@article {609, title = {MATLAB AND SIMULINK LABORATORY {\textendash} A BASIS FOR LEARNING REAL CONTROL APPLICATIONS}, journal = {Problems of Education in the 21st Century}, volume = {35}, year = {2011}, month = {November/2011}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {36-45}, abstract = {A laboratory for teaching computer programming and engineering concepts related to control applications was recently established in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Electronics at the Ariel University Center of Samaria. The new laboratory provides hands-on experience in the design of control systems used in different fields of engineering. The lab offers an excellent introduction to programming concepts and research concepts that are often troublesome for the undergraduates. This paper describes the general approach and practical application of MATLAB and Simulink in the frame of a laboratory for teaching control. The main aim of the laboratory is to help students gain a deep understanding of typical problems in control applications. Students prepare codes in MATLAB and Simulink, based on knowledge acquired in a preliminary course on the theory of control. These codes are further used to investigate and design various control systems. In this way, control lab assignments with models of various physical processes are performed.}, keywords = {control laboratory, control systems, Matlab and Simulink}, issn = {1822-7864}, url = {http://journals.indexcopernicus.com/abstract.php?icid=968799}, author = {Nitza Davidovich and Gregory Agranovich and Yuri Ribakov and Ido Halperin} } @article {371, title = {THE SUCCESSFUL INTEGRATION OF FOREIGN-BORN INSTRUCTORS IN THE ACADEME: LESSONS FROM ISRAEL{\textquoteright}S LARGEST PUBLIC COLLEGE}, journal = {Problems of Education in the 21st Century }, volume = {20}, year = {2010}, month = {April/2010}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {44-57}, abstract = {Similarly to other industries, the academic world has increasingly become a {\textquoteright}global village{\textquoteright}, in which foreign-born instructors constitute a large proportion of university faculty. Most studies on foreign-born faculty members have documented various difficulties in the integration of foreign-born instructors in academic institutions. This paper presents data indicating the successful integration of foreign-born instructors in Israel{\textquoteright}s largest public college, and identifies the factors that contributed to this success. Data are based on several measures used to assess faculty members on an annual basis in teaching, research, administration, and community service. Linear discriminant analysis (LNA) was performed to examine whether faculty assessment scores distinguish between Israeli-born and foreign-born instructors. Findings show that foreign-born instructors have become successfully integrated in the institution. Four complementary explanations for their successful integration are proposed. We conclude with a discussion of managerial implications for institutions seeking to diversify their staff and successfully integrate foreign-born instructors FBF in higher education institutions. }, keywords = {faculty assessments, foreign-born instructors, social networks theory}, issn = {1822-7864}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2014/457-1400134115.pdf}, author = {Ya{\textquoteright}arit Bokek-Cohen and Nitza Davidovich} } @article {351, title = {TEACHING ENGINEERING SUBJECTS USING MATLAB}, journal = {Problems of Education in the 21st Century }, volume = {19}, year = {2010}, month = {March/2010}, type = {Original article}, chapter = {9-14}, abstract = {A required course on programming in MATLAB has been included in the undergraduate programs at Ariel University Center of Samaria since 2000. In the Department of Civil Engineering, students attend a one-semester course in MATLAB in the first year of the program. The course syllabus includes 26 hours of lectures and 26 hours of tutorials. The students learn elementary mathematical commands, functions for vector and matrix operations, logic operators, methods for solving systems of linear equations, graphics, symbolic operations, input-output functions, and other operations. In the MATLAB course, which is taught by a faculty member of the department, students master the methodology of using MATLAB for solving real engineering problems. Throughout their undergraduate studies, students apply their skills in programming to topics related to structural engineering subjects. MATLAB has proved itself to be a very effective tool in the educational process because it offers a simple and powerful tool for analyzing and visualizing results of numerical simulations and measurements. Its universality allows easy understanding of complicated processes in different fields of engineering, forming a basis for greater success in education.}, keywords = {engineering education, MATLAB}, issn = {1822-7864}, url = {http://oaji.net/articles/2014/457-1399916954.pdf}, author = {Nitza Davidovich and Yutri Ribakov} }