Paper Authors

Abstract

NOTE: The first page of text has been automatically extracted and included below in lieu of an abstract

Session 3286

Add Sizzle to Your Electronics Curriculum Charles Moore Arkansas State Technical Institute

I. Introduction

This paper, of particular interest to the new educator in a two-year electronics program, presents innovative classroom and laboratory techniques which have proven to enhance student learning and interest. Technology students, often kinesthetic learners, may not learn easily from lectures but respond well to alternative methods and will listen if their interest is piqued by an element of fun or sizzle.

II. Improving Classroom Attitude

Since attitude in the classroom is crucial and contagious, new teachers from industry must “lighten up” and relax. The overall atmosphere is set primarily by the instructor. New educators coming directly from industry must quickly make the transition to a type of work that is very different and employs different methods of achieving the desired objectives. Students react best to a friendly setting with controls employed only as required to maintain class discipline. Without sacrificing quality and quantity of material covered, new instructors may need to slow the pace and demands on students, for they are not graduate engineers working full-time on an assigned project. On the other hand, educators with industry experience have a distinct advantage in the classroom when selecting objectives, for they can keep in mind how the student will actually use the information and skills in the workplace and should limit the material covered in the lecture/laboratory in light of what their industry work has shown to be important. Students are eager to hear “ war stories ” relating a topic or situation to the real world, and these can lead into educational objectives, and both interest and learning increase when relevant applications can be brought into the lecture. Students wonder, “Why do I have to learn this and how will I use this on the job?” Whether or not these questions are expressed, the instructor should show relevance whenever possible or explain that the concepts form a basis for future applications. At times, one may have to admit that the material does not have a direct application but explain that it teaches problem-solving skills: the ability to methodically analyze and reach a conclusion. Many new instructors fall victim to the tyranny of the textbook, believing they must race through and include every detail covered in the text, thus creating stress in the instructor which is telegraphed to the students. A better technique is to select those objectives that are most important and spend more effort creating a relaxed classroom in which students feel comfortable enough to interact with the material. I do not at all suggest that the instructor should be a clown, but humor, especially as it touches the student’s personal interests or experiences, can be interspersed and used to make an academic point memorable.

Proceedings of the 2001 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2001, American Society for Engineering Education

• Citation

• Format
  • APA
  • APA - LaTeX bibitem
  • MLA
  • MLA - LaTeX bibitem
  • Bibtex
  • EndNote - RIS

Moore, C. (2001, June), Add Sizzle To Your Electronics Curriculum Paper presented at 2001 Annual Conference, Albuquerque, New Mexico. 10.18260/1-2--8886