Abstract:

“Radio Communication Technologies” is one core discipline in the “Internet and Mobile Communication” specialty of the University of Ruse. In this discipline, students get knowledge of radio communication systems, their basic components, and how they work. To get a better understanding of the material students have also a project work. Every student gets an individual assignment at the beginning of the semester and needs to prepare a report, which to defend at the end of the semester. In the discipline, active and interactive methods are used. Another stimulating type of learning is project-based learning (PBL), which presents an individual task. Students decide when to learn, the speed that is convenient to them, and the way that they defend the report (with a presentation or in another way).

With project-based learning, students develop deep content knowledge as well as critical analytical, and logical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and communication skills. Here they have the opportunity to learn by doing. For more freedom and fewer concerns about the real equipment, it is convenient to use a safe environment like software. Applying project-based learning instead of short-term memorization methods allows students to engage deeply with core content, focusing on long-term retention. Owing to the ability of project-based learning to engage students in the implementation of a basic (central) issue or problem and significant results, PBL improves students’ attitudes to education and contributes to building intrinsic motivation to learn.

For avoiding students’ stress due to the size of the project, at the beginning instead of giving them a ponderous project, the learning process is cut by dividing the project into smaller parts, with frequent checkpoints built into the timeline. Thus, the teacher can constantly monitor the work and progress of the students and respond in a timely manner, if necessary.

The paper describes the main stages, which are included in the students’ reports that they need to do on a given individual project-based assignment in the discipline “Radio Communication Technologies”, as well as the active and interactive methods applied when implementing the project. The project covers the topic of LC oscillators and more specifically harmonic oscillators of Colpitts.

This academic year (2020-2021), in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic, at the end of the semester, after all the students presented their reports, they were asked to fill a questionnaire. Most of the students responded that the topic of the project work was relevant and the knowledge that they had gained in the course helped them to prepare the reports. The answers to the survey confirmed that students prefer to learn with projects and their interest in the issues studied in the course as well as their confidence that they would succeed in a real environment increased.

Keywords:

Project-based learning, LC oscillator, active methods, NI Multisim.