1. Faculty Presentation University of California, Berkeley EECS Undergraduate Student Groups Monday, April 27, 2009 Presented by the EECS Undergraduate Student Groups

2. The Survey 135 responses from EECS Undergraduates Approximately 10% of EECS Undergraduates responded to the survey

3. Overview Course Feedback Course Scheduling EECS Research Suggestions

4. Course Feedback Do you believe that lab-based classes have been effective in helping you learn?

5. Course Feedback Would you prefer EE20N and EE40 be more application- driven and hands-on, or more theoretical?

6. Course Feedback How do you feel about class overlap… …between CS188 and CS 61B …between EE20 and EE120 …between EE40 and Physics 7B

7. Course Feedback Are there any pairs of classes you feel have overly redundant material? “EE120 and Math 54/Linear Algebra” CS170 and CS188 CS170 and CS61B “Where CS classes overlap, I think it's to their benefit.” “No such thing.. I find learning everything in 170 in all of upper div. CS, but by no means it is redundant...”

8. Course Feedback (suggestions) Build EE20N around engineering techniques and content; the current material overlaps with math classes Level of EE knowledge after core classes low; very biased towards CS Spend less time on Java in CS61B, and more on the theory EE40 should cover practical applications, and have a good, consistent professor like the CS core classes

9. Course Feedback …more advanced topics courses? Do you feel EECS needs… …more practical applications courses?

10. Course Feedback Are there any comments you would like to make about lower division EECS courses? “Unbalanced number of lower div CS courses (3, 61A,B,C, 70) to lower div EE courses (20N, 40)” “Add some sort of EE class that you can take first semester” A “CS50” course to prepare students for CS150. “More undergraduate TAs!” “EE40 needs more practical knowledge about how it all fits together… I got no intuitive understanding of how circuits work.” “Go Bears”

11. EECS Research Undergraduate Research Are you doing or have you done research in the EECS Department? Are you aware of the URO and URAP Programs?

12. EECS Research Do you think there should be a research/independent study requirement (e.g. 2 units) included in the required 45 engineering units for EECS students?

13. EECS Research (see notes) If you would like to do research but aren’t, why not? “Not sure where to start looking… if I have the skills to help.” “No support or incentive from others, don’t know where to begin or start.” “I have approached professors about doing research, but it did not seem like they had any research opportunities for undergrads.” “Not enough time.”

14. Course Scheduling Would you like the opportunity to give feedback on the draft schedule? Are you aware of the draft schedule?

15. Course Scheduling Have you had any problems with course scheduling for EECS courses this semester?

16. Course Scheduling Have you had any problems with course scheduling for EECS courses this semester? “CS195, EE122, and CS162 are all at the same time [next semester].” “The CS170 location/time changed due to over-enrollment. In the end, I had to drop CS170.” In general, initial course thresholds are too small, causes student to panic. “Too little information about upper division courses… for example, one would never know that EE122 is different between Fall and Spring.”

17. Questions? Contact –HKN: deprel@hkn.eecs.berkeley.edudeprel@hkn.eecs.berkeley.edu –UPE: pres@upe.berkeley.edupres@upe.berkeley.edu –CSUA: politburo@csua.berkeley.edupolitburo@csua.berkeley.edu