Online Electronic Labs

One of the main excuses for not implementing online electronic technology courses is that students cannot do the lab.  I say bull.  A lab component is easily implemented especially in the low end basic courses.  Let me explain.

 

First, home study schools have been using lab materials for decades.  While there are not too many of these so-called correspondence or distance learning programs still around, schools like AII, CIE, NRI, NTS, ICS, Heathkit, CREI and others provided low cost kits and instruments with hands-on lab manuals with experiments.  The labs included a DMM and some of them an oscilloscope as part of the tuition.  The low cost components were supplied along with a breadboard or trainer to build basic circuits and experiment with them.  All were successful.

 

The secret was in the lab manual.  It was very detailed so that students could get through the lab work with minimal mistakes and help.  Of course, students could contact the instructors for help if needed.

 

That approach is viable today.  Any school can put together a set of parts and equipment that the student buys at the bookstore.  It is affordable and doable.  Just have a procedure for students to call or email the instructor for help.

 

Companies like National Instruments (NI) also now have a trainer that connects to a laptop to provide virtual test instruments like a DMM, scope, signal generator, Bode plotter, etc.  NI uses a version of their well-known LabVIEW software.  A breadboard with power supplies plugs into the laptop USB port.  That product is called myDAQ.

 

National Instruments' recent acquisition of Digilent gives them a couple of other such products like the Analog Discovery.  Digilent also offers a mix of FPGA and microcontroller lab products for academia as well.

 

This approach is very applicable to all the basic courses like DC, AC, semiconductor, linear, basic digital and microcontroller.  All the hardware is affordable.  The secret is in the lab manual and support.

 

Just don't say that online labs are not possible.  It has been done successfully for years and is still a viable approach.

 

 

The Ideal Electronic Technology Curriculum

What if you had to create a new AAS degree program in electronics technology from scratch?  Could you do it?  And if you could, what would it be?  Would it be traditional as it has been for decades or something that matches the world today?  Think about it. Here is what I would do.

A Hybrid Approach

First, I would keep the fundamentals but implement them in online courses.  These would be courses in DC and AC circuits as well as basic semiconductor technology and linear circuits.  All work would be online with students implementing the labs with their breadboard trainers and laptop-based instruments.  All the remaining courses would be traditional, lecture and lab.  Here are the courses:

·         Digital – Similar to current courses but updated to include FPGA emphasis, interfaces, A/D, D/A, etc.

·         Microcontrollers – Similar to current courses.  C programming.

·         Advanced microcontrollers – Emphasis on advanced programming in C and interfacing.

·         Communications – Survey covering wireless, networking, and all communications technologies.

·         Robotics – Introductory course on robots including drones.

·         Computers – PCs, laptops, tablets, operating systems, peripherals, interfaces, software, the Internet.

·         Audio – Complete coverage of all audio areas from hi-fi, recording, music, large sound systems, portable audio, MP3 players, Bluetooth audio.

·         Video – Complete coverage of all video including TV, cable, satellite, OTT, surveillance, cameras, etc.

·         Wireless – In-depth wireless coverage with emphasis on cellular, M2M, Wi-Fi, and microwave.

·         Industrial – Survey course of process control, PLCs, sensors, field buses, motor control.

·         Alternative energy – Solar, wind, smart grid and metering, emergency power, LED lighting, batteries and charging, etc.

·         Test and measurement – Introduction to most the popular test equipment and testing and measuring procedures.

Note the focus on applications.  And ALL courses are required.  Each course will have a dedicated modern lab.  This is what will keep students motivated and interested.  And the mix will better prepare students for actual jobs.  Note that there is minimal math need and no analysis or design content.  The program prepares technicians for hands-on industry jobs.  They are not engineers.

The Downsides

What are the down sides to this approach?  Well for starters, there are no equivalent courses except for the basics so I suspect transfer credit is out of the question.  No BSET transfers for graduates of this program.  What a shame.  That just goes to illustrate the strait jacket that our educational system has become.  Conform to some model of the past or be left out.  For a subject like electronics that is constantly changing, it is the worst possible situation.  It prevents change and stifles innovation.  Such a program may be excellent for the students and the employers but for the institutions it is not a good thing.  Traditional is better.  Minimal change and fuss.  I think most faculty would keep it that way.

Another downside is the expense.  Such a program would be expensive to set up because of the need to equip many new labs with the latest equipment.  An initial investment would be high but would be good for a few years.  Yet it would need updating every so often as technology changes dictate.

Conclusion

It is fun day dreaming about what could be.  However, I am realistic enough to realize something like this would never happen in the real academia.  The traditionalists would kill it on sight.  Too bad as this kind of program is what would attract and hold students.  Maybe a proprietary school could do this and benefit not only itself but the students, graduates and the employers.