This project is developing a set of active and collaborative learning modules for an introductory sophomore level electric circuits course that allow students to explore and utilize the standard concepts and techniques of electrical circuits in the context of applications to practical circuits. A novel feature of the project is the use of students who have recently completed the course to revise and refine the modules. The new course is being offered at Montana State University in Bozeman and via distance learning to students at Montana State University in Billings. Additional project objectives include facilitating the transfer of students in two-year pre-engineering and science programs within the state of Montana to Montana State University and developing a template for using advanced pedagogies in online engineering courses. The project includes rigorous formative and summative evaluation plans with both qualitative and quantitative components coordinated by an independent evaluator. The evaluation plan is designed to establish the quality of the materials and to ensure the project goals are met. The project's results are being disseminated through conferences and journal publications. The project includes specific efforts to increase the engagement of women and the Native American community in Montana.
This project recast the introductory course in electric circuit analysis at Montana State University (Bozeman) in such a manner as to engage both live-taught and online students in a collaborative discovery of the principles of electric circuit analysis through a set of active learning modules and inquiry-based labs that stress the application of well-known laws and methods in the development of meaningful circuits with compelling function. Examples of electric circuits (entitled "project circuits") that students developed include a heart-rate monitor, a circuit to determine relative amounts of strain in a metal bar and an audio amplifier. Electric circuit analysis is a gateway course to the electrical and computer engineering discipline and has historically been a challenge to many students due the abstract nature of the relevant concepts, its coverage of somewhat dry analysis techniques, and its reliance on a rudimentary understanding of calculus. Allowing students to explore the application of the principles and techniques commonly covered in such courses was adopted to help motivate students to devote the necessary effort to develop a deeper understanding of the material. In addition, the project supported outreach efforts to underrepresented populations in Montana. The impacts of the activities were assessed through conventional exams, essay exams which probed deeper understanding of the course content, student surveys and a small group instructional diagnostic. The essay exams required students to make judgements and predictions, and to outline assumptions made in considering various circuit options to realize a desired function. Such measures were completed both prior to the introduction of the new approach, thus forming a baseline for comparision, and after the active learning approach was adopted. Our findings suggest several things which appear to be consistent with findings from the few other known applications of active learning in electric circuit analysis courses and with the use of student-centered approaches in general. (1) The use of project circuits appear to promote the development of deeper learning among students studying basic electric circuit theory. (2) The inclusion of the project circuits did not hurt the performance of students on standard outcomes, rather students studying electric circuit analysis using the project circuit approach performed as well or better than students studying electric circuit analysis using a standard approach. (3) While in general agreeing that the project circuits were a strong point of the course, students following the project circuit approach were perhaps not as confident in their mastery of the course topics as those studying the course material without active learning techniques. It should be stressed that this is a perception issue on the part of the students and not an indicator of their actual performance. It is speculated that by pushing students to tackle complex circuits and to engage in higher-level learning, that students were more aware of the limits of their understanding and more tempered in their self-assessment. Details regarding the signficant results of this work have been presented at the 2012 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference and in the May 2014 issue of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Transactions on Education.
