Motivating students in a hands-on environment

Abstract

For the last five years, less than 5% of students entering Electrical Engineering at the University of Adelaide claim to have had any significant exposure to electronics as a hobby or school subject. A full year practical program, loosely coupled to electronics engineering theory, but also related to professional practice, has therefore been introduced, taking students from no experience to competent hobbyist and rudimentary engineer in 24 weeks. By comparing the performance of student cohorts with and without the program, the benefits of such experience are dramatically illustrated. The practical program, its objectives and linkages are described in detail, and students’ reactions are also presented.