A Flipped First-Year Digital Circuits Course for Engineering and Technology Students

Abstract

This paper describes a flipped and improved first-year digital circuits (DC) course that incorporates several active learning strategies. With the primary objective of increasing student interest and learning, an integrated instructional design framework is proposed to provide first-year engineering and technology students with practical knowledge of DC. The research presented here compares the effectiveness of the flipped course to the previous traditional course through a controlled experimental study. The improved effectiveness of the flipped course is confirmed through the significant increase in course content and significant improvements in students' performance and their perceptions of their learning experience. Preliminary results suggest that students' academic success, and their engagement and interest in engineering, can be enhanced by refinement of an integrated instructional design framework. The authors believe that this positive outcome is a result of alignment of online preview of lectures, face-to-face student/instructor and peer interactions, discussions, hands-on activities, combined with several active learning strategies infused into the class.Index Terms-Active learning, digital circuits, engineering and technology, flipped classroom, student learning.

The impact of flipped classrooms on student achievement in engineering education: A meta‐analysis of 10 years of research

“…A few flipped engineering instructors provide postclass activities such as quizzes and exercises (Turner & Webster, ; Yelamarthi & Drake, ). For example, Yelamarthi and Drake's () students were required to take a postclass online quiz.…”

The flipped classroom in engineering education: A survey of the research

“…In a flipped sophomore level engineering probability and statistics class, compared to previous year's traditional offering taught by same instructor, the same material was covered in less time and test scores on a common (identical) final exam increased [18]. Similarly, in a first year Digital Circuits class, researchers [19] found an increase in course content covered and mean student grade increased. Furthermore, the distribution range between minimum and maximum grade was reduced significantly in the flipped classroom.…”

Methodology based on micro-projects in DIY desktop machines for educational purposes in engineering degrees

“…The European Space of Higher Education (EHEA), aware of the situation, has reformulated the European educational patterns to put the spotlight on the students. In this sense, active learning is an excellent candidate that has been successfully applied in technical university degrees (Prince, 2004;Rodriguez et al, 2015;Yelamarthi and Drake, 2015). Essentially, it promotes in the student the disposition to understand for oneself through simulations of real life situations (Andersson et al, 2000).…”