Digital Logic Design: Meeting industry's needs through university & community college collaboration

Michigan Technological University, Houghton MI

Investigators

Abstract

This project is a partnership between Michigan Technical University and the College of Lake County to develop course materials and curricula for two-year and four-year technology programs in logic design and hardware modeling using VHDL and FPGAs. The curriculum is being designed to enable these programs to better meet the technician needs of industry and re-configurable computing labs are being established at each institution to support the curriculum. The labs are also being used as part of a collaborative undergraduate research program between the two institutions. To further support the curriculum, principal investigators from both Michigan Technical University and the College of Lake County are co-leading faculty development workshops covering both content and pedagogical knowledge. The materials developed by the project are being disseminated without charge through a project website while the results on student learning and professional development are being disseminated through conference and journal publications. The project includes rigorous formative and summative evaluation plans with both qualitative and quantitative components coordinated by an independent evaluator. The project includes an outreach effort to high school students from underrepresented groups.