Abstract:

The design and experimental characterization of electronic circuits is an essential part of the capabilities of the Electrical and Telecommunication Engineer. In this regard, the hands-on learning of the basic electronic equipment becomes fundamental in the academic education of the students.

Despite its importance, the laboratory lessons for freshman students in the first semester of the first academic year are not free of difficulties related to:
i) the familiarization of the students with the University academic environment as well as
ii) the heterogeneity of their learning and skills development paces.

Here we present a teaching project in the Circuit Theory course of the Degree in Telecommunication Engineering at the University of Granada, which seeks to transform the lab learning process towards a self-paced approach that will enable the students' skills to be strengthened, facilitating their adaptation trough a more flexible learning procedure that will also impact in their autonomy and independence.

In particular, the project seeks to:
i) Contribute to the autonomous learning of students.
ii) Help to improve the connections between theoretical knowledge and practical skills.
iii) Facilitate students' understanding through a more flexible pace.

The self-paced methodology is conditioned by a good use of the laboratory hours, which are restricted by the time duration of the course. In order to optimize this laboratory time, students are provided with circuit breadboards and electronic components for the whole semester as well as all with the reports and manuals describing the activity they have to perform in the lab. In this way, they can mount the circuits and foresee the activity of the lab, to later exploit the lab time to discuss their knowledge gaps with the lab responsible professor.

The improvement in the practical skills of the first year students, aimed with this project, are expected to have a beneficial impact not only in the Circuit Theory course, were this methodology has been adapted, and for which the use of laboratory equipment is a basic learning objective, but will also benefit the different electronic courses of the Degree Telecommunication Engineering that exploit the fundamentals of electronics learnt by the students in Circuit Theory.

It is expected that the implemented methodology will be consolidated as the form of laboratory work in the Circuit Theory course in the following academic years.

Keywords:

Circuit theory, laboratory, self-paced methodology, engineering degrees.