학술논문

An Alternative Way of Teaching Operational Amplifiers Using a Reconfigurable and Expandable Kit
Document Type
Periodical
Source
IEEE Revista Iberoamericana de Tecnologias del Aprendizaje IEEE R. Iberoamericana Tecnologias Aprendizaje Tecnologias del Aprendizaje, IEEE Revista Iberoamericana de. 16(3):307-317 Aug, 2021
Subject
General Topics for Engineers
Electronic circuits
Educational programs
Field programmable analog arrays
Electronic learning
Integrated circuit modeling
Simulation
Engineering education
Online services
Education
OpAmps
electronic reconfiguration
simulation
engineering education
e-learning
PBL
flipped-classroom
Language
ISSN
1932-8540
2374-0132
Abstract
Early on, students must develop competences by implementing simple or complex electronic circuits with Operational Amplifiers (OpAmps). Traditionally, these skills were mainly developed in laboratory classes, but technology allows us to explore other and complementary ways of aiding students in this achievement. This paper presents a contribution to improve the way OpAmps are included in electronic engineering courses’ curricula. A reconfigurable and expandable kit to teach electronic circuits based on the OpAmp uA741 was designed and implemented. This kit comprises a software application locally interfaced with a hardware platform capable of running in a PC. This platform includes a circuit with the OpAmp uA741 able to reconfigure according to a set of parameters defined by a software application. Its reconfiguration capability also enables the establishment of automatic connections for measuring and for applying signals to a reconfigured circuit, plus the ability to simulate the same or other OpAmp-based circuits. This paper provides an overview about the OpAmp uA741 and its relevance in engineering education. After presenting the kit and make some considerations for its improvement, at the end a brief discussion about its implementation in education according to specific educational strategies and methodologies are provided.