Using real-time DSP to enhance student retention and engineering outreach efforts

In recent years, the authors have described various classroom-proven DSP teaching tools that have helped motivate students and faculty to implement real-time DSP-based systems to enhance education. These efforts have emphasized the theme that DSP is much more than just a collection of theories and problem solving techniques, and that hands-on experience with hardware is extremely beneficial for both mastering concepts and retaining students. In addition to facilitating the education of numerous engineers and engineering students, these tools have also allowed us to reach out into our local communities and encourage future college students to consider studying engineering. This paper describes some of our real-time DSP-based community outreach efforts, and more traditional engineering courses, that have been facilitated by tools such as winDSK6 and the DTMF decoder/power switch box.