An Electrical Systems Course In A General Engineering Program

General engineering programs, by their nature, require a curriculum covering a broad range of material from multiple engineering disciplines. Individual courses must support the outcomes of the program and sufficient coverage of topics is critical for the success of the program and the students. The challenge in key topical areas is to balance the conflict between the limited available time and the breadth and depth of topics. One topical area is electrical systems, which encompasses electrical engineering concepts for the general engineer. Required topics for an electrical systems course could include basic circuit concepts, electronic devices, digital logic, power, electric machines, and often instrumentation and controls. The decision for which topics will be chosen and developed for a compact electrical engineering course in a general engineering program requires thorough understanding of the program and careful planning. This paper describes the planning and initial delivery experiences of a circuit analysis course in a newly-established general engineering program. The paper relates the program mission with the curriculum structure and how the circuits course builds a foundation for advanced topics and concentration areas such as bioprocess engineering. The paper also examines the valuable lessons learned from the impact of prerequisite knowledge on topic selection, math/science requirement, and laboratory activities. Encountered difficulties and opportunities are identified and improvement plans are described.