Abstract:

DC-DC switching converters are widely used today, based on the fact that if well designed their conversion efficiencies could reach very high levels. Students should be thought how to design such circuits, but at the same time their creativity and real practical knowledge should be stimulated in a proper manner in order for them to be able to improve the problem solutions or to invent new ones in future, which is the power conversion technic in this case. This work aims to explain what a high quality meaningful exercising process should be, by giving an example exercise in the electronics engineering field.

Traditional education nowadays is not what it is supposed to be. While science and technology develop at a very high rate, education somehow stays behind and many higher schools cannot keep up with the pace. Some of the problems are due to lack of proper education process structure, lack of an intelligent methodology of teaching or correct approaches towards the students, who are the main product of the education system. The insufficient financing is also a major concern in most of the cases, while at the same time the strong bond between science and expensive new technology consolidates and pushes lecturers to write science projects in order to receive financing, which overwhelms them with bureaucracy, while at the same time they should do science investigations, develop a couple of teaching majors in parallel, develop their teaching skills and work abilities with students. The insufficient financing often overwhelms and it then becomes a major priority for the lecturers, because no money - no technology - no science – no good technological education process, and students and proper teaching technics become a second priority from which education system and student’s preparedness and growth suffer. It is important for the lecturers to be knowing experts in their fields but it is as well important for them to be good teachers, because good expert in any field doesn’t necessarily means good teacher and good speaker. Lecturer’s work is difficult and requires multitude of different skills which should be developed and improved on a daily basis in order for them to be up to date and beneficial.

A definition for an intelligent meaningful practical education process has been given in previous works. The aim of this paper is to describe what a high quality, meaningful, fruitful practical exercise in the electronic field should be, through an example with a created DC-DC switching converter exercise. Although the given example is in the electronics field, this practical exercise structure is valid for all other engineering fields and of course not all elements of that structure will be applicable for all cases.

Keywords:

Education, efficiency, DC-DC converter, switching frequency, control circuits.