Workshop - The Signals and Systems Concept Inventory

The signals and systems concept inventory (SSCI) is a 25 question multiple choice exam designed to assess studentspsila conceptual understanding in signals and systems (S&S), a common core course in electrical and computer engineering curricula. The SSCI provides both formative assessment to instructors looking to improve studentspsila conceptual understanding in their courses, and summative assessment which can be used as part of the accreditation process. The SSCI is a mature instrument in its seventh year of development, given to over 1800 students by more than 30 instructors. This workshop will employ the active and collaborative learning techniques we advocate for improving studentspsila conceptual understanding. The workshop will describe the concepts assessed by the SSCI and the design of the SSCI questions. We will review the extensive pre-test/post-test data collected with the SSCI, including student gain data, the impact of instructional format on conceptual understanding, and the relative difficulty the SSCI questions. Wepsilall also discuss which misconceptions the SSCI finds to be most resistant to instruction. The workshop will provide examples of how other instructors have incorporated the SSCI into their research on S&S pedagogy.