The project's goals were to a) build student confidence in decoding the circuit elements inside a black box by applying knowledge gained in earlier and accompanying analog circuitry courses and b) gather student responses to see how they viewed the course exercise and whether they could connect it to undergraduate research.
Spanning two lab periods (~6 hours total), students were guided on deciphering the internal circuit components in a two-terminal black box. Using fundamental electrical engineering knowledge of frequency response and transfer functions, the students developed a model for each box via simulation. In the first lab, the box is simpler in order to scaffold student learning. The box was more complex in the second lab, but the students were coached on tackling the testing and simulation phase. The instructor didn’t know which black boxes the students were given, increasing the fidelity of the discovery element of the CURE.
The impact on student learning was measured through a Qualtrics survey. The main findings indicated the students viewed the black box exercise as a valuable addition to their standard lab exercises. Notably, despite the open-ended nature of the activities, the students reported they were supported and guided well. One notable insight is that while they could link their lab exercises to research, they viewed undergraduate research as longer-term. Moreover, their perspective on undergraduate research is hierarchical, e.g., with a lab structure guided by graduate students and postdocs, and longer term.
2025 Frontiers in Engineering Conference
2025 GTREET (Georgia Tech Retreat Exploring Effective Teaching)
TTL helped me focus on how students learn and demonstrate mastery. Using Bloom's Taxonomy as my guide, I move through content efficiently and rigorously while pushing students toward integration and application of their knowledge and skills.