First year electronics not only for first year electronics students - How to ensure engagement through innovation

The implemented robot practicals were specifically designed to increase student engagement and motivation in electronics practicals while maintaining the same learning outcomes. Design based learning is self-directed where students initiate learning by designing innovative and creative solutions to fulfil both industry and academic requirements. The use of the robot practicals aligns with features of the DBL educational model. DESIGN/METHOD The robot practicals were designed to simultaneously increase student engagement and to improve the learning experience for students studying both Electronics related and non-Electronics related disciplines (such as Mechanical and Civil Engineering). An evaluation study was performed to determine the student perceived effectiveness of the approach in improving student engagement. RESULTS An evaluation survey was undertaken and this paper presents results demonstrating that the robot practicals had a positive impact on the students' interest in learning the relevant concepts during the practicals. Lessons learnt from this experience can be applied to future practicals. CONCLUSIONS The implementation of the robot practicals aligns with keys elements of the DBL model such as active learning, hands-on work, and engaging real-world and multidisciplinary tasks. The survey results demonstrate a positive response to the robot practicals which is a particularly valuable outcome considering that the majority of the cohort and survey respondents were pursuing degrees in unrelated disciplines, i.e. Mechanical and Civil Engineering.