An educational strategy is evidence-based if objective evidence is used to inform the design of an academic program or guide the instructional practices. Studies show that the unsatisfactory performance of engineering graduates in competency-based examinations is due to a mismatch between teacher expectations and student learning. Since traditional lecturing is the most commonly used format for course delivery in electrical circuit courses, teaching and learning of abstract concepts such as electricity require the use of varied and efficient strategies aimed at encouraging students to engage with the material on a deeper level. In keeping with the need to actively engage the students while helping them understand electric circuits, instructors need to be creative and effective in their approach to teaching. The purpose of this systematic review is to survey and investigate the current research on evidence-based instructional practices (EBIPs) being done in teaching electrical circuits across undergraduate engineering and sciences education fields. We explore previous work on using EBIPs as an effective approach to teaching electrical circuits by trying to answer the questions “What evidence-based instructional practices have been reported to have the most impact on students' learning of circuit concepts? How are these practices implemented in engineering learning environments?” Also, common issues with the implementation of these strategies and continuous improvements were identified. Finally, a synthesis has been highlighted in this review that intends to provide a learner-centered, cognitive, flexible and varied approach to teaching electrical circuits with the use of existing instructional practices based on evidences of effective student learning.
Andrew is a Faculty Lecturer with the Engineering Fundamentals Program of the Tickle College of Engineering, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He was a Postdoc Research Associate with the Advincula Lab at the Institute for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing at the same institution. He has a Ph.D. in Engineering Education and an M.A. in Data Analytics and Applied Statistics from Virginia Tech, USA. He is also an assistant professor with the Electronics Engineering Department at the Ateneo de Davao University, Philippines. He earned his B.S. and M.S. degrees in Electronics Engineering from Ateneo de Davao University and Ateneo de Manila University, Philippines, respectively. He has taught electronics and electrical professional courses since 2011 and has done and published research in the areas of advanced materials and manufacturing and the design and optimization of electronic systems. His current research interests include instructional designs in teaching electrical and electronics engineering concepts and curricular innovations for advanced manufacturing programs.
Nicole is an assistant professor in the Department of Engineering Education at Virginia Tech. Prior to joining VT, Dr. Pitterson was a postdoctoral scholar at Oregon State University. She holds a PhD in Engineering Education from Purdue University and oth
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