[BC] Re: Engineering school practical

[Xmitters@aol.com]

In a message dated 9/30/05 6:52:34 PM Central Daylight Time, 
broadcast-request at radiolists.net writes:

<< 
 When one recognizes this fact and points it out by asking questions that
 place a competency challenged instructor in an embarrassing light it is
 often a shortcut to lower grades. IOW often the best course when you have
 more practical knowledge than the instructor is keeping you mouth shut,
 that is, if you want a respectable grade.
  
 Phil Alexander, CSRE, AMD >>

Phil:

I went to NIU to pursue my BSEE after 20 years as a broadcast engineer. I 
have seen how some of these practical students conduct themselves and many times 
it is not very positive. Students must realize the purpose and scope of the 
class when entering it. Most EE classes I took for Communications, 
Electromagnetics, etc., were introductory. It is understood that there are many branches of 
those courses.

As an example, my Comms instructor told the class that the FCC has 
restrictions on the PEP for standard AM broadcast stations. I was working at WMAQ AM in 
Chicago as the transmitter specialist. My first impulse was to raise my hand 
and set this person straight. I did not do that. Instead I thought of the 
various ways what he said could be analyzed and the likely skill level of the other 
students. I concluded that while there is no direct rule that I know of about 
PEP but there are limits on modulation and carrier power, that equals a limit 
on PEP in an indirect way.

Now suppose everyone in class read the chapter before class, understood AM 
thoroughly based on what was in the book, and then this old fart (me) with all 
kinds of practical experience starts a debate with the instructor. The 
instructor was presenting the material in the context of what was presented in the 
book. This important point is often missed by people overly impressed with their 
practical experience. 

After class I explained to the instructor that we do not have a PEP monitor 
as such, but we can measure the carrier power and modulation and calculate the 
resulting PEP. He knew I was employed by WMAQ. I thanked him for giving me a 
way to look at PEP in a different light. I also explained why I did not say 
anything in class. So what may appear as "stupidity" on the part of the 
instructor may simply be an opportunity to learn something unexpected if the student is 
open minded enough to catch it, rather than trying to prove superiority over 
the instructor.

An adversarial attitude toward the instructor does not serve a positive 
result. I had about 18 students in that class, and they have probably gone in 18 
different directions. I had a very good rapport with that instructor for the 
rest of the semester. This instructor is now the chair of the EE department at 
NIU and I occasionally have an opportunity to speak to him. Who knows what could 
result from this ongoing student/teacher relationship. However if I tangled 
horns with him in class, I doubt he and I would have the same working 
relationship we have now.

A lot of the students I have seen with all of this practical experience 
rarely enter a class thinking this far ahead. 

Jeff Glass, BSEE CSRE
Chief Engineer
WNIU WNIJ