2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Technical literacy is an essential skill given technology’s impact on every aspect of modern society. 18-095: Getting Started in Electronics is a technical elective course for non-engineering students developed to advance technical literacy through tinkering with electronics. 18-095 introduces the basic principles of electric circuit prototyping, debugging, and design. The course’s target audience is undergraduates, serving students majoring in computer science, design, the liberal arts, and business, at a private R1 research institution. The class guides students through a series of laboratory exercises and design experiences to develop their confidence and ability in the domains of soldering, breadboard prototyping, circuit fundamentals, and microcontrollers. This paper evaluates the impact 18-095 has had over three semesters (Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024), analyzing the development of student self-efficacy, identity, and sense of belonging, as measured across three surveys each semester (n = 71). Self-efficacy for circuit prototyping and design increased by a mean of 45.7 points between the pre-measure (mean = 37.6) and post-measure (mean = 83.2) on a 100-point scale, a significant increase. Despite the large increase in self-efficacy, increases in self-reported identity as a ``maker'' or ``engineer'' did not achieve significance, whereas a small but significant increase in sense of belonging was observed. Students’ ability to successfully build a circuit with no assistance based on its schematic in a lab practical exercise did not correlate with student-reported self-efficacy, suggesting that students may factor in social support from peers as part of their ability to approach future electronics projects. This work provides insight into an understudied group in engineering education: non-majors in an elective course. This sort of outreach course is critical to developing broad, long-term technical literacy.