Integrating Visual Programming, Instrumentation, and Embedded DSP Technology into Freshman Introduction to Engineering Design

Abstract

Arizona State University's electrical engineering department is redesigning its Freshman introduction to engineering design course with the objective of increasing students' retention and the students' interest in engineering careers. National instruments (NI) products, including the LabVIEWtrade embedded DSP module, which supports embedded real-time solutions, the SPEEDY-33 DSP board, and the NI ELVIS system, are used in the redesigned course in order to expose the students to exciting hands-on learning while fostering creativity. Moreover, students will be able to design, implement, test and compare the same applications in both the digital domain, using the NI SPEEDY-33 board and the LabVIEWtrade embedded DSP module, and the analog domain, using NI ELVIS and LabVIEWtrade. The developed applications will introduce students to fundamental concepts in signal & image processing, circuits, communications, biomedical systems, and robotics