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Item 2: How would ECE 445 need to be changed? We estimate that under the new CE curriculum, for their design project: 15% of CEs would do a thesis, 30% would take ECE 411, and about 55% would take ECE 445. CC member and ECE 445 instructor Jonathan M. discussed with Scott Carney (course director) and Dan Mast about how ECE 445 could accommodate this influx of CE students. The current instructors feel that the best solution would be to keep ECE 445 as one course in which CEs and EEs can collaborate on team projects, rather than dividing the course into two. At However, multiple sections of the course may need to be established to allow for a clear delineation of responsibilities. At least four types of resources need to be lined up for an expected new load of 200 students per semester average:
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(c) Space and equipment. Currently ECE 445 has 16 lab stations, which could increase to 20 with the change in building. One team of two or three students can work in at a lab station at a time. The total number of lab stations would need to be increased (to 40?) and the mixture of equipment in some of them changed to accommodate more CE student involved involvement in projects. Bill Sanders noted that the College in is inviting laboratory instrumentation requests for multiyear funding. Need CE instructor involvement now to guide equipment preparation.
(d) Staffing in mechanical shop. Student projects often rely on the mechanical shop and the ECE part shops (PCB fabrication) for project support and components. The load gets especially heavy near the end of the semester.
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