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BSEET Program History

Page history last edited by Dr. Ron Eaglin 14 years, 9 months ago

 

·       Program History

 

The program in Electrical Engineering Technology has evolved from a consolidation of what were formally three separately accredited options in Engineering Technology, i.e., Computer Engineering Technology, Electronics Engineering Technology, and Information Systems Technology.

 

Engineering Technology was introduced at UCF in the Fall of 1972 as an upper division program to provide the opportunity to A.S. degree graduates from the Florida Community Colleges. This was at a time that students, nationwide, were conspicuously avoiding enrollment in engineering programs. The College of Engineering perceived that an Electronics option in Engineering technology and its acceptance of A.S. graduates could be effective in recruiting additional students into the College. Teaching would be done by regular engineering faculty or adjuncts until such time as need might indicate otherwise. Curriculum design provided additional mathematics, science, technical science, general education and several upper level electronics courses. No lab work was provided since it was assumed that the A.S. program provided necessary hands-on experience and that upper division technical courses should be theory oriented. Additionally, general education requirements not included in the A.S. program would be completed.

 

The program proved popular, but it was not until 1975 that a full time Electronics faculty was appointed. A second faculty member was hired in 1977. Arrival of a full time faculty marked the beginning of real growth and program development as well as the curriculum evolution that has continued. Laboratory work was added and curriculum brought into conformance with accreditation criteria. The electronics option in engineering technology was first accredited effective 1979. 

 

The most significant change in curriculum resulted with the academic calendar change from a quarter to semester system in 1981. A number of courses were combined and the number of courses was reduced, but the material covered and the total effort remained substantially the same. A change in the University General Education program initiated in 1986 required that all students demonstrate foreign language competency as a graduation requirement. This requirement became a College option effective with the 1992-93 catalog year and is no longer required in the College of Engineering.

 

A third significant change for all options offered by the Engineering technology department occurred in December of 1987 when the degree designation was changed from the Bachelor of Engineering Technology (BET) to the Bachelor of Science in Engineering Technology (BSET). The degree change was not coupled with any curriculum revision but was granted to better reflect the existing curriculum, which more than satisfied the University requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree. A number of changes and improvements have been implemented since its inception and the first accreditation. They have been of an evolutionary nature and have been documented for the subsequent accreditation inspections that occurred in 1982 and 1988.

 

Part of the evolution that occurred was the introduction of a Computer Technology program effective August 1983. At this time it was perceived that the interest of students and the needs of industry would be better served by having a separate program clearly identified as emphasizing the digital and computer aspects of electronics hardware. This was followed in 1984 by the creation of an Information Systems Technology program in response to an expressed need for more software emphasis in an Engineering Technology type program. Both of these programs were inspected in 1988 for accreditation, which became effective in 1989.

 

Significant changes occurred with the opening of the UCF’s Brevard Area Campus in 1983. The Electronics and Computer programs became available at that location in January 1984 with the Information Systems program becoming available in 1985.

 

Experience with different student backgrounds, revised textbooks, industry trends, technological and economical changes as well as feedback from students and industry have indicated that major revisions have not been appropriate but that continual fine tuning is almost always in order. The following paragraphs describe one way in which the program has evolved.

 

The Electronics, Computer and Information Systems Engineering Technology curriculum were originally planned and implemented as an upper division program so as to accept a two-year Associate in Science graduate and to credit him/her with having completed approximately one-half of the total four year requirement. However, this philosophical articulation was never fully realized.

 

The two-year degree programs at Florida public Community Colleges are primarily of two types. The Associate in Arts (A.A.) and the Associate in Science (A.S.). The A.A. is intended for students who believe that they will later transfer to a University and finish a Bachelor degree. As such, it includes a major component of “general education” courses mandated by the State to be present in the background of all students who graduate from any University in the Florida State University System. The A.S. degree, however, has objectives of employability for its graduate in the shortest time possible. As a result, it includes a maximum of “technical” courses and very little of “general education”. As the Bachelor’s program at UCF evolved it became evident that what was originally thought of, as a 2 + 2 program was really 2 + 3. The A.S. graduate had been required to complete more lower level technical courses that could be made applicable to UCF’s Baccalaureate program, but far fewer “general education” courses that would be necessary.

 

Complicating the situation was the University requirement that not more than one-half of the total credits needed for a bachelor’s degree could be completed at a two-year college. Thus it was inevitable that students of the community colleges and subsequently transfer students became all too aware that, in their terms, many A.S. degree credits were “lost” as they were not allowed toward the B.S. degree.

 

Beginning in approximately 1986 advisement information to prospective transfer students and to community college counselors began stressing the A.S. degree was not an optimum path for any one intending to continue to the Bachelor’s degree. Only by very early planning could a student expect to take only those courses that would be applicable. A pre-technology Associate in Arts degree with approximately 24 semester hours of lower level technical courses as electives and a proper choice of mathematics-science component could allow for four year degree completion without excess credits. Fewer A.S. degree students are now entering UCF’s electrical engineering technology program, while a larger number of students will have or expect to have an A.A. degree.

 

In 1996 the Computer and Information Systems concentrations under the Electrical Engineering Technology degree were consolidated. This consolidation was viewed as a “repackaging” of the curricula rather than the development of a new program, and incorporated the best features of the previous options along with other curriculum improvements. This consolidation was, in part, a result of recommendations contained in a report of the 1992 Computer Information Sciences program review. This review is part of an ongoing process and is conducted every seven years on behalf of the Florida Board of Regents.

 

Both concentrations included essential fundamentals but allow a student to choose between an emphasis in hardware or in software. It has also been possible to implement a transfer articulation of the Associate in Science degree courses. Some specific changes resulting from the consolidation were:

 

1.               The Basic Science requirement had been improved.

2.               A course in Technology Administration (ETI 4635) had been added to the core.

3.               The A.S. degree from a Florida Public College met the lower level technical requirements and did not require a ‘course-by-course” analysis.

4.               The Electrical Systems concentration insured more thorough coverage of computer and digital principles. A course in Electrical Power was now added.

5.               The Electrical Systems included a distinct component devoted to instilling a systems viewpoint needed for modern technology projects and employment.

6.               The Information Systems concentration required a course in electrical/electronics circuits, circuits’ analysis and devices, as well as emphasizing computer system analysis and programming applications.

7.               Fewer total courses were required with greater opportunity for effective utilization of resources.

 

In 1999, following the demand for upper level courses in the information technology area; the department developed an articulation agreement with the local community colleges. In this agreement, the department would offer a new degree, a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems Technology that would accept students into the program with an A.S. in Computer Engineering Technology (networking option). The students would be able to transfer all the credits earned in the A.S. degree and therefore would be able to graduate with only 128 semester credit hours.

 

The Information systems concentration was established as a separate program in 2002. The BSEET program had 2 concentrations; Electrical Systems and Computer Systems. A third concentration in Photonics was added to BSEET program in 2003 and these are the current concentrations available under the BSEET degree.

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