This project details a new generation of laboratory for the introductory circuits course including laboratory test instruments and personal computers. The goal of this project is to provide our students with a rich experience in creative design by unifying theoretical calculations, computer simulations using PSpice, and physical verification in the laboratory using modern test equipment and instrumentation techniques. Each laboratory exercise in the new laboratory consists of designing, simulating, and building the subcircuits of a wireless control system. As the semester progresses, the students interconnect these subcircuits, leading to a complete wireless system at the end of the semester. The physical laboratory consists of 14 stations, 8 of which contain state-of-the-art digital measurement instruments. The remaining six stations contain measurement instruments that are more than 25 years old. The objective is to replace all of the remaining archaic instruments with equipment similar to the new equipment. The department is in the process of creating a sequence of laboratory experiments in which each step is an integral part of a whole, with a pervasive unifying theme rather than a sequence of disjointed exercises. The laboratory experience for the students is becoming much more interesting, even exciting. With meaningful design problems centered around a state-of-the-art, real-world application, the classroom principles are immediately relevant, enhancing student retention. As the sequence of subcircuit design problems is being formulated, each subcircuit simulated and tested in the laboratory, a new laboratory manual is being developed concurrently. This manual will be made available for use in other universities as a national model through the World-Wide Web.
