Undergraduate Students’ Conceptual Difficulties: Analog and Digital Circuits

Aharon Gero, Wishah Zoabi

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

Abstract

Students’ conceptual difficulties have been characterized in many fields of knowledge. However, the relevant research literature is limited in the case of analog and digital circuits. This gap should be addressed in light of the central role played by electronic circuits in electrical engineering and related disciplines. Therefore, the study aimed to identify undergraduate engineering students’ conceptual difficulties in analog and digital circuits. The study took place at two leading universities in Israel. Over 300 exams in electronic circuits (solved by undergraduate students) were analyzed. Based on this analysis, a list of core concepts in analog and digital circuits that caused conceptual difficulties was generated. In addition, a problem based on these concepts was created. Thirty electrical engineering students who completed introductory courses in electronic circuits were interviewed. In these think-aloud interviews, the students explained the above-mentioned concepts and solved the problem. The data underwent content analysis by two engineering education experts. According to the findings, students’ difficulties are mainly in the basic concepts of operating point, feedback and gain.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationFutureproofing Engineering Education for Global Responsibility - Proceedings of the 27th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning, ICL 2024
EditorsMichael E. Auer, Tiia Rüütmann
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH
Pages200-206
Number of pages7
ISBN (Print)9783031856488
DOIs
StatePublished - 2025
Event27th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning, ICL 2024 - Tallinn, Estonia
Duration: 24 Sep 202427 Sep 2024

Publication series

NameLecture Notes in Networks and Systems
Volume1261 LNNS

Conference

Conference27th International Conference on Interactive Collaborative Learning, ICL 2024
Country/TerritoryEstonia
CityTallinn
Period24/09/2427/09/24

Keywords

  • Analog Circuits
  • Conceptual Difficulties
  • Digital Circuits

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Control and Systems Engineering
  • Signal Processing
  • Computer Networks and Communications

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