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The Curriculum Committee has proposed a revision to the first two years of the EE and CE curricula. At the Department Meeting where I presented this proposal, concerns were raised. I am therefore asking for feedback about the proposed curriculum change, preparatory to a vote of the department.
Context: The Department of Mathematics believes that the current content of Math 415 (Linear Algebra) could be, and should be, taught to first and second-year students. In accord with that view, one of its current sections (Math 415PL1: syllabus attached) is a prototype of a proposed new course with the number Math 257. Mathematics faculty have expressed the wish that Math 257 could be a pre-requisite for Math 285, so that Math 285 could include treatment of linear systems of differential equations. Many ECE faculty have expressed the wish that ECE students should take a 3-hour linear algebra course, instead of the one hour of matrix manipulations currently provided in Math 286. Math 416, which is a more abstract linear algebra course, may also be suitable. At the ECE Department Meeting on 10/6/2020, several faculty expressed concern that adding two hours to the first two years of the ECE Curriculum would place an undue burden on students entering our program without AP Credit. In response, the Curriculum Committee proposes a change to the Junior Eligibility rule that will have the net effect of reducing the number of hours that are absolutely required of all students in the first two years.
Proposal to the College of Engineering for a Change to the Electrical Engineering Curriculum: 1) Replace MATH 286 by the sequence of (MATH 257 or MATH 416) and MATH 285, 2) Add ATMS 201, CPSP 265, PSYC 204 as technical electives, and 3) revise our Junior Eligibility Rule to allow one of ECE 210 PHYS 213/214 and ECE 220 to be postponed to the student's 5th semester. With these changes the number of required basic math and science hours is increased by 2 which will be deducted from the number of technical electives hours to decrease them from 32 to 30.
Proposal to the College of Engineering for a Change to the Computer Engineering Curriculum: 1) Replace MATH 286 by the sequence of (MATH 257 or MATH 416) and MATH 285, 2) Remove CHEM 102/103 as a required course, 3) Add CHEM 102/103, ATMS 201, CPSP 265, PSYC 204 as technical electives, and 4) revise our Junior Eligibility Rule to allow one of ECE 210 and ECE 220 PHYS 213/214 to be postponed to the student's 5th semester. With these changes the number of required basic math and science hours is reduced by 2 which will be added to the number of technical electives hours to increase them from 27 to 29.
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