Active and cooperative learning in signal processing courses

For more than a decade now, the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (UMD) and Goerge Mason University (GMU) continue to use some form of active and cooperative learning (ACL) in ten undergraduate and introductory graduate signal processing courses. In both universities, the implementation of ACL has two major components: Reading quizzes to motivate students to prepare for class, and in-class exercies. Student learning is measured via SCCI (Signals and Systems Concept Inventory), a 25-question, multiple-choice exam designed to be given in one hour, and is available in both discrete-time (DT) and continuous-time (CT) versions. The exam tests the core concepts of linearity, time-invariance, transform representations, convolution, filtering, sampling, and background mathematics in a manner emphasizing conceptual understanding over mechanistic problem solving. Overall, data show that students learn core concepts in signal processing better when the class requires active participation than when a traditional lecture format is used.