From Online to In-person Electrical Circuits Laboratories sessions: Benefits, limitations, and challenges

Martha Torres; Hector Erives; Virgilio Gonzalez

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: ECE Division Technical Session 8: Effective Teaching and Learning in Post-Pandemic Classrooms and Other Curricular Innovations
Page Count: 13
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--40801
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/40801
Download Count: 289

Paper Authors

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Martha Torres University of Texas at El Paso

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Martha Torres is a Ph.D. Candidate in Electrical and Computer Engineering at University of Texas in El Paso, Tx. Currently, she is working on Multicriteria Decision Methods for Wireless Sensor Networks Technologies. Also, she is a Teaching assistant for Electric Circuits Laboratory for Electrical Engineering students since Summer 2020. She is a member of the Circuits Lab team where Circuits Lab Online was developed for the pandemic period. After the shutdown, she developed the new face-to-face course according to the lessons learned during the Online course period. She had teaching experience in Electrical Engineering in México and Colombia for about ten years.

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Hector Erives University of Texas at El Paso

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Dr. Hector Erives is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department at the University of Texas at El Paso since 2018. Prior to joining UTEP he worked in the industry for over ten years where he held various positions. He holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the New Mexico State University. His research interests are in engineering education, remote sensing, and intelligent control systems.

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Virgilio Gonzalez University of Texas at El Paso

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Abstract

Before the shutdown due to COVID-19, all courses and laboratories from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE) at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) were conducted in person at the university facilities. Many of the laboratories required students to work in groups due to the limited equipment availability. Most universities were forced to adopt distance learning as a primary teaching modality when the pandemic started. Previously, the Learning Management Systems (LMS) were used mainly for support course functions, where students could review the content and grades in their own time, submit assignments, or download materials. During the pandemic time, students attended virtual sessions via video conference, reviewed materials independently, or had restricted interactions. This modality limited the ability to conduct lab experiments. The adopted lab methodologies were to offer online circuits laboratories implemented via portable equipment, designed for work at home, and acquired for the students; or by providing remote access to some university equipment. The ECE department had additional challenges because most of our students live in the border region between USA and México, and many had limited technological resources to access virtual or remote laboratories.

UTEP started resuming face-to-face courses and events on campus after the pandemic acute phase period. For the fall 2021 semester, the school initiated activities under enhanced safety precautions for in-person classes. Currently, the circuits laboratory returned to face-to-face delivery mode using bench industrial-grade equipment with higher resolution and accuracy than personal devices, offering students a more comprehensive range of experiments to improve their abilities and knowledge in the technical field. However, some characteristics of the virtual model were kept, such as working at home in the preliminary laboratory phase using portable equipment and then allowing students to work individually at the university workstation, using time more efficiently, and keeping the improved LMS content.

This paper compares online and in-person circuits laboratory sessions, exploring the differences, limitations, benefits, and challenges for the students and the response due to geographic restrictions.

Citation
Format

Torres, M., & Erives, H., & Gonzalez, V. (2022, August), From Online to In-person Electrical Circuits Laboratories sessions: Benefits, limitations, and challenges Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40801

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Before the shutdown due to COVID-19, all courses and laboratories from the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department (ECE) at The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) were conducted in person at the university facilities. Many of the laboratories required students to work in groups due to the limited equipment availability. Most universities were forced to adopt distance learning as a primary teaching modality when the pandemic started. Previously, the Learning Management Systems (LMS) were used mainly for support course functions, where students could review the content and grades in their own time, submit assignments, or download materials. During the pandemic time, students attended virtual sessions via video conference, reviewed materials independently, or had restricted interactions. This modality limited the ability to conduct lab experiments. The adopted lab methodologies were to offer online circuits laboratories implemented via portable equipment, designed for work at home, and acquired for the students; or by providing remote access to some university equipment. The ECE department had additional challenges because most of our students live in the border region between USA and México, and many had limited technological resources to access virtual or remote laboratories.

UTEP started resuming face-to-face courses and events on campus after the pandemic acute phase period. For the fall 2021 semester, the school initiated activities under enhanced safety precautions for in-person classes. Currently, the circuits laboratory returned to face-to-face delivery mode using bench industrial-grade equipment with higher resolution and accuracy than personal devices, offering students a more comprehensive range of experiments to improve their abilities and knowledge in the technical field. However, some characteristics of the virtual model were kept, such as working at home in the preliminary laboratory phase using portable equipment and then allowing students to work individually at the university workstation, using time more efficiently, and keeping the improved LMS content.

This paper compares online and in-person circuits laboratory sessions, exploring the differences, limitations, benefits, and challenges for the students and the response due to geographic restrictions.


AU  - Martha Torres
AU  - Hector Erives
AU  - Virgilio Gonzalez
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - From Online to In-person Electrical Circuits Laboratories sessions: Benefits, limitations, and challenges
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/40801
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--40801
ER  -