Daniel M. Litynski, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY USA
Bozena Bobinska and Jan Grudziecki, Technical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland
The Technical University of Lodz (Politechnika Lodzka) established an International
Faculty of Engineering (IFE) beginning with academic year 1993-94. The
central philosophy is to educate international, technology-based leaders
for the world economy of the 21st Century. Details of the IFE creation
and initial program in Electromechanical Engineering were reported previously.
The faculty was established
under the direction of an International Advisory Committee including academicians
from many countries including Australia, the United Kingdom, the United
States of America, Italy and Germany. Leaders of the next century can
expect a rapidly evolving, interrelated, global society. A broad curriculum
was therefore recommended to deal effectively with human and technological
issues which span international boundaries and to educate industry leaders
with strong engineering and managerial backgrounds able to meet the
challenges of a rapidly changing economy and prepared for life-long learning.
The program provides broader education than the other engineering courses
at the university which tend to specialize in certain subjects.It
includes three basic components: Engineering themes (
%), Management
&English (
%) and Computers (
%).
English competence for business and engineering is one of the major goals and the English language was selected as the basis for instruction in all courses. All instruction is given in English both by teachers from the Technical University of Lodz and visiting professors who are faculty members and native English speakers.
The first undergraduate degree program leading to a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in Electromechanical Engineering began in AY 93-94. Using the Electromechanical curriculum as a pilot, the IFE has established a multi-disciplinary program around a common core. Another program in Business and Technology commenced in AY 94-95 The faculty currently offers a four-year program leading to a Bachelor of Engineering Degree in these two disciplines. In the second year of operation, there were 24 students in their second year and 54 in their first year of study. Electromechanical Engineering and Business &Technology will be joined by a third in Telecommunications &Computer Science and a fourth in Textile Engineering in AY 95-96. Approximately 80 new students are expected to begin their programs next year. A program leading to a Master of Engineering degree is now in preparation. Building upon this initial success, future plans include expansion of the number of disciplines and students based upon this model.
All disciplines are expected to include a common core and then specialization as appropriate. The initial curriculum was established leading to a Bachelor of Engineering (B.Eng.) degree in electromechanical engineering in four years. Two years of experience have provided the basis for appropriate modifications of the curriculum, and the current program structure follows.
The tables above show the extent of integration of the several programs. Approximately fifty five percent of the programs consist of the common core.
The common core includes a computer theme based upon a two semester, Computer Science course for students in the first year. This two semester sequence is the first within a group of computer related subjects occupying about 15%of the B.Eng. program curriculum and is designed to form a strong background for computer competency. Such a course was not previously available at the university. The authors developed the subject outline while the first author was the first visiting professor to the Internation al Faculty of Engineering during the fall semester of academic year 1993-94.
The content in this two semester sequence is similar to the one semester first course taught at the U.S. Military Academy but with more lessons and additional information included in the courses at Lodz. The method of teaching is also different. West Point typically groups its students in small sections of 15-18 people working with one instructor in integrated lectures and laboratory classes. Course wide coordination among approximately ten instructors is extensive to synchronize all sections. The number of qualified teachers and quantity of facilities at the IFE resulted in keeping a more traditional division between lectures and laboratory classes after the pilot program.
The Computer Science subject was structured to provide fundamental knowledge of computers as problem solving tools. It is followed by a number of computer related subjects (e.g. Computer Engineering, Computer Aided Design and Simulation, Engineering Computer Software) in subsequent years of study and must prepare students for these future courses. The major goals of the Computer Science course include: 1) Be familiar with the basic concepts and terminology of computer science, 2) Understand the basics of telecommunications and networks, 3) Develop a functional understanding of an operating system and of a computing environment, 4) Understand and use a logical approach to problem solving, 5) Develop confidence in the use of the computer as a problem solving tool, 6) Have a basic working knowledge of the engineering design process, and 7) Understand basic design and code concepts in a high level language.
The Computer Science subject totals 150 units or 75 units per semester. A unit is one class hour of 45 minutes per student per semester. A typical week consists of two hours of lecture and three hours of laboratory. Lectures are given by the subject coordinator to a course group of approximately 28 students. Laboratory classes are held with small groups of approximately seven students per instructor. The Computer Science subject covers two semesters and consists of three phases as indicated in Table 7: (1) Computer Concepts, (2) Problem Solving with Applications, (3.1) &(3.2) Problem Solving by Design &Code. The general Computer Science time frame is presented below.
The lectures present systematic problems and discuss more complex issues to form a theoretical basis for practical work which is completed in the coordinated laboratory classes with instructor's assistance. The first phase is devoted to Computer Conceptsand occupies five periods with each period of two class hours duration. It covers System Software, Microcomputer Operating Systems, Microcomputer Hardware, and Communications and Connectivity. Five linked laboratory classes of three class hours each demonstrate expertise in Working in Networks and Windows Environment and Running DOS and Windows Applications.
The second phase is seven periods long and covers Problem Solving with Applications. An electronic spreadsheet is demonstrated as a problem solving tool; Microsoft Excel is the current platform chosen. The lectures explain spreadsheet concepts and methodswith a special focus on analysis tools such as Data Tables, What-If-Analysis and Linear Regression Models. The tasks for the laboratory classes were carefully selected to demonstrate how the spreadsheet may be used to solve both engineering and business problems. They include: 1) Tensile Test (Materials Science problem), 2) Data Analysis, Database and Presentation (business problem), 3) Break-even Analysis (business problem), 4) Forecasting with Linear Regression Model (business problem).
The third phase is devoted to Problem Solving by Design &Code and covers the whole second semester (14 periods). Pascal has been chosen as the high level language used to code the problems, but this phase is more than teaching of the elementary coding in Pascal. The phase major objectives are: 1) Top-down design of structured programs including the following steps: a) problem analysis, b) modular design of the problem, c) design of the structure of the modules, d) coding, e) verification of solution, and f) documentation, 2) Modular construction of programs, 3) Training for team programming.
Procedures with parameters are introduced from the beginning and the most elementary programs have modular structure with parameters as the only legal way of subprograms communication. Training for team programming is accomplished by giving the students aprogram shell and instructing them to complete particular procedures to solve sub-problems rather than coding the entire program. Team solutions are then integrated.
A common PC-based computer laboratory is available for the Computer Science subject scheme. The International Faculty of Engineering Computer Laboratory contains about 30 networked 386SX and DX PCs working under Windows 3.11 and Novel NetWare 3.11 with access to the internet for all students. The application software includes: MS Word 2.0. MS Excel 4.0 and Borland Turbo Pascal for DOS 7.0. This is adequate for the current subject requirements. The lectures are supported with computer on-line demonstrations using an instructor computer, overhead projector and projection panel.
The central philosophy of the assessment procedure is frequent grading called continuous assessment. The Computer Science sequence stretches over two terms and, diverging from standard practice at the university, the Board of the Faculty has decided to provide grades for the students after the end of each term rather than only at the end of the year. In the process, a separate grade from the lectures (examination grade) and from laboratory classes (graded laboratories) is assigned. The British scale of marks has been used but, due to the procedures at the university, must be converted to the Polish scale before recording. Approximately 95 per cent of the students completed the course successfully in the first year.
Lecture material knowledge is assessed by two, two-hour examinations taken in the middle and at the end of each term. Written examinations, taken without the use of references, are used to check general knowledge and competence in designing solutions. Thephase and final examinations consist in general of three main parts containing short questions, longer descriptive questions; and finally more extensive questions such as designing a worksheet layout or solving an entire problem from specifications Pascal code. A student who fails to satisfy the Examiners can be admitted to re-examination only one additional time.
The laboratory classes were designed to give practical experience
of a variety of computer techniques, so grades are based on two practical
graded laboratory works and several quizzes during both terms. Quizzes
are typically ten minutes long and cover themain information from
current classes; short answers are typical. Graded laboratory works are
more extensive. These are three class hours and students complete major
problems such as a worksheet or a Pascal program. Complete written instruction
and a program shell are provided the student on a floppy disk. The
completed task, saved by the student on the disk, is assessed. Students
may use reference books during their work. Each graded lab makes up
per cent of the total mark and the sum of all quizzes constitutes
per cent.
The Computer Science subject is supported by a number of text books. The authors have written a few texts specially for the course. This is expected to be expanded in subsequent years. The list of recommended text books and notes are included in the references.
The International Faculty of Engineering has integrated multiple disciplines in a multi-lingual environment. Approximately fifty five percent of the current four programs consist of a common core; cross-disciplinary options increase the potential percentage of common courses. The use of English as a common curriculum basis in this Polish university provides a basis for graduates to interact in the future global economy. The Computer Science theme is a significant part of the core curriculum. The introduc tory Computer Science sequence in the first year plans to increase the number of laboratory exercises illustrating problems from different disciplines. Exercises associated with Internet services are to be introduced as well. Plans for the future includecomplete subject documentation consisting of a set of lecture and laboratory text books. More emphasis will be put on team work especially in the Problem Solving by Design &Code phase. Overall, the IFE is an innovator in central European education.
Daniel M. Litynski is Professor and Head of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He received a B.S. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1965, an M.S. from the University of Rochester in 1971 and the Ph.D. from Rensselaer in 1978. He is a graduate of the Industrial College of the Armed Forces of the National Defense University. Colonel Litynski has taught and been active in the study of lasers, electro-optics and curriculum development for over twenty years. He is a member of Eta Kappa Nu, Phi Kappa Phi, Sigma Xi, Sigma Pi Sigma, Upsilon Pi Epsilon, the New York Academy of Sciences, IEEE, ASEE, OSA, SPIE, and AFCEA. COL Litynski served as a member of the International Advisory Committee for the International Faculty of Engineering beginning in 1992 and Visiting Professor to the IFE in the first term of academic year 1993-94. He was the first of several native English speaking faculty members who taught in the new curriculum in its initial year.
Bozena Bobinska is a member of the International Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Management and Organization and the Computer Networks Division at the Technical University of Lodz, Poland. She received her Ph.D. in computer simulation from the Technical University of Lodz in 1983. Dr. Bobinska has specialized in computer science and applications for many years. She is the coordinator for the Computer Science Subject two semester sequence.
Jan Grudziecki is a member of the International Faculty of Engineering and the Mechanical Faculty at the Technical University of Lodz. He received a M.Sc. degree in Mechanics in 1987 and is now completing his doctoral work in Mechanical Engineering. His research interests include Dynamics of Heavy Working Machines, Control of Electrical Drives, Modeling and Simulation. Mr. Grudziecki has been responsible for directing the computer science laboratory in the Computer Science program.
