Student Active Learning Tool for Producing Open Resources in Microwave Engineering Education

A Y Al-Zoubi

doi:10.3991/ijep.v9i4.10903

Abstract

Producing Open educational resources (OER) in engineering education utilizing the concept of project-based learning enables students to train and gain knowledge and skills and contribute to the learning process of other learners worldwide. The advantage of this new peer-to-peer approach is that it allows students to learn from their fellow students in an open domain, and hence provide a vantage point in the transformation of traditional classroom pedagogies into a new educational approach embodied in student-centred learning. A long-term experiment has been conducted at Princess Sumaya University for Technology to introduce the concept of project based learning in teaching a microwave engineering course at the undergraduate level and hence produce OER material to allow students over the globe to utilize in their learning process.

Highlights

Project-based learning has become a necessity and a requirement in teaching certain undergraduate engineering courses [1,2,3]
The procedures include plotting on the Smith chart a number of stability, gain and noise figure circles which allow the student to visually select a combination of appropriate conditions and design requirements
The tasks included experimenting on following procedures, determining and drawing a multitude of variables required in the design process of microwave amplifiers until students are able to design a complete circuit of the amplifier with its matching networks at the input and output for a given gain, noise figure and voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) values following specific criteria, providing a comprehensive design tool

Summary

Introduction

Project-based learning has become a necessity and a requirement in teaching certain undergraduate engineering courses [1,2,3]. Such courses is “microwave engineering” which requires instructors to devote a substantial amount of time to equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to design circuits and systems using modern microstripline technology [4,5,6]. The complete design of a microwave amplifier, which occupies a considerable portion of the course, can be completely undertaken using the Smith chart [7,8] This requires calculation of several variables, based on the scattering parameters of the amplifier, and to follow rigorous procedures that lead to the ultimate goal of designing input and output matching networks [9]. Modern technology-enhanced learning tools may constitute an appropriate solution to teaching such a complex and advanced course [10,11] and turn it into an exciting and challenging endeavour by engaging students in the actual design process through project assignments that are heavily based on technology-enhanced learning tools, where some eventually become their own design

Methods

Discussion

Conclusion