Lab-in-a-Box: Assessment of Materials Developed to Support Independent Experimentation on Concepts from Circuits

Lab-in-a-Box: Development of Materials to Support Independent Experimentation on Concepts from CircuitsA project known as Lab-in-a-Box (LiaB) was developed in 2004 as one of the outcomes of a department-level reform within the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department,addressing a need that was identified through student and employer surveys for concrete examples of fundamental concepts in electrical engineering. LiaB is a set of ‘hands-on’ exercises in which students design, build, and test various d.c. and a.c. circuits using an inexpensive electronics kit, digital multimeter, and a software oscilloscope. The experiments can be done anywhere and require significantly fewer resources than a traditional electronics lab. LiaB has received overwhelmingly positive comments from the students as well as from faculty members who have used the kits for projects in upper division courses at a four-year college as well as three community colleges, which were formerly lecture-only courses.A number of the major tasks in the National Science Foundation Course, Curriculum, and Laboratory Improvement Phase II grant, awarded in 2008, have been accomplished. These include the publication of the 3rd edition of the laboratory manual in 2009, the development of on-line multimedia learning materials to support student experimentation outside of the classroom, vodcasts on measurement techniques used in individual experiments linked directly to the lab report template, and the development of on-line classes for two circuits laboratory courses. The first is a d.c. circuits course is designed for off-campus students and the second is a supplement to increase independent learning by students in the a.c. circuits course. The assessment of the learning materials and evaluation of the project has been initiated.In addition to these activities, the authors have also been engaged in an expansion of the pedagogical approach into the circuits and electronics courses taught to mechanical engineering undergraduate students. A hands-on laboratory component that utilizes the electronic breadboard as a miniature optical table will be introduced into the ECE electromagnetic courses in the near-future. The 4th edition of the lab manual is expected to be published in 2011. The latest edition will incorporate a number of new design lab exercises that have been developed during the NSFCCLI project by our ECE undergraduate students. A laboratory manual for the ECE courses taught to the mechanical engineering students is also expected to be published in 2011. We expect to offer a hands-on tutorial on the LiaB experiments and the learning materials to engineering faculty at XX Community College System’s New Horizons Conference in Spring 2011 to initiate the transfer of the pedagogical approach and learning materials to support the instruction at these institutions and to receive feedback and suggestions. A similar workshop was held the XX Conference on Higher Education Pedagogy on Feb. 19, 2010, which was well received.An explanation of our pedagogical approach to the development of the on-line courses and the associated learning materials, a review of the initial evaluation and assessment results, and a discussion about the methods we have employed to disseminate the results of this project within our institutions and to the other community colleges within the state will be presented