Design and Evaluation of a PBL-Based Course in Analog Electronics

• Published in: IEEE transactions on education 2008-11, Vol.51 (4), p.432-438
• Main Authors: Mantri, A., Dutt, S., Gupta, J.P., Chitkara, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amplifiers; Analog circuits; Collaborative work; Control Groups; Control systems; Education; education technology; Educational technology; Electronics; Engineering education; Learning; Lectures; Problem Based Learning; Problem-solving; Skills; Strategy; Students; Teaching Methods
• ISSN: 0018-9359; 1557-9638
• DOI: 10.1109/TE.2007.912525

The undergraduate program of electronics and communication engineering at the Chitkara Institute of Engineering and Technology (CIET), Punjab, India, has a course named Analog Electronics in its fourth semester. The usual approach has been to divide the course into lectures, tutorials, and practicals. The lecture plan is prepared beforehand by the faculty and the course duration in 16-18 weeks. The drawbacks to this usual approach have been many, the primary ones being the lack of attention given to the missing application and design part. As an alternative to the traditional method, problem-based learning (PBL) was introduced and practiced in Analog Electronics. While the mode of external evaluation remains the same-that of the university holding end-of-semester theory and practical examinations-a unique strategy has been worked out which integrates PBL and the traditional approach of Lecture, Tutorial, and Practical (L/T/P) classes. This paper describes this new approach, the design of problems to cover the subject matter, the preparation of students for PBL, the evaluation strategy, and the feedback that students give in support of PBL. A significant difference was seen between the attitudes of the treatment group (PBL based) and control group (L/T/P based). Additionally, presentation and teamwork skills were also greatly improved in the PBL class.