Why do the lights turn on in a room as soon as you flip a switch? Flip the switch and electrons slowly creep along a wire. The light turns on when the signal reaches it.

The technologies used to produce solar cells and photovoltaic modules are advancing to deliver highly efficient and flexible solar panels. In this course you will explore the main PV technologies in the current market. You will gain in-depth knowledge about crystalline silicon based solar cells (90% market share) as well as other up and coming technologies like CdTe, CIGS and Perovskites. This course provides answers to the questions: How are solar cells made from raw materials? Which technologies have the potential to be the major players for different applications in the future?

In the electrical engineering, solid-state materials and the properties play an essential role. A thorough understanding of the physics of metals, insulators and semiconductor materials is essential for designing new electronic devices and circuits. After short introduction of the IC fabrication process, the course starts with the crystallography. This will be followed by the basic principle of the quantum mechanics, the sold-state physics, band-structure and the relation with electrical properties of the solid-state materials. When the material physics has been throughly understood, the physics of the semiconductor device follows quite naturally and can be understood quickly and efficiently. Study Goals: The student can 1) determine the crystal structure, the density of atoms and the Miller indices of a crystal, 2) apply Schrodinger's wave equation to various potential functions and derive a probability of finding electrons, 3) discuss the concept of energy band formation and difference of material properties in terms of the band, 4) derive the concentrations of electron and holes with a given temperature in terms of Fermi energy, and 5) can discuss drift, diffusion and scattering of carriers in a semiconductor under various temperature and impurity concentrations.

This course focuses on a systematic approach to the design of analog electronic circuits. The methodology presented in the course is based on the concepts of hierarchy, orthogonality and efficient modeling. It is applied to the design of negative-feedback amplifiers. It is shown that aspects such as ideal transfer; noise performance, distortion and bandwidth can be optimized independently. A systematic approach to biasing completes the discussion. Lectures are interactive and combined with weekly sessions where students can work on exercises under supervision of the professors.

This course surveys techniques to fabricate and analyze submicron and nanometer structures, with applications. Optical and electron microscopy is reviewed. Additional topics that are covered include: surface characterization, preparation, and measurement techniques, resist technology, optical projection, interferometric, X-ray, ion, and electron lithography; Aqueous, ion, and plasma etching techniques; lift-off and electroplating; and ion implantation. Applications in microelectronics, microphotonics, information storage, and nanotechnology will also be explored.

A transition to sustainable energy is needed for our climate and welfare. In this engineering course, you will learn how to assess the potential for energy reduction and the potential of renewable energy sources like wind, solar and biomass. You’ll learn how to integrate these sources in an energy system, like an electricity network and take an engineering approach to look for solutions and design a 100% sustainable energy system.

The book examines the underlying principles that guide effective teaching in an age when all of us, and in particular the students we are teaching, are using technology. A framework for making decisions about your teaching is provided, while understanding that every subject is different, and every instructor has something unique and special to bring to their teaching.

The book enables teachers and instructors to help students develop the knowledge and skills they will need in a digital age: not so much the IT skills, but the thinking and attitudes to learning that will bring them success.

Book release date (final version): 1 April 2015

Technical Project Management in Living and Geometric Order demonstrates that even the best-laid project plans can be undone by new technologies, financial upheavals, or resource scarcity, to name just a few disruptors. It encourages project managers to focus on learning throughout a project, with the understanding that what they learn could necessitate major changes in midstream. This adaptive, flexible, living-order approach is inspired by Lean in construction projects and Agile in software development. Technical Project Management in Living and Geometric Order explains how today’s projects unfold in dynamic environments in response to unexpected events. With its practical tips, detailed graphics, links to additional resources, and interviews with engineering professionals, it’s an accessible introduction to the living order for aspiring project managers.

The Texas State University System is leading online education into the future. Any doubt about
that can be set aside by simply looking at the numbers. When it comes to online education, TSUS
is seizing the initiative. Many online education semester credit hours attempted in the state of
Texas are taken by students within TSUS institutions. As of Fall 2016, among 37 public four-year
institutions of higher education in Texas, TSUS institutions represent 12 percent of semester credit
hours attempted online.

The Texas State University System is leading online education into the future. Any doubt about that can be set aside by simply looking at the numbers. When it comes to online education, TSUS is seizing the initiative.

As of Fall 2018, among the six public university systems in Texas, TSUS leads the way in the percentage of students pursuing their degrees fully online, with 14%.

The Texas State University System is uniquely positioned to move forward as the state’s leader in online education.

Courses and degree programs offered online are increasingly important tools within the Texas State University System to address issues of both college access and student success. TSUS institutions plan to increase online education opportunities to support the growing interest among Texas students and families.

Over the past six years, the number of degree programs offered fully online and semester credit hours earned online have increased dramatically. Through programs offered online, students can log on to class using any computer with internet access—at home, at work, at the local library, or on campus, and anytime—24 hours a day, seven days a week.

While colleges and universities have been facing overall declines in enrollment in recent years, distance (online) education has been the exception.

As of Fall 2019, among the six public university systems in Texas, TSUS continues to lead the way in the percentage of students pursuing their degrees fully online, up 1% from last year with 15%. Making online education a priority is an appropriate response to the rapid growth in online programs nationwide. By enthusiastically adopting the emerging technologies and best practices related to online education, TSUS institutions have staked a claim in the rapid growth of online education.

The Texas State University System continues to lead online education into the future.

2020 has been a year of unprecedented challenges—for higher education and for virtually every other part of American and global society. With the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic early in the year, which also brought a powerful economic disruption with it, 2020 is a year we will never forget. The implications for higher education are profound. This report will demonstrate the many ways in which the Texas State University System and its institutions have responded to the unique challenges of 2020 and will provide a glimpse of how we will continue to address those challenges in the years to come.

With the pandemic-driven increase in online education over the past year, a growing focus has developed on the quality of the experience in TSUS institutions. The quest for higher quality has taken several forms, from online departments finding new ways to expand or partner with academic service departments to addressing a growing need for online tutoring to thoughtful redesigns of online courses, which include inclusive content, greater ADA compliance, and recognition of disparate student learning styles.

The Texas State University System is a leader in online education. Any doubt about that can be set aside by simply looking at the numbers. As of the Fall semester of 2022, approximately one-third of students across TSUS institutions are studying exclusively online. Through the TSUS shared services initiative, our institutions are fostering collaboration to seize the moment.

Over the past year, two additional System institutions—Lamar State College Orange and Lamar State College Port Arthur—have been brought into the shared ecosystem already being used by Sam Houston State University, Sul Ross State University, and Lamar Institute of Technology.

A panoramic and retrospective view of the past six years in online higher education leaves no doubt of the complex challenges wrought on institutions large and small. From facing natural disasters like Hurricane Harvey, to a global pandemic, to declining enrollments in higher education, the TSUS online enterprise has been proactive in our preparations for academic continuity and in opening new markets for enrollments.

This course is designed to teach students about induction motors and the methods used to control and troubleshoot them.

(Much of this book remixes All About Circuits, which is available under a Design Science License. Linn-Benton Community College received permission from Tony Kupholdt, author of All About Circuits, to distribute this derivative work under a CC BY-SA license.)

Lasers are essential to an incredibly large number of applications. Today, they are used in bar code readers, compact discs, medicine, communications, sensors, materials processing, computer printers, data processing, 3D-imaging, spectroscopy, navigation, non-destructive testing, chemical processing, color copiers, laser "shows", and in the military. There is hardly a field untouched by the laser. But what exactly is so unique about lasers that makes them so effective? This brief video course is designed for engineers, scientists, medical personnel, managers, and others who work with lasers and/or fiberoptics, or who anticipate working with lasers and/or fiberoptics, yet have little or no background in laser or fiberoptic basics. The course focuses on fundamentals and emphasizes a physical intuitive interpretation of laser and fiberoptic phenomena and their applications. Because Prof. Ezekiel keeps mathematics to a minimum, the topics covered are easily understood, without the need for a strong technical background. Prof. Ezekiel uses plain language, graphic illustrations, and video demonstrations to explain the basic characteristics of lasers and fiberoptics. High quality versions of the videos are also available through Zeelase. These videos were produced by the MIT Center for Advanced Engineering Study.

Unmanned Aircraft Systems are an integral part of the US national critical infrastructure. The authors have endeavored to bring a breadth and quality of information to the reader that is unparalleled in the unclassified sphere. This textbook will fully immerse and engage the reader / student in the cyber-security considerations of this rapidly emerging technology.

A guide for online instructors and instructional designers on best practices for using simulations in online courses.

With the continue scaling of transistor feature sizes, VLSI chip density continue increases. This results in a continue increase in the complexity VLSI technology where it has reached the point where billions of transistors are integrated on a single chip (like it is the case for System on Chip). To guarantee the satisfaction of the customers, the produced VLSI chips have to be reliable and fully tested. Verification testing and production testing represents 50 t0 60% of the cost of making VLSI chips, and are now the biggest cost of the technology. It has been known for a while that tackling the problems associated with testing VLSI chips at earlier design stage levels significantly reduces testing cost. Thus it is important for hardware designers to be exposed to concepts of VLSI testing which can help them design better product at lower cost.