Signals and Systems Concept Inventory

Active and Cooperative Learning in Signal Processing Courses

John R. Buck and Kathleen E. Wage

This work describes positive effects of using active and cooperative learning (ACL) methods to improve signal processing instruction. It provides examples, references, and assessment data that encourage other instructors to consider this approach. Conclusions are based on impressions gathered through conversations with students during office hours as well as on responses from anonymous student opinion surveys. In addition to these subjective assessments, preliminary quantitative data measured with the signals and systems concept inventory (SSCI) support the benefits of ACL techniques in signal processing courses.

© 2005 IEEE. The article (PDF) appeared in IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, vol. 22(2), pp. 76-81, March 2005. This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.