with the appropriate background and expertise to guide the project. This review board structure can be implemented at any institution, provides greater opportunities for both accurate assessment and student professional development, and builds upon previous publications regarding capstone assessment and design standards. This paper presents the details behind the changes that were successfully implemented in our revised capstone process.

Communication plays an important role in our everyday life. Good communication is therefore vital for effective functioning in the work environment. There is overwhelming evidence that proficiency in communication skills can make any individual more versatile, and thus more competitive in the workplace. Communication is a mode, which helps every one of us to transfer our messages, thoughts, feelings, thinking, imagination and ideas. This is a function pre-installed or naturally exists in every human being to show his/her existence by language. Thus, every student certainly needs effective and impressive communication skills. As a result, there are growing expectations from educational institutions to cater the needs of the workplace. One of the major issues we need to address includes, what measures should be taken to make the students work-ready‘? In this perspective, Teachers have an important role to play in enhancing the communication skills among students. Considering the diversity in the classroom, there is a growing demand to use innovative methods and strategies, including framing good quality instructional resources to enhance various sub-skills of communication among our students. An attempt is made in this article, to contribute to the ongoing discussion in the changing contexts of communication skills from the perspective of preparing our students to face future challenges. The paper shares ideas on enhancing the four core elements of Communication skills, including listening, speaking, reading and writing skills in order to get an edge up in the competition for work and employment.