Progressive use of active learning in electrical engineering courses

Abstract

This paper describes my progression as a junior faculty member and instructor in terms of the use of various student-centered and active-learning techniques in electrical engineering (EE) lab courses. These techniques range from simple to more-involved techniques, and my objectives ranged from increasing interactivity during class to tailoring class time to students' needs and questions. These various techniques include think-share, think-pair-share, observe and comment, group discussion, and the flipped classroom. Active learning has been shown to be more effective than passive learning within a traditional lecture setting. In my courses, these methods have shown increased student understanding of the differences between mathematical models and physical realizations of systems. Adding active learning exercises to these laboratory courses has also increased interactivity among the students and addressed student difficulties in ways that are effective and generally enjoyed by the students. Additionally, an active learning workshop in the summer of 2018 motivated me to use more involved active-learning techniques, including the flipped classroom and inductive learning. Consequently, I flipped the last two modules of an electronic design laboratory in the summer as well as a signal processing lab in the fall of 2018. The effectiveness of these advanced techniques was formally assessed by comparing student work before and after the implementations, and these preliminary results will be discussed. Surveys and interviews were used to measure student perceptions of the teaching techniques, and these results will also be discussed, with promising indications these techniques were positively perceived by the students.