Student Participation in EE Lab Teams as a Predictor of Acquired Skills and Knowledge

In a fundamental electrical engineering laboratory course, the current model utilizing laboratory groups of two or more students to perform assignments reduced the student\u27s ability to learn rudimentary laboratory skills and knowledge and the ability to apply them to a basic circuits analysis application. The students\u27 performance on the laboratory final exam provided an indicator of their individually acquired knowledge and skills. Several factors were investigated as contributors to a student\u27s performance on the laboratory final exam. The two factors that were found to be significant were (a) the student\u27s grade in the Electric Circuits II lecture course and (b) the student\u27s active participation as a “builder-tester” during the weekly laboratory exercises. The only factor that significantly and independently contributed to the students laboratory skills and knowledge base was the latter. The results of this study indicate that