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The experiment-centric pedagogy (ECP) teaching approach is a less cumbersome way of introducing core and fundamental topics in STEM through relevant practical and hands-on sessions that are carefully incorporated into lectures. The philosophy of ECP is that students learn better by doing. Hence, it promotes the practical implementation of fundamental theories in STEM fields by using inexpensive basic elements to develop portable but extremely effective units for use by these students. The portability of these units enables these students to conduct these experiments in the comfort of their homes, while their low cost makes it highly affordable. With carefully curated experiments across different departments such as Electrical, Civil, Physics, and Computer Science, ECP has been able to develop informative experiments to calculate impedance and transient current in RLC circuits buttressing the concept of ohm’s law in electrical engineering and physics, combinational and sequential circuits such as adders, multiplexer, subtractors, decoders, counters, and shift-registers in computer Science. ECP also implemented data acquisition systems alongside experiments to demonstrate Hooke’s law with respect to stress/strain on a flat metal bar and measurement of the pressure of a thin-walled cylindrical vessel in civil engineering. These experiments help students develop a good understanding of these concepts, which are the building blocks of their respective fields. Early results of ECP have shown that there has been a significant improvement in students' interest in these STEM courses.
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Experimental Centric Pedagogy as Scaffolding for a Better Understanding of Calculus in the Mathematics Discipline
The field of calculus is critical to the success and advancement of many Engineering and statistical systems. Calculus provides ways of analyzing transient quantities including data collected from sensors, determining area under a curve, fitting a line for predictive analytics, and price changes in the stock market. It is also core to the understanding of numerous probability distributions in statistics hence, a fundamental knowledge of this concept is crucial for a successful career in STEM. The project would abstract the complexities involved in the learning of calculus from students by providing simple yet relevant experiments that would boost the students interest in this field. The concepts of differentiation and integration would be practically demonstrated to students through affordable and portable circuits. The project would employ readily available circuit elements like inductors, capacitors, and Op Amps to demonstrate integration and differentiation to the students. By employing cheap components and portable circuits, students can afford and carry out these experiments in the classroom and at the comfort of their homes. These experiments will also enable the students appreciate the relevance of these concepts in the field of Engineering, Mathematics and other STEM fields.
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- Award ID(s):
- 1915614
- PAR ID:
- 10467772
- Publisher / Repository:
- American Society for Engineering Education, 2023. https://sftp.asee.org/43567
- Date Published:
- Subject(s) / Keyword(s):
- Experimental Centric Pedagogy, Calculus, Hooke’s law, velocity, acceleration and concepts of differentiation and integration
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Location:
- https://sftp.asee.org/43567
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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