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Floating Point Math Resources

For EECS 2021 students who are looking for additional resources on floating point math, here are some suggestions. Exercises with solutions: While we're at it, here is the Bit Fiddle app, by Tobias Stamm, a handy tool for converting between base 2, base 16 and base 10, as well as a twos-complement conversion page. Finally, […]

Plagiarism detection for program source code

Detecting copied source code in student assignments is important. Here, I'll explore a few options that are possible for instructors here at York University, but these options may also work for instructors elsewhere. Look, there are a few notable reasons why copied source code will appear in a student's assignment: Given the convenience of the […]

Writing a RISC-V Assembler file for Segger Embedded Studio

I like practical programming. That can be tough with assembler. But one of the important things to recognize is that you can limit the amount of support work that you have to do in assembler by embedding your assembler code in a C or C++ project. In this video I show how to And then […]

Got Bed Bugs? (updated)

File the following in the "for a work friend" category of blog posts. The TL;DR of dealing with bed bugs is this: Let's imagine that your friend, who works with you but in a different building, has discovered a bed bug infestation in their work space. And, let's imagine that the employer is reluctant to […]

H5P: Time Restrictions with Exceptions

I like to do flipped classes with H5P plugins on Moodle. When I do so I set up "from" and "to" time restrictions to ensure that the homework is done during the class period. It doesn't matter to me if the students are in the classroom or not. What's important is that they're doing homework […]

Recipe: Rose Pavlic's Breakfast Muesli

Rose served this muesli at her bed and breakfast in South Africa. She told us about it while visiting with her mother, Bibiana and we've been addicted to it ever since. Here it is. BREAKFAST MUESLI This recipe makes about 8 cups. Ingredients Method Storage Cool & break up in air tight container. Original file: […]

Using Multitrack Studio with an External Controller

To use Multitrack studio with an external MIDI keyboard you need to perform the following steps. James Andrew Smith is a Professional Engineer and Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department of York University’s Lassonde School, with degrees in Electrical and Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alberta and McGill University.  Previously a program director in biomedical […]

Video editing software for students

I asked my students in 1st year engineering what kind of video software they used to record and edit videos for homework and projects. Here's the summary: Of these, iMovie, YouTube, OBS, Clip Champ (another link) and DaVinci Resolve are the favourites. I've found that there are other suggestions, including some on Reddit. Students may […]

Recommended Computer Accessories: Pen loop

Got an iPad or a Surface laptop that includes a stylus? Then consider getting a "pen loop" like the ones found in paper notebooks by Leuchtturm or Moleskine. It has an adhesive surface, making it easy to glue on to the back side of your device. It'll help keep your stylus firmly attached to your […]

EECS Tool Highlight: Class Lists

If you're an EECS instructor here at York University, you can obtain a lists of students that are currently in your course, text files that are easy to download and review. They're outside of eClass and found in one of three ways: To access the lists on an EECS server like indigo1, use an SFTP […]