Introducing Embedded Software and Systems Education and Advanced Learning Technology in an Engineering Curriculum Janos Sztipanovits, Gautam Biswas, Ken Frampton, Anirudda Gokhale, Larry Howard, Gabor Karsai, T. John Koo, Xenofon Koutsoukos, and Douglas C. Schmidt Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS) Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37221, USA Abstract Embedded software and systems are at the intersection of electrical engineering, com- puter engineering, and computer science, with increasing importance in mechanical en- gineering. Despite the clear need for knowledge of systems modeling and analysis (cov- ered in electrical and other engineering disciplines) and analysis of computational proc- esses (covered in computer science), few academic programs have integrated the two disciplines into a cohesive program of study. This paper describes the efforts conducted at Vanderbilt University to establish a curriculum that addresses the needs of embedded software and systems. Given the compartmentalized nature of traditional engineering schools, where each discipline has an independent program of study, we have had to de- vise innovative ways to bring together the two disciplines. The paper also describes our current efforts in using learning technology to construct, manage, and deliver so- phisticated computer-aided learning modules that can supplement the traditional course structure in the individual disciplines through out-of-class and in-class use. 1. Introduction This paper describes our efforts in building an embedded software and systems speciali- zation in the framework of the current Engineering School curriculum at Vanderbilt Uni- versity. Vanderbilt’s School of Engineering is typical for mid-sized engineering programs (i.e., about 100 faculty, 1200 undergraduate and 400 graduate students), where new areas of specialization cannot be created by simply adding new courses due to limited faculty resources. We have therefore adopted a more pragmatic approach, where we adjust the content of existing courses and add a minimal number of new courses as technical elec- tives. This structure enabled us to form a new embedded software and systems concentra- tion within existing majors in electrical engineering, computer engineering, computer sci- ence, and mechanical engineering. The approach we followed was strongly influenced by the following four factors: 1. Insertion of the embedded software and systems concentration in the engineering cur- riculum at Vanderbilt has benefited by the research programs in Model-Integrated Computing (MIC), Distributed and Real-Time Embedded (DRE) Systems, and Sys- tems Science and Engineering at the Institute for Software Integrated Systems (ISIS) [http://www.isis.vanderbilt.edu ]. MIC is a technology that supports model-based de- velopment of embedded systems [2][9]. The MIC approach advocates the use of