2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Comparative Study of Digital Electronics Learning: Using PCB versus Traditional Methods in an Experiment-Centered Pedagogy (ECP) Approach for Engineering Students

Presented at Innovative Laboratory Approaches in ECE Education

In the dynamic landscape of engineering education, the significance of hands-on experimentation in Digital Electronics, including Computer Architecture and Digital Logic, cannot be understated. The core inquiry of this study is determining whether the integration of standalone printed circuit board (PCB) hardware augments conceptual understanding and engagement compared to conventional electronic instrument-based methods. Although both methods use the experiment-centered pedagogy (ECP) framework, the objective is to identify which method provides enhanced comprehension of core concepts and practical applications. Using a quantitative method anchored in pragmatic research philosophy, both the efficacy of learning outcomes and practical applications were scrutinized. One semester leveraged PCB tools, while a subsequent semester utilized conventional techniques. Feedback was garnered from educators and students, with SPSS facilitating statistical analysis. Additionally, Bidirectional Encoder Representations from Transformers (BERT) were utilized for sentiment analysis. The comparative study highlights the superiority of the PCB method over traditional approaches in digital electronics education for engineering students. Key findings include a 23% higher initial comprehension score (83% for PCB vs. 60% for traditional in pre-test), and a slight edge in retention and understanding (80% for PCB vs. 76% for traditional in post-test). Active learning and hands-on activities were significantly more prevalent in PCB classes, with a 100% engagement rate in practical, group activities compared to none in traditional settings. Sentiment analysis showed a 75% positive response towards the PCB method, indicating a strong preference and perceived effectiveness among students. These results indicate that PCB incorporation not only augments supported learning and the grasp of core concepts but also positively influences student perceptions and conceptions. This proactive engagement pushes learners towards a collaborative learning environment, accentuating group discussions, peer tutoring, and troubleshooting activities. To conclude, traditional methods have their place, but PCB integration in Digital Electronics curriculum seems paramount in elevating learning efficacy and student engagement, underlining the imperative of hands-on, experiential learning in today's engineering education framework.

Authors

Mr. Ojonugwa Oluwafemi Ejiga Peter http://orcid.org/0009-0003-2039-3075 Morgan State University [biography]

Ejiga Peter Ojonugwa Oluwafemi, currently thriving as a Graduate Assistant at Morgan State University, Baltimore, is deeply engaged in the innovative "Experiment Centered Pedagogy Project" within the Department of Engineering. His academic journey began at the Federal University of Technology, Minna, where he earned a Bachelor of Technology in Computer Science, laying a solid foundation for his burgeoning expertise in the field.

Now, as a graduate student majoring in Advanced Computing, Ejiga is not only expanding his academic horizons but also actively contributing to the evolving landscape of engineering education. His role in the pedagogy project reflects a keen interest in developing educational strategies that are more interactive and hands-on, a testament to his dedication to enhancing learning experiences in engineering. Ejiga’s background in computer science, combined with his current focus on advanced computing, positions him uniquely to contribute significantly to both his department and the broader academic community.
Oluwapemiisin Gbemisola Akingbola http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0995-7020 Morgan State University [biography]

Masters student Of Electrical Engineering at Morgan State University.
Mr. Pelumi Olaitan Abiodun http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4969-9591 Morgan State University [biography]

Pelumi Abiodun is a current doctoral student and research assistant at the department of Civil Engineering, Morgan State University, Baltimore, Maryland. Pelumi got his BSc and MSc degree in Physics from Obafemi Awolowo University, where he also served as a research assistant at the Environmental Pollution Research unit, in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. As part of his contribution to science and engineering, Pelumi has taught as a teaching assistant both at Morgan State University and Obafemi Awolowo University. With passion to communicate research findings and gleaned from experts in the field as he advances his career, Olaitan has attended several in-persons and virtual conferences and workshop, and at some of them, made presentation on findings on air pollution, waste water reuse, and heavy metal contamination.
Dr. Md Mahmudur Rahman Morgan State University [biography]

Dr. Mahmudur Rahman received his PhD in Computer Science in 2008 from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada with an emphasis on Medical informatics and Image Retrieval. Prior to joining as an Assistant Professor at Morgan State University in 2014, Dr. Rahman extensively conducted research at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA for almost six years as a Research Scientist. He significantly contributed to research and development of the image processing, classification, and retrieval methods extensively used in the NLM’s Open-i Search Engine for biomedical literature.
Dr. Rahman has good expertise in the fields of Computer Vision, Image Processing, Information Retrieval, Machine Learning, and Data Mining and their application to retrieval of biomedical images from large collections. Since joining Morgan, Dr. Rahman also has been actively involved in basic educational and instructional research by infusing several interactive and active learning techniques in classroom to teach introductory programming courses with a goal to improve the retention rate in the CS department.
Dr. Rahman has published a book, two book chapters and around seventy articles in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, such as IEEE Transaction on Information Technology in Biomedicine, Computerized Medical Imaging and Graphics, etc. and presented his works in numerous conferences and workshops, such as ICPR, CBMS, CLEF, CIVR, HISB, SPIE, BIBE, IEEE FIE, etc. His current research is focusing on Crowdsourcing and Deep learning techniques and their application in medical fields, especially for retrieval and diagnostic purposes.

Pursuing continuous financial support is an integral part of Dr. Rahman’s research agenda
Over the years, Dr. Rahman ¬received (as both PI and Co-PI) several competitive grants for both Imaging Informatics and Applied Machine Learning based research and also Instructional (CS Education) research, such as NSF HBCU-UP and NSF HBCU IUSE grants, and also several internal grants form MSU, such as ASCEND, I-Gap, etc.
Dr. Neda Bazyar Shourabi Pennsylvania State University, York
Dr. Lynford Goddard University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Dr. Oludare Adegbola Owolabi P.E. Morgan State University [biography]

Dr. Oludare Owolabi, a professional engineer in Maryland, joined the Morgan State University faculty in 2010. He is the assistant director of the Center for Advanced Transportation and Infrastructure Engineering Research (CATIER) at Morgan State Universit

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