2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Systematic Review of Intervention Strategies in Introductory Circuits Education: Insights from ASEE Conference Papers from 2014 to 2023

Presented at Frameworks and Comparative Analyses in ECE Education

Circuits is one of the fundamental subjects for many engineering majors and learning its fundamental concepts is essential for most engineering undergraduate students, especially with the increasing reliance on electronic systems in the design, testing, and implementation of engineering solutions. While some systematic reviews on circuits education have been conducted, previous reviews have been restricted in scope, such as not including more recent publications and excluding certain modes of instruction, such as online teaching. Thus, the engineering education community could benefit from an intentional broad examination and review of contemporary interventions in the teaching of circuits for undergraduate engineering students. Specifically, we investigated what kinds of interventions were conducted in circuits education and what impact these interventions had on students, such as engagement, knowledge, and course grades in the course. To accomplish this, we conducted a systematic review by searching and filtering American Society for Engineering Education Conference papers from 2014 to 2023. Specific keywords search, forward and backward snowballing were used to locate 32 papers that included 44 studies overall. Moreover, types of interventions and learning environments were categorized to determine their effects on students. This study holds significant importance since learning circuits concepts can be complex, but it is essential for engineering students to master. Also, this study is expected to empower instructors to make changes in their classrooms, leading to better learning outcomes for their students.
Keywords: Circuits, Intervention, Engineering Student, Electrical Engineering, Instructional

Authors

Mr. Iman Shayegani http://orcid.org/https://0009-0008-8930-3724 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Iman Shayegani is a Ph.D. student at University of Cincinnati. He received his Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Tehran and his Master's degree in the same field from Shiraz university. He had been an educational consultant and a mathematics teacher for over 10 years in Iran, and helped more than 1000 high school students to succeed in the University Entrance Exam before starting his Ph.D. program. Based on his experience in working with students and his academic background in electrical engineering, he is trying to find suitable methods of learning for engineering students especially in the electrical engineering field.
Mr. Ibrahim Nihad Awartani http://orcid.org/https://0000-0001-6267-8253 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Ibrahim Awartani is a fresh first-year international doctoral student pursuing Engineering Education in the Department of Engineering and Computing Education at the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at University of Cincinnati. His bachelors background is a Mechanical Engineering degree from Philadelphia University in Jordan. His masters background is a Master's of Sciences in Engineering Management. He has had a few years of experience in the construction and consulting fields. His future research interests are on different ways of curricula and grading designs, accessibility, course climates and department culture, and course intervention researches.
David Allen Evenhouse http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8689-1921 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Dr. David Evenhouse is an Assistant Professor-Educator at the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science, Department of Engineering and Computing Education. He primarily teaches introductory engineering courses at UC's Clifton Campus and at Chongqing University, China, as part of their cross-institutional Joint Co-op Institute. He received his Engineering Education PhD and Mechanical Engineering MS degrees from Purdue University in 2020 and 2021, respectively, and graduated from Calvin College in 2015 with a B.S.E. concentrating in Mechanical Engineering. Beyond instruction, he continues to conduct research focusing on student experience and experiential learning in context with innovative instructional practices.
Dr. So Yoon Yoon http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1868-1054 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Dr. So Yoon Yoon is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering and Computing Education in the College of Engineering and Applied Science at the University of Cincinnati, OH, USA. Dr. Yoon received her Ph.D. in Gifted Education, and an M.S.Ed. in Research Methods and Measurement with a specialization in Educational Psychology, both from Purdue University, IN, USA. She also holds an M.S. in Astronomy and Astrophysics and a B.S. in Astronomy and Meteorology from Kyungpook National University, South Korea. Her work centers on elementary, secondary, and postsecondary engineering education research as a psychometrician, data analyst, and program evaluator with research interests in spatial ability, STEAM education, workplace climate, and research synthesis with a particular focus on meta-analysis. She has developed, validated, revised, and copyrighted several instruments beneficial for STEM education research and practice. Dr. Yoon has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and conference proceedings and served as a journal reviewer in engineering education, STEM education, and educational psychology. She has also served as a PI, co-PI, advisory board member, or external evaluator on several NSF-funded projects.
Dr. Gregory Warren Bucks http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-0986-7941 University of Cincinnati [biography]

Gregory Bucks joined the Department of Engineering and Computing Education at the University of Cincinnati in 2012. He received his BSEE from the Pennsylvania State University in 2004, his MSECE from Purdue University in 2006, and his PhD in Engineering Education in 2010, also from Purdue University. His research interests lie in first-year pedagogy and program assessment as well as conceptual understanding of fundamental computing concepts.

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