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Studying the Experience of Electrical and Computer Engineering Students in a Face-to-Face Electronics Laboratory Course during COVID-19 Pandemic

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Conference

2021 ASEE Pacific Southwest Conference - "Pushing Past Pandemic Pedagogy: Learning from Disruption"

Location

Virtual

Publication Date

April 23, 2021

Start Date

April 23, 2021

End Date

April 25, 2021

Page Count

14

DOI

10.18260/1-2--38249

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/38249

Download Count

562

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Paper Authors

biography

Siddharth Vyas California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

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Siddharth Vyas is a full-time lecturer of Electrical Engineering at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in circuits and electronics. He received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Electronics and Instrumentation at the Medicaps Institute of Technology and Management, Indore, India, and an MS in Electrical Engineering (Electrophysics) and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering at Drexel University, Philadelphia. His research interests include applications of magnetic particles in medicine and biology, engineering education, and diversity in engineering education.

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Abstract

Electrical Engineering laboratory courses have traditionally been offered in face-to-face format. COVID-19 pandemic has forced universities all over the world to adopt novel educational strategies in implementation of face-to-face laboratories. This sudden change in the format of both online and face-to-face laboratories means that there is a pressing needed for thoughtful planning of laboratory education to minimize the negative impacts of the pandemic. California Polytechnic State University’s Electrical Engineering Department is offering EE 251, an introductory Circuits Laboratory course for non-EE major students and EE 346, an introductory Electronics Laboratory course for EE major students in the Winter 2021 quarter. This paper aims to study, compare, and offer solutions for improved laboratory experiences based on feedback received from EE 251 (non-EE major) and EE 346 (EE major students). The feedback will be received from students in the form of surveys. The surveys will address questions on availability of components and equipment, working alone on a bench vs. working in a group, anxiety of being inside a laboratory space during the COVID-19 pandemic, and working on lab reports in a virtual team among others. The results from the surveys will be tabulated and solutions will be proposed to address identified issues that may be logistical, technical, and/or learning/teaching challenges. The offered solutions may help other educators with more robust planning and implementation of their face-to-face laboratories during COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Vyas, S. (2021, April), Studying the Experience of Electrical and Computer Engineering Students in a Face-to-Face Electronics Laboratory Course during COVID-19 Pandemic Paper presented at 2021 ASEE Pacific Southwest Conference - "Pushing Past Pandemic Pedagogy: Learning from Disruption", Virtual. 10.18260/1-2--38249

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