Improving Selected Electrical Engineering Students’ Abilities of Using Technological Tools

Abstract

This article deals with the effects of using technological lab tools, specifically inverting and non-inverting operational amplifiers, on improving the abilities of 3rd-year Electrical Engineering students at the University of Gondar, Ethiopia. It has cultivated a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration of eighteen students who were grouped into three teams. The performance of students’ ability was evaluated using tests, attitude, and creativity measurements. The tests were administered just to measure the student's knowledge and skills before and after the intervention. Besides, a questionnaire was employed to measure the overall use of electronic lab tools during the actual training sessions.  Gaps or issues on two applied electronics lab tools were seen concerning the current curricula and instructional strategies, student performance and understanding, motivation, and involvement of students, and comments from both teachers and students. On the other hand, students were supposed to relate and blend their theoretical knowledge with practical abilities when they access to exchange practical skills. Towards this end, they were guided to do the same design circuit across groups. Empirical data were gathered from peer assessment and observation, and pre-and post-tests were described descriptively considering time. The findings indicated a significant improvement in students' comprehension and performance when utilizing technological tools during electronics lab training periods. The implementation of an inverting operational amplifier improves the test score of the student by 41.11%.  There was an increase in both technical proficiency and problem-solving skills among the participants.