“Systems” have become the organizing principle for the way that engineering is viewed and engineering design is accomplished. SoC is much more “system” than “chip”, and involves aspects of the engineering curricula from basic circuit analysis to digital and analog hardware/software co-design to specialized signal processing procedures. If students understand that their courses are part of a flow that contributes to the design of a system rather than separate bodies of knowledge, they will be in a better position to appreciate the multidisciplinary nature of ECE and Engineering Science.

This prorject describes such an approach, taking three fundamental strands of the curricula and vertically integrating SoC concepts with a focus on their contribution to SoC product design. As described below and shown schematically in the figure below, this vertical integration of curricula: (1) Provides an Introductory Video during the Freshman year that presents an early overview of engineers and engineering systems; (2) Reinforces the system concept in laboratory experiments in Digital, Analog, and Signal Processing tracks through the sophomore and junior courses; and (3) Emphasizes System Design in a series of senior core and elective courses that call directly on project-oriented assignments that prioritize increasing complexity. These experimental modules are fully implemented in all levels of the ECE courses at Rowan. The freshman- and sophomore-level experiments have been used in an introductory engineering course at Camden County College (CCC), and in a newly developed course at CCC.