2026 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This paper highlights the successful integration of a ten-week in-person Circuits I (Introductory Circuit Analyss and design) lab into a six-week summer online session, an innovative response to the challenges posed by remote learning environments. Transitioning such hands-on courses to online sections poses several challenges, including the loss of direct tactile experience and face-to-face guidance, limitations of equipment access, and the need for effective remote teaching methods. The extent to which remote delivery of content is adequate to meet course objectives and outcomes has been an important area of study, necessitated in large part by temporary measures implemented during the COVID19 pandemic as was the case in the context of this study. The convenience and accessibility benefits of modality changes create an incentive to continue offering similar alternative courses provided instruction is an adequate substitute for traditional offerings. The purpose of this paper is to investigate that hypothesis.
Circuits I is a prerequisite course to enter Electrical Engineering program, often offered during the summer remotely for those who need to retake it or for transfer students and those changing their major. In the fall quarter, this course is a four-credit offering with a 3-hour lecture and a 2-hour lab session each week. The laboratory work traditionally involves LTspice simulations and hands-on experiments with breadboards, digital multimeters, oscilloscopes, and function generators. In contrast, the summer online section is condensed into six weeks, consisting of 5 hours of flipped video lectures, a 3-hour lab session, and a 2-hour Q&A session.
Maintaining consistent educational objectives and outcomes is critical in the summer remote session, ensuring that students receive the same level of knowledge for their future coursework in electrical engineering. Adjustments are necessary for the lab sections due to equipment limitations. The approach taken involves offering online circuits laboratories with portable equipment designed for home use, allowing students to complete the labs independently. Adjustments made to adapt to remote learning include:
1. Provide students with a newly designed, integrated PCB board as the supply and deliver all the other lab materials to the student’s home.
2. Redesign of the lab contents into four lab experiments.
3. Integrate the connection between breadboard and LTspice simulation software.
4. Combine various technologies to support online learning and inclusive environment.
This paper will provide a detailed comparison between the two formats of labs, including covered topics, required equipment/software, circuit designs and topologies, etc. It also compares the student performance between the online and in-person circuits laboratory sessions, exploring the differences, limitations, benefits, and challenges for the students.
The successful integration of an in-person circuits lab into online sections demonstrates the ability to adapt to the challenges posed by remote teaching. This case study illustrates that with the right technological solutions and pedagogical approach, essential laboratory-based courses can be effectively taught online. This paper will be of interest to any electrical engineering educator who teaches circuits lab class remotely. These lab experiments were assigned to and carried out by students who enrolled in the Circuits I class during the Spring and Summer 2024/2025 academic quarter. Detailed descriptions of the adjusted lab experiments, comparison results between the two sections, assessment results such as students’ feedback in terms of survey questionnaires that demonstrates the effectiveness of these lab curriculum, and proposed future modifications will be presented in the final paper.