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Introduction to Electrical Engineering: Empowering and Motivating Students through Laboratory-Focused Teaching

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Conference

2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Portland, Oregon

Publication Date

June 23, 2024

Start Date

June 23, 2024

End Date

July 12, 2024

Conference Session

Community Building and Student Engagement

Tagged Division

Electrical and Computer Engineering Division (ECE)

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/47686

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Paper Authors

biography

Ilya Mikhelson Northwestern University

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Dr. Ilya Mikhelson is an Associate Professor of Instruction in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Northwestern University. His technical work focuses on signal processing and embedded systems. Besides teaching, Dr. Mikhelson has worked with dozens of students on independent projects, and has created 3 brand new, project-heavy courses in Electrical Engineering. He is constantly experimenting with pedagogical innovations, and is very passionate about engineering education.

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Abstract

A new curriculum for Introduction to Electrical Engineering has been developed, with the goal of making it more of a hands-on, laboratory-focused approach. The stated goals are to empower each student to be a maker after taking the class, and to expose students to the broad topics of electrical engineering. To this end, nine new laboratory assignments were created, with each one building on the preceding ones. In class, the material is closely tied to the ongoing laboratory assignment. To assess the stated goals, four surveys were administered throughout the quarter. Each time, students were asked to evaluate their comfort with their electronics skills and knowledge, as well as how much understanding of electrical engineering they are gaining from the course. Additionally, the results of university-administered surveys that rank various aspects of the course were also included in the assessment. Overall, the findings support the fulfillment of the stated goals of creating makers out of students and showing the breadth of electrical engineering.

Mikhelson, I. (2024, June), Introduction to Electrical Engineering: Empowering and Motivating Students through Laboratory-Focused Teaching Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47686

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