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Introduction

Welcome to Class!

Complete the following steps to help you get ready for your course. 

Get to Know Your Instructor

Hi! I'm Professor Cindy Furse Links to an external site.. I'm so pleased to join you on your ECE learning adventure this semester. I started my electrical engineering journey as a freshman at the U in 1981. It was an exciting time ... the advent of the MRI machine, LEDs and computational modeling just coming into their own, Arpanet (the predecessor of the Internet), virtual reality and video games all fledgling inventions at the U. I graduated with my PhD in 1994, developing methods to test electromagnetic power absorption for safety of cell phones. The computational methods we pioneered are now used extensively throughout the industry, and I've extended this work into the development of implantable antennas for embedded medical devices (pacemakers, neural transmitters, etc.). I started teaching as a graduate student, and truly found my passion. I became a professor at USU from 1997-2002, when I returned to the U and have been a professor here ever since. During that time, there were a series of fatal airplane crashes (TWA800, SwissAir111, and more) attributed to electrical wiring faults. I invented a method called Spread Spectrum Time Domain Reflectometry (SSTDR Links to an external site.) that can detect and precisely locate faults on live electrical systems while they are energized and functioning. I started a company called LiveWire Innovation Links to an external site., which has helped implement this for aircraft, the British Rail system, off shore well drilling platforms, and more. We are working on implementations for photovoltaic installations now. You can find out more about my research here. You might even be interested in getting involved in undergraduate research Links to an external site. at the U, with either me or many of our other fantastic faculty. I also thoroughly enjoy experimenting with teaching. I was a pioneer in the flipped classroom approach in 2007 (when tablet PCs were first becoming available), and now I'm interested in how we can do a really good job with a flexible flipped classroom, where you can join in person or virtually, depending on your interests and needs at the time. It's called HyFlex (Hyrbid Flexible), but I hope you'll find it "Hyper Flexible". So we are in this adventure together. I hope you enjoy the semester and learn a lot. This course provides the foundation for all of your work going forward, so be patient with yourself as you work through this material, which is likely to be very new to you.

Electrical engineering has enabled me to live my dreams, as I hope it will enable you to live yours. I have a really fun job, work with great people (like you), and am always learning new things. I'm never bored. I live in a cabin in the mountains, with my husband of 38 years, our dog, and three horses (my little girl dream, ok, they live outside the cabin). I ride pretty much every day, and often pack or camp, enjoying Utah's mountains, meadows, canyons, and deserts. I play the violin and viola (classical and fiddle), and my husband is a luthier. We have two grown kids (our daughter also got her ECE degree from the U, and did our joint MS/MBA program Links to an external site. ... I highly recommend it). The best part is we have nine grandkids, who all live close enough to play. (Want some ECE fun with kids? Check out https://squishycircuits.com/ Links to an external site. ) I'm trying to help keep them all safe, including the littlest ones who cannot be vaccinated yet, so just want to say a huge personal THANK YOU to all of you who have chosen to wear a mask to class this semester.And, it's the best way to keep the in person part of our class up and running smoothly.

So let's talk about the Covid Elephant-in-the-room. I'm trying to make the class hyper flexible for you, so that if you aren't feeling great (or even if you just wake up late and don't want to have to get to campus), you can stay home, and still do well in the course. Our department is trying to expand to much more flexibility, broadly, now and going forward. We think flexibility can help in many ways. And where you need flexibility, I do too. I'll try very hard to stay well (see the university recommendations in the syllabus on vaccinations, masks, hygiene, and staying home when sick). But if I get sick, I'll have to stay home, and that means I'd have to move class online for a few days, which I'd rather not have to do. So please help me help you by masking up, taking care of your health, and not coming to school sick. You might even be interested in research projects related to Covid Links to an external site.that are going on at the U, which some of our undergrads are involved in.

--- To a Great Semester! Dr. Furse

Flexibility in ECE 1240/1245/1050

  • Class time: attend in person or virtually (see Zoom link on the left bar of Canvas)
  • Office hours: attend virtually (via Zoom), additional times available by appointment.
  • Exams: attend in person or virtually. Final exam acts as make up for any/all midterms.
  • Labs: attend in person or virtually (IVC section available). After the first couple of labs, if you want to attend different or additional lab sessions, let me know, and we'll work something out. Make up labs as needed by attending additional sessions.
  • ECE1050 (Matlab): Get help from your TA in person or virtually. Most labs are self-paced.
  • Homework, labs, Matlab, will be accepted through the end of the semester. Keep up if at all possible, but late assignments will be accepted with no penalty. (This is a dangerous flexibility! Personal motivation needed.)
  • Extra Credit: Want to try a few real-world things? There are a lot of extra credit opportunities to try something interesting.

 

Read the course syllabus

The Syllabus will provide you with:

  • Course Description: overview of course information, goals & objectives, required materials, & methods of evaluation
  • Course Policies: submitting assignments, grading, & accommodations
  • Student & Instructor Expectations: what you agree to upon taking this course
  • Institutional Policies: drop & withdrawal, plagiarism, health & safety, & support for students of all backgrounds
  • Course Content Summary: due dates & important assignments

Course: What Students Should Know about the Flipped Classroom

Course: Homework, Questions of the Day (nitty gritty details)

Course: How to Turn in Homework

Please read it carefully. You should be familiar with the schedule and process of the course.

Plan Your assignments & exams Schedule

Review the Syllabus to see what assignments and exams are scheduled for this semester.

Take note of these and their due dates so that you can keep up with the course.

Check out your resources

The University of Utah has a lot of excellent resources available to students both on and off campus. Take advantage of them! The Resources page covers:

  • Course Resources: helpful links, textbooks, and more, just for our class.
  • Tech Help: what's used in this course, what's available to you, & how to get help.
  • Exam Services: how to schedule proctored exams & what you need to know about exam conditions.
  • Support: what academic, wellness, community building, and career assistance resources are available from the U.