Active Analog Circuit Design: Laboratory Project and Assessment

Abstract

It is very important that undergraduate teaching of analog circuits be rigorous, involve a laboratory component and stimulate student interest. This paper describes a three week module on active circuits that incorporates circuit design, analysis and testing. The lectures are integrated with the laboratory component and all appropriate concepts in mathematics are covered. Assessment results are based on running the project at three universities, namely, Rowan, Bucknell and Tennessee State. Quantitative results based on student surveys, a concept inventory test and faculty formulated rubrics demonstrate the accomplishment of the learning outcomes. INTRODUCTION AND MOTIVATION A course on the principles of analog circuits is fundamental in the early part of an Electrical and Computer Engineering curriculum. A long standing debate is on how to get students more interested in circuit theory and simultaneously comprehend and apply the basic concepts [1][2]. Project-based learning has been shown to increase student interest, basic design skills [3] and comprehension of the concepts in basic engineering and mathematics through vertical integration [4][5]. Vertical integration is the principle of having a project or experiment in a course build upon concepts gained through experiments and/or projects performed in a parallel or previous course. Students will realize that the courses are part of a flow that contributes to a unified knowledge base. This paper describes a project on active circuits that is performed at three universities, namely, Rowan, Bucknell and Tennessee State. The project has been formulated such that it can be taught at any university that has a course that covers the basic laws of circuit theory, introduces passive and active circuits, teaches the appropriate mathematical techniques and has a hands-on laboratory component. Specifically, the curriculum will include (but not limited to) mesh and nodal analysis, Thevenin equivalent, operational amplifier circuits, first and second order circuits, Laplace transform analysis, AC circuits, transformers and the frequency response of simple filters. The project reinforces circuit analysis, accomplishes simple design, involves the use of MATLAB and exposes the student to an operational amplifier chip. The project relies on concepts learned previously or concurrently like calculus and computer programming. It also leads into projects in follow-up courses like (1) building an audio amplifier or a power supply in an electronics course and (2) analog and digital filter design in a signals and systems course. Three different forms of assessment are carried out. They are based on student surveys, a concept inventory test and faculty formulated rubrics.