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Pheanis back at head of class

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Dr. Dave Pheanis, a professor in the CSE program at ASU, recently has been listed in the course curriculum for the fall 2003 semester.

Student outcry has put professor Dave Pheanis back at the head of the class he has taught for 25 years.

When it was announced earlier this semester that next fall Pheanis would not be teaching CSE 421: Microprocessor System Design, a class required for all computer systems engineering majors, students were upset.

So upset that nearly 60 students met with the engineering college's associate dean to voice their concern, and more than 140 students signed a petition with hopes of getting Pheanis back into the class.

Pheanis was originally supposed to move to an ECE 300: Intermediate Engineering Design class, where the department felt his skills would be better suited. It was also proposed that professor Yann-Hang Lee would teach the CSE course this fall.

Many of the students, however, said the newer, more complex processors, like those Lee wanted to use, would detract from students' ability to learn basic CSE concepts.

"You don't go into kindergarten and start learning long-division," said Vivin Paliath, a CSE senior, in February.

Earlier in the semester, students like Paliath rallied together in an effort to bring Pheanis back to CSE 421.

"The students' concerns certainly had a major impact," said Ron Roedel, engineering college associate dean of academic affairs. "There were many, many e-mails from lots of students weighing in on this. Most of the e-mail that I received was very favorable toward Pheanis and 421."

Sethuraman Panchanathan, interim department chair of the CSE department, also cited student concerns as a factor that helped Pheanis get his class back.

"It was my decision, but it was a decision based on a consultation that Ron Roedel had with me, Pheanis and with a host of others," Panchanathan said. "The students were the ones who gave the comments. [Roedel] listened to them first, and then he talked to us."

CSE senior Erin-Michael Johnson said he is pleased that more students will have the opportunity to take a class that he enjoyed.

"I'm extremely pleased," Johnson said. "A lot of the people who haven't had the chance to learn under Pheanis are now going to have that opportunity. They're not going to miss out on one of the best instructors we have."

Pheanis said he was happy that the students appreciated the class.

"It's gratifying that students recognized the value of the class and want the class, even though they know how hard it's going to be," Pheanis said. "The students' opinions have a lot more merit than what is commonly perceived."

Lee could not be reached for comment.

Reach the reporter at ilan.brat@asu.edu.


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