Teaching Circuits and Electronics Laboratory – Beyond the Brick and Mortar Walls

Dohn A. Bowden; Christina Phillips; Jay A. Weitzen

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Conference: 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Tampa, Florida
Publication Date: June 15, 2019
Start Date: June 15, 2019
End Date: June 19, 2019
Conference Session: ERM Technical Session
Tagged Division: Educational Research and Methods
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--33345
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/33345
Download Count: 629

Paper Authors

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Dohn A. Bowden University of Massachusetts, Lowell

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Dohn Bowden is a doctoral student in Research and Evaluation in Education in the College of Education at University of Massachusetts Lowell, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA, 01854; dohn_bowden@uml.edu

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Christina Phillips University of Massachusetts, Lowell

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Christina Phillips is a doctoral student in Mathematics Education in the College of Education at University of Massachusetts, Lowell, 1 University Ave, Lowell, MA 01854;christina_phillips1@student.uml.edu

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Jay A. Weitzen University of Massachusetts, Lowell

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Jay Weitzen is the Associate Department Chair for Undergraduate Affairs of the Electrical and computer Engineering Department. Now in his 32nd year at UMass Lowell, he teaches the first year ECE cohort and has been working on curriculum models for improving engagement and motivation of first year students through the use of "personal education" devices. His research interests are in the performance of large 4G and now 5G wireless networks. He is Senior Member of the IEEE, has 2 patents and has authored over 100 papers in the literature.

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Abstract

Teaching Circuits and Electronics Laboratory – Beyond the Brick and Mortar Walls

Abstract

Background: Conventional undergraduate circuits and electronics laboratory courses are traditionally taught within the “brick and mortar” walls of a college or university where students are seated at lab benches outfitted with a standard test equipment, including a power supply, multimeter, function generator, and oscilloscope. As enrollment increases, additional laboratory sections or new laboratories need to be constructed; both costly to the school. This study evaluated a hybrid model to educate more students without impacting learning or increasing cost.

Purpose: This paper documents a new approach, called the “hybrid laboratory,” developed and tested based on the research question “What is the effect on student learning when traditional laboratory teaching is modified and augmented with a student owned computer-driven laboratory tool?” Method: The study design was a quasi-experimental mixed-methods with treatment and control groups (η = 200). Over three semesters, information collected identified the impact on learning when conventional laboratory practices are combined with learning outside of the laboratory spaces utilizing one of the many tools available, the Analog Discovery.

Results: Data revealed that the new approach improved the final course grade average by the treatment group by 2%, indicating improved learning and no negative impact to the students. Results also indicate that laboratory learner was equal to and exceeded that of a traditional style laboratory offering, student laboratory report grades, and laboratory proficiency grades were also higher. The study revealed that students enrolled in the non-traditional laboratory sections had better in laboratory attendance than those in the traditional sections.

Conclusion: Comparison of tradition laboratory learning to a hybrid laboratory revealed that laboratory learning increased when utilizing the hybrid approach without adding additional cost to the students or school. Based on this study, the university will evaluate extending this pedagogy to additional laboratory classes.

Citation
Format

Bowden, D. A., & Phillips, C., & Weitzen, J. A. (2019, June), Teaching Circuits and Electronics Laboratory – Beyond the Brick and Mortar Walls Paper presented at 2019 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition , Tampa, Florida. 10.18260/1-2--33345

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - Teaching Circuits and Electronics Laboratory – Beyond the Brick and Mortar Walls

Abstract 

Background: Conventional undergraduate circuits and electronics laboratory courses are traditionally taught within the “brick and mortar” walls of a college or university where students are seated at lab benches outfitted with a standard test equipment, including a power supply, multimeter, function generator, and oscilloscope.  As enrollment increases, additional laboratory sections or new laboratories need to be constructed; both costly to the school.  This study evaluated a hybrid model to educate more students without impacting learning or increasing cost.  

Purpose: This paper documents a new approach, called the “hybrid laboratory,” developed and tested based on the research question “What is the effect on student learning when traditional laboratory teaching is modified and augmented with a student owned computer-driven laboratory tool?”  
  
Method: The study design was a quasi-experimental mixed-methods with treatment and control groups (η = 200).  Over three semesters, information collected identified the impact on learning when conventional laboratory practices are combined with learning outside of the laboratory spaces utilizing one of the many tools available, the Analog Discovery.  

Results: Data revealed that the new approach improved the final course grade average by the treatment group by 2%, indicating improved learning and no negative impact to the students.  Results also indicate that laboratory learner was equal to and exceeded that of a traditional style laboratory offering, student laboratory report grades, and laboratory proficiency grades were also higher.  The study revealed that students enrolled in the non-traditional laboratory sections had better in laboratory attendance than those in the traditional sections. 

Conclusion: Comparison of tradition laboratory learning to a hybrid laboratory revealed that laboratory learning increased when utilizing the hybrid approach without adding additional cost to the students or school.  Based on this study, the university will evaluate extending this pedagogy to additional laboratory classes. 

AU  - Dohn A. Bowden
AU  - Christina Phillips
AU  - Jay A. Weitzen
CY  - Tampa, Florida
DA  - 2019/06/15
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Teaching Circuits and Electronics Laboratory – Beyond the Brick and Mortar Walls
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/33345
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--33345
ER  -