About

Lisa Gresham Huettel received a BS degree in Engineering Science from Harvard University in 1994. She earned her MS and Ph.D. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Duke University in 1996 and 1999, respectively. Her early career included roles as a Research Associate and Assistant Research Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University. Since 2002, she has been appointed as an Assistant Professor of the Practice in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University and is currently a Professor of the Practice. Her research interests focus on the application of statistical signal processing to remote sensing, engineering education, and curriculum and laboratory development. Huettel has contributed significantly to engineering education, pedagogy, and curriculum development, with a particular emphasis on integrating theory and practice through laboratory-based explorations and innovative teaching strategies.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Psychology
• Mathematics education
• Engineering
• World Wide Web
• Engineering management
• Sociology
• Artificial Intelligence
• Pedagogy
• Medical education
• Cognitive science
• Epistemology
• Medicine

Selected publications

• 2023 IEEE Women in Engineering Committee

  IEEE Women in Engineering Magazine · 2023-04-28

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Connecting Theory and Practice: Laboratory-based Explorations of the NAE Grand Challenges

  2020-09-04 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  This paper describes a pilot project, conducted during the Fall 2010 semester, that incorporated laboratory exercises inspired by the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) Grand Challenges into an introductory digital signal processing course. The Challenges were broadly interpreted and local expertise and resources were used to enhance the experience. In one project, students investigated environmental sensors in the local "SmartHome" and followed up by analyzing actual solar and electrical energy usage data. In another project, students learned about the process of collecting and analyzing electroencephalography data in a local neuroscience research laboratory. Basing these projects on the Grand Challenges -while integrating local researchers and technical experts -provided a societal context and supported deeper investigation by interested students.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Enhancing The Undergraduate Design Experience With Surface Mount Soldering And Printed Circuit Board Techniques

  2020-09-03 · 1 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  In 2006, the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University rolled out extensive revisions to the undergraduate curriculum. One of the overarching goals of the curriculum reform was to provide students with practical experiences solving realistic challenges from their freshman introductory course through their senior design course. As a direct result of these curricular modifications, goal-oriented and design-focused projects have become the norm, rather than the exception. Within a year of the reform, students taking courses as part of the revised curriculum were designing projects using the very latest available integrated circuits and software. As student projects increased in sophistication, a growing need for state-of-the-art Surface Mount Technology (SMT) facilities and Printed Circuit Board (PCB) etching capabilities was recognized. To support these projects, an SMT facility with PCB etching capability was developed. The use of SMT and PCB etching techniques enables students to pursue much more complex and creative design projects using current, industry-standard technology. The introduction of SMT/PCB facilities has had a significant impact across the entire undergraduate curriculum, from sophomore year core courses through senior design projects, and has improved the overall educational experience and outcomes.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Theme Based Redesign Of The Duke University Ece Curriculum: The First Steps

  2020-09-03 · 5 citations

  articleOpen access

  Historically, undergraduates in Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) at Duke University have had ample exposure to theoretical foundations and design experiences within the framework of a flexible curriculum. Students have benefited from the combination of curricular flexibility and rigorous coursework, and over the past two decades courses in the core curriculum have seen incremental changes in both content and structure. The overall structure and intent of the core curriculum, however, has not been examined during this time, is circuit-centric, and does not fully reflect modern curricular philosophies and approaches to learning or engineering education. The current curriculum is further limited in that the core courses do not offer a vertically integrated thematic introduction to ECE as a discipline nor are they reflective of the broader scope of the ECE field of study. In 2003, NSF awarded Duke a planning grant for curriculum reform. The goals of our curriculum redesign are to maintain our curricular flexibility while introducing a theme-based structure focused on major concepts and principles, and to integrate this theme throughout the core and the technical focus areas. This theme, Integrated Sensing and Information Processing, reflects the active research areas of the majority of the ECE faculty, and embodies key concepts of all components of ECE within a real-world framework. During the planning phase, we developed and implemented an assessment plan and obtained baseline results, investigated modern pedagogical techniques and integration approaches, and defined a process for our curriculum redesign. In 2004, NSF awarded Duke a curriculum redesign implementation grant. In this paper, we describe results from our initial assessment activities and plans for the coming years. We also describe the process by which we are redesigning our core curriculum, including the design of a theme-based introductory course that introduces fundamental concepts of ECE through coursework and a real-world design project and laboratory experience. The structure of the new core and theme-based structure will also be presented.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Experiment, Explore, Design: A Sensor Based Introductory Ece Laboratory

  2020-09-03

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  A new introductory course, Fundamentals of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), has been designed to provide a rigorous, integrated introduction to the ECE field. The course laboratory, described in this paper, both promotes concept integration and provides a mechanism by which students can explore applications. Consistent with the curricular theme of Integrated Sensing and Information Processing (ISIP), a microcontroller-based robotic platform that includes a suite of sensors was selected as the foundation of all laboratory exercises. To develop both the students' conceptual understanding and their design skills, each laboratory session includes an initial, guided experimental component, in which basic concepts are investigated, and a subsequent open-ended exploration component, during which students are challenged to design a robot that completes a real-world task. After students complete a series of eight such laboratory sessions, the experience culminates in a five-week Integrated Design Challenge (IDC). To successfully complete the IDC, students have to go beyond the knowledge developed in previous weekly laboratory activities, assimilating new knowledge and using new sensors or processing data in new ways. The IDC is structured to not only emphasize technical accomplishments, but also to promote the development of project management, team organization, and communication skills. This paper elaborates on the philosophy behind the design of the laboratory experience, describes specific laboratory activities (including the IDC), and provides an assessment of the course based on data from several semesters. These data indicate that the more integrative, design-oriented, sensor-based approach benefits students in a variety of ways such as reinforcing fundamental concepts, motivating the study of ECE, and providing an opportunity to develop creative problem solving skills. In addition, the laboratory experience has been shown to have a significant positive impact on the achievement of several ABET criteria.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Integration Of A Dsp Hardware Based Laboratory Into An Introductory Signals And Systems Course

  2020-09-03 · 10 citations

  articleOpen access1st authorCorresponding

  Signal processing concepts are often presented in a very mathematical and abstract format. This can discourage students from further exploration because of the apparent irrelevance to realworld problems. A common solution is to provide a hands-on laboratory to illustrate applications of abstract concepts. However, hardware-based digital signal processing (DSP) laboratorieswhich are typically incorporated into senior-level signal processing courses -usually emphasize programming the DSP chip rather than exploring algorithms and applications. While suitable for students with a strong interest in signal processing, this type of laboratory experience may not generate enthusiasm or spark curiosity in a younger student being introduced to DSP for the first time.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Evidence for the Effectiveness of a Grand Challenge-based Framework for Contextual Learning

  2020 · 3 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • Mathematics education

  Abstract Evidence for the Effectiveness of a Grand Challenge-based Framework for Contextual LearningStudent motivation – and associated educational outcomes – can be influenced by the degree towhich course material connects to recognizable societal problems. The National Academy forEngineering has established the “Engineering Grand Challenges”, a set of 14 fundamentalproblems whose solution will require integrated contributions from engineers, scientists, andpolicy-makers. The current work builds the Engineering Grand Challenges (EGC) into apedagogical framework integrated into courses in several engineering disciplines, assessingwhether this framework increased student motivation and, if so, what sorts of students benefitfrom this approach.The EGC framework, as implemented here, follows a series of six stages that progress fromstatement of the problem, through exercises that teach a foundational concept using an EGCexample, to reflection on the role of engineering in addressing the problem. The framework wasimplemented in three diverse courses: a computational methods course taken by all first-yearengineering students, an upper-level signal-processing elective in electrical engineering, and adesign course for upper-level students in environmental engineering. Instructors for each of thesecourses implemented the EGC framework in a manner appropriate for their course. For example,students in the signal processing course investigated the EGC of “Reverse-Engineering theBrain”, which included a lecture/discussion led by a neuroscientist who uses signal processing,followed by a project assignment that applied spectral analysis and filter design to publiclyavailable data from a brain-computer interface contest. For all courses, baseline data werecollected from the same classes taught by the same instructors in the previous year.Results from the first year of implementation indicated significant benefits for the EGCframework, as well as differences in effectiveness across settings. Each student provided datathat included self-reported ratings of ABET criteria and standard psychological measures ofmotivation, and those measures were included in structural equation models that predicted inter-student differences in grades. The EGC framework was associated with significantly higher self-reported class effectiveness, as indexed by ABET criteria. Furthermore, in advanced classes theEGC framework enhanced a key measure of student motivation (i.e., situational interest), whichin turn was a positive predictor of student grades. This effect was not present in the introductoryclass examined. No differences between EGC and baseline groups were found in other measuresof self-reported motivation (e.g., perceived competence). Collectively, these results providestrong initial evidence that framing course activities around large-scale, societally relevantchallenges can have salutary effects upon students’ motivation and course performance. Ongoingwork examines these effects across multiple semesters of the same courses as well as acrossadditional courses from throughout engineering curricula.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Developing Interactive Teaching Strategies for Electrical Engineering Faculty

  2020 · 11 citations

  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • Sociology

  Abstract Developing Interactive Teaching Strategies for Electrical Engineering Faculty Background and motivationThe goal of this project was to develop a model for faculty collaboration anddevelopment of sharable resources for teaching. Often there is a gap between research-based practices for teaching and what happens in the classroom. While there are manygeneral resources for teaching, we were seeking to create resources specifically forelectrical and computer engineering faculty to address the technical considerations andcontent of their courses. We used a model borrowed from K-12 professional developmentfor teachers wherein each member of a faculty development group wrote a two-pagememo about a teaching practice they had used. Included in the memo were thechallenges, the logistical questions (e.g., time required), and assessment approaches. Weasked that the strategies focus on encouraging interaction in the classroom or engagingstudents in the content more deeply (i.e., anything that was not a lecture or typicalhomework).What was done?The participants in the year one faculty development group were electrical and computerengineering professors with a signals and systems teaching focus. Members wereselected based on their experience in implementing interactive teaching practices. Eachmember focused on a single formative assessment technique that they were using to teachand wrote a two-page memo describing their chosen assessment technique as if they wereexplaining it to a colleague who wanted to try it. The memos were designed to becontent-driven, i.e., to account for specific considerations for electrical engineeringcourses. We held one in-person, day-long workshop with the group, followed by monthlyconference calls throughout the semester as the faculty continued to revise their memos.Detailed notes were taken at all meetings (similar to a transcript). In year two, themembers of the initial faculty development group created groups at their own institutionsincluding engineering and sciences faculty. Qualitative coding of the results for commonthemes and considerations was used to describe the memos.ResultsThe overarching goal of most strategies was to have students go beyond passivelywatching the instructor in the classroom. For example, students completed readingsummaries so they would learn how to synthesize and summarize class material. In-classproblems (from 2 to 15 minutes in length) were designed to require students to attemptprocedures or apply concepts on-the-spot, allowing the instructor to see their learning inprogress. There were constraints such as time (both time in class and time for providingfeedback outside of class) that were realistic challenges encountered across techniques.Conclusions and significanceThe results first provide a model for helping instructors share their formative assessmentteaching practices with colleagues, furthering adoption of research-driven techniques.Second, by analyzing a collection of memos, common themes and unique features ofsuch formative assessments can be found. Our long-term goal is to develop a sharableassessment guide that can be used to improve teaching. The process of designing sharableguides is an opportunity to bring best practices for teaching into a manageable format thatis easily disseminated and absorbed.

  PublisherDOI

• A Vertically Integrated Application Driven Signal Processing Laboratory

  2020-09-03 · 7 citations

  articleOpen accessSenior author

  Hardware-based laboratories have been successfully integrated into individual Digital Signal Processing (DSP) courses at many universities. Typically, most hardware-based DSP laboratory experiences are offered to upper-level students and focus on programming the signal processor. Although fundamental concepts are explored in laboratory exercises, the emphasis often remains on the mechanics of hardware implementation. Thus, topics are not presented in the context of realistic applications. While such an approach may be ideal for preparing motivated upper-level students for future careers in signal processing, it is not suitable for students with no prior experience in the field. The signal processing laboratory being developed at Duke University is modeled, in part, after existing successful signal processing laboratories, but introduces two innovative features. First, the new laboratory will be integrated into multiple courses from the sophomore to senior level, rather than a single course. Second, the laboratory exercises will be application-driven and will emphasize the development of signal processing algorithms to be implemented on the hardware. As the students advance through the signal processing curriculum, they will transition from high-level algorithm generation to hardware-level design and implementation. This hierarchical training will provide a thorough, extended, and increasingly focused exposure to signal processing.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Novel Introductory Course For Teaching The Fundamentals Of Electrical And Computer Engineering

  2020 · 9 citations

  1st authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • Mathematics education

  Abstract NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract A Novel Introductory Course for Teaching the Fundamentals of Electrical and Computer Engineering Abstract The Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department at Duke University is undergoing extensive curriculum revisions incorporating both new content and organization and innovative teaching methods. The cornerstone of the new curriculum is a theme-based introductory course entitled Fundamentals of ECE. To introduce students to the major areas of ECE in their first year of study, this course has been organized around three concepts: 1) how to interface with the physical world, 2) how to transfer/transmit energy/information, and 3) how to extract/analyze/ interpret information. Other goals include illustrating how various areas of ECE contribute to the design and functioning of an entire system, emphasizing the relevance of course material to real- world applications, and capturing the students’ imagination and creativity. To achieve these goals, the course adopts a unifying theme, tightly couples lecture and laboratory exercises, and includes a laboratory experience that emphasizes design, integration, and real applications. The course content and laboratory exercises were developed iteratively such that each component supported the other, rather than one being dominant and driving the other. A robotic platform was selected as the foundation of the laboratory experience. This platform enables the exploration of a broad range of ECE concepts, both independently and integrated into an entire system, is flexible, to encourage creative solutions, is capable of being applied to real-world challenges, and is easily connected to the curricular theme. This paper describes the curricular objectives and key course elements which guided the development of this course, the process by which the course was created, and the resulting content and structure. 1. Introduction 1.1 ECE Curriculum Redesign The Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Duke University is undergoing a comprehensive curriculum redesign. Large-scale planning and development for the new curriculum has been conducted in earnest since early 2003. Before the redesign began, assessment of the existing curriculum identified six areas for improvement including: 1) a need to provide a coherent, overarching framework that integrates basic principles of ECE to serve as a roadmap through the curriculum, 2) a need to provide more guidance, through earlier, broader exposure to ECE, to assist students in the selection of technical areas of concentration, 3) a need for a more balanced coverage of fundamental areas of ECE, 4) a need for more flexible areas of concentration requirements, 5) a need to broaden design course opportunities, and 6) a need to better integrate the use of computational tools. To meet these needs, the overall structure of the curriculum has been redesigned around the theme of Integrated Sensing and Information Processing (ISIP). A theme-based curriculum facilitates the linkage of ECE topic areas to each other and to real-world challenges. Additional goals include incorporating innovative pedagogical techniques and hands-on experience throughout the curriculum while maintaining curricular flexibility1.

  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• A Vertically-Integrated Application-Driven Undergraduate Signal Processing Laboratory

  NSF · $199k · 2004–2008

• A Grand Challenge-based Framework for Contextual Learning in Engineering

  NSF · $200k · 2012–2016

Frequent coauthors

• John R. Buck

  University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

  49 shared

• Jill Nelson

  George Mason University

  49 shared

• Margret Hjalmarson

  U.S. National Science Foundation

  49 shared

• Wayne T. Padgett

  Rose–Hulman Institute of Technology

  49 shared

• Kathleen E. Wage

  George Mason University

  49 shared

• Leslie M. Collins

  Duke University

  20 shared

• Michael Gustafson

  Duke University

  16 shared

• Lisa Linnenbrink‐Garcia

  Michigan State University

  11 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Electrical Engineering

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  1990

• M.S., Electrical Engineering

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  1987

• B.S., Electrical Engineering

  University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

  1985

Awards & honors

• Judith Deckers Prize. Duke University (2025)
• ASEE ECE Division Distinguished Educator Award. ASEE ECE Div…
• ASEE Southeast Section Outstanding Teaching Award. American…
• IEEE Undergraduate Teaching Award. IEEE (2019)
• Lois and John L. Imhoff Distinguished Teaching Award. Duke U…