Michael T. Johnson, Ph.D.

Teaching

Teaching Awards

 

Marquette University Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) honor society EECE Teacher of the Year 2005

 

Marquette University Eta Kappa Nu (HKN) honor society EECE Teacher of the Year 2014

 

Selected Teaching, Education, and Pedagogy activities

Participate in numerous University of Kentucky Center for the Enhancement of Learning and Teaching (CELT)

Former advisory board member and regular workshop participant with Marquette University Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL), 2005-2010

Have participated in 4 ABET accreditation visits, 2 as department chair.

Led UK College of Engineering Cross-Disciplinary team to discuss teaching best practices and create a set of recommendations for the college, 2017.

Participated in UK College of Engineering Teaching Innovation Study Group, 2017 and 2018.

Member of UK Wildcat Freshman Experience Planning Committee, 2017-2019

Participant in KEEN/Lafferty Teaching Development Workshop Series, Fall 2015 and Spring 2016.

Coordinator for Marquette EECE Freshman Seminar, 2011-2015

International Teaching Experience, Tsinghua University, 2008-2009, 2011, 2013, 2014-2015

Member of Marquette Engineering Committee on Redesigning the Freshman Experience, 2007-2008

Signals and Systems Concept Inventory site coordinator for NSF study, 2003-2006

IEEE Signal Processing Education Technical Committee, early 2000’s

Participated in NSF Engineering Education Scholars (EES) program for new faculty, summer 2001

Participated in Prentice Hall Symposium on Education, Chicago, IL, 2001

Participated in NSF/ASEE Visiting Scholars Teaching Workshops, Fall 2000 and Spring 2001

 

 

Courses I’ve Taught

University of Kentucky (2016-2023)

 

EGR 101 Engineering Exploration 1

Engineering Exploration I introduces students to the creativity inherent to how engineers approach innovation, design and problem solving from blue sky brainstorming to implementing a solution. Students in this course are introduced to a wide variety of engineering disciplines, skills, and career opportunities and are introduced to engineering design and critical thinking processes.

 

UK 101 Academic Orientation

Academic Orientation introduces strategies and resources that build a strong foundation for academic success while promoting opportunities for intellectual and personal growth. The student learning outcomes address specific issues of student transition, focusing on the purpose and challenges of a college education, developing learning strategies and study skills, promoting student engagement, and increasing knowledge of campus resources.

 

EGR190 Understanding Leadership

This course is an introduction to the principles and practice of engineering leadership. Topics include defining leadership, characteristics of a leader, leadership models, trust and ethics, emotional intelligence, effective communication, and change management. Through this course students will build an understanding of what leadership is and begin the process of developing their own personal leadership style, goals, and plan.

 

EE 211 Circuits 1

This course provides and introduction to fundamental laws, principles and analysis techniques for DC and AC linear circuits whose elements consist of passive and active components used in modern engineering practice including the determination of steady state and transient responses.

 

EE 421 Signals and Systems

This course provides an introduction to continuous and discrete signal and system models and analyses. Topics include discrete and continuous convolution, Fourier transforms, and Laplace transforms and Z-transforms with application examples including AM modulation and the sampling theorem.

 

EE 422 Signals and Systems Laboratory

This course is a hands-on laboratory course where students apply the concepts of signals and systems to problems in signal processing, communications, and control systems. Topics include noise models, filter design, modulation techniques, sampling, discrete Fourier Transforms, state variable models, and feedback design with an emphasis on using computer software for analysis and simulation.

 

EE 599 Topics in EE: Speech Processing

This course provides an introduction to the fundamentals of speech processing, including speech production and perception, speech analysis and representation, and applications to speech coding, synthesis, recognition, and language modeling.

 

 

EE 630 Digital Signal Processing

This course is a graduate-level introduction to digital signal processing.  Topics include frequency domain analysis of signals using Fourier and Z Transforms, sampling and reconstruction theory, filter design and implementation, multirate signal processing linear prediction and optimal filter theory, adaptive signal processing, and power spectral estimation.

 

Marquette University (2000-2016)

 

EECE 1953 and EECE 1954 ECE Freshman Seminar

This is an introduction to electrical engineering and computer engineering. Organized around the Roomba platform from iRobot, this course gives students an opportunity to learn problem solving, develop and carry out team projects, and interact with their peers and other members of the EECE Department.

 

EECE 2030 Digital Electronics

This course introduces students to the basic principles of digital circuit analysis and design. Topics covered include: Boolean Algebra, number systems, basic logic gates, standard combinational circuits, combinational design, timing diagrams, flip-flops, sequential design, standard sequential circuits and programmable logic devices.

 

EECE 4510 Digital Signal Processing

This course is an introduction to discrete-time signals and systems.Topics include sampling theory and linear time invariant system analysis through convolution, Fourier transforms and z-transforms. In addition, techniques for the design of digital filters are introduced, and the computation and use of the discrete Fourier transform and fast Fourier transform is discussed. Applications of these concepts is accomplished through several Matlab-based design projects.

 

EECE 6510 Optimal and Adaptive Digital Signal Processing

This course is an introduction to optimal and adaptive signal processing techniques, including spectral estimation, Wiener filters, linear prediction, steepest descent and least mean square algorithms, least squares and recursive least squares estimation, and Kalman filters.

 

EECE 6520 Digital Processing of Speech Signals

This course is an introduction to the fundamentals of speech processing, including speech production models and feature analysis, with applications in speech coding, synthesis, and recognition.

 

COEN 4710 Computer Hardware

This course is an overview of computer hardware systems, with emphasis on microprocessor design. Topics include performance analysis, MIPS assembly language, arithmetic logic units, datapath and control aspects of instruction set architectures, pipelining, and memory and I/O devices.

 

EECE 113 (EECE3020) Linear Systems Analysis

This course introduces mathematical concepts of continuous-time signals and systems. The time-domain viewpoint is developed for linear time invariant systems using the impulse response and convolution integral. The frequency domain viewpoint is also explored through the Fourier Series and Fourier Transform, and basic filtering concepts are discussed. The sampling theorem, the Z-transform, and the Discrete Fourier Transform are also introduced.

COEN 140 (COEN 4720) Embedded Systems Design

This course introduces students to embedded systems, the types of hardware that can support such systems, and the interfacing used in embedded systems. The course is a combined laboratory and lecture course, which directly applies the embedded systems techniques using hardware description and assembly languages to field programmable gate array technology.

 

EECE 214 Information and Coding Theory

This course is an introduction to information measure, mutual information, self-information, entropy, encoding of information, discrete and continuous channels, channel capacity, error detection, error correcting codes, group codes, cyclic codes, BCH codes, convolution codes, and advanced codes.

 

EECE 211 (EECE 6810) Algorithm Analysis and Applications

This course is an introduction to the analysis of algorithms. Topics covered include asymptotic complexity notation, recursion analysis, advanced data structures, sorting methodologies, dynamic programming, graph algorithms, and an introduction to several advanced topics such as NP-completeness theory and linear programming.

 

EECE 6830 Pattern Recognition

This course is an introduction to the theory and application of statistical pattern recognition, hypothesis testing, and parameter estimation. Topics include probability distribution models, Bayesian decision theory and hypothesis testing, classical and modern approaches to parameter estimation, parametric and non-parametric classifiers. Also covered are diagonalization and the Karhunen-Loeve transform (a.k.a. Principal Components analysis), supervised and unsupervised clustering, Expectation Maximization algorithms for Maximum Likelihood estimation, and linear discriminant analysis.

 

Tsinghua University (2008-2009, Summer 2011, Summer 2013, 2014-2015)

 

Digital Signal Processing

This course is an introduction to discrete-time signals and systems. Topics include sampling theory and linear time invariant system analysis through convolution, Fourier transforms and z-transforms. In addition, techniques for the design of digital filters are introduced, and the computation and use of the discrete Fourier transform and fast Fourier transform is discussed. Applications of these concepts is accomplished through several Matlab-based design projects.

 

Statistical Pattern Recognition

This course is an introduction to the theory and application of statistical pattern recognition, hypothesis testing, and parameter estimation. Topics include probability distribution models, Bayesian decision theory and hypothesis testing, classical and modern approaches to parameter estimation, parametric and non-parametric classifiers. Also covered are diagonalization and the Karhunen-Loeve transform (a.k.a. Principal Components analysis), supervised and unsupervised clustering, Expectation Maximization algorithms for Maximum Likelihood estimation, and linear discriminant analysis.

 

Professional Research Writing

This course focuses on scientific writing in English. The central focus is content and organization of manuscripts for submission to international scientific journals. In addition, a wide variety of other types of professional writing are discussed, including the GRE analytical writing question, the TOEFL and TWE writing tests, and writing resumes and personal statements.