A Mixed Instructional Methods Approach to Teaching a Circuits and Instrumentation Course

Abstract

The circuits and instrumentation course at James Madison University provides students with foundational knowledge in DC, transient, and AC circuit design and analysis. The 4-credit course is comprised of three weekly lectures and one weekly laboratory session. Given the breadth of content and desired level of technical analysis required of this junior level course offering, numerous methods for extending learning beyond the classroom and encouraging student engagement with the material have been explored. Over the past five years, active learning instructional techniques inspired by the Process Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL) approach and project based laboratory learning have been intermixed with traditional lectures and the flipped classroom method in an attempt to improve student learning. This paper reports on the variety of methods used, how each instructional method is integrated into the classroom environment, the rationale behind implementing the various techniques, and the observations and impacts on student outcomes. Quantitative assessments, based on embedded measures throughout the past five years as well as and concept inventory performance, are used to evaluate the effectiveness of the methods and changes implemented. Qualitative assessment of the instructional methods from post-course student evaluation comments are used to understand students' response to the instructional methods described.

Systematic Review of Rigorous Research in Teaching Introductory Circuits

“…Both studies report very positive impacts on student learning. Other studies which scored well in quality assessment - [6], [16], [17] -draw similar conclusions about the positive impact of active-learning in the classroom. Though active learning interventions vary between studies, there is consensus among high quality studies that active learning interventions improve student learning.…”

“…. appears to provide a robust experience that complements a variety of learning styles" [16]. Another study similarly concluded that introducing a variety of experiences -such as guest lectures and field trips -into a course enhanced student learning [28].…”