Circuit simulation, together with practical sessions, is considered a fundamental tool to assist in the teaching of electronics. Robotics offers rich real-world applications that foster student interest in developing engineering projects. Despite the potential benefits of uniting these two realities, software tools that combine circuits and…

Encouraging student engagement is a key aim in any educational setting, and allowing students the freedom to pursue their own methods of solving problems through independent experimentation has been shown to markedly improve this. In many contexts, however, allowing students this flexibility in their learning is hampered by constraints of the…

The experiment in charging and discharging of a capacitor through a resistor is fundamentally important for studying electronics. We have developed an alternative procedure to measure the voltage drops across capacitors as a function of time. The simple apparatus controlled by an Arduino Uno microcontroller board and LabVIEW™ interface was set up.…

The importance of introducing computational approaches early and actively in science education is widely acknowledged among educators and scientists. Many great ideas have been put forward and implemented by advocates and organizations such as Partnership for Integration of Computation into Undergraduate Physics (https://www.compadre.org/PICUP)…

This dissertation explored the cost and value of 1:1 computing programs in high schools in Texas. The study examines whether the total cost of ownership of these programs can be justified by the student testing gains and graduation rates. It investigates whether student learning outcomes show a definable correlation between positive gains and the…

We describe a LEGO-compatible Internet of Things Technology (IoT) designed to enable elementary school students to learn about IoT by building their own smart, connected products. The Internet of Things is any network of physical devices that can share information over the internet. Using small, Wi-Fi enabled microprocessors, Grove sensors,…

This book enriches the understanding of regional smart education in China and promotes sharing of smart education case studies in China and abroad. It presents 46 case studies selected from a total of 644 case studies collected nationwide in China. These selected case studies focus on regional construction, research findings, and solutions. The…

This paper describes a number of active learning strategies based on implementing the Raspberry Pi as low-cost single-board computing device for carrying out physics laboratory activities. This Microcomputer-Based Laboratory (MBL) Project has been funded by the Baden-Württemberg Foundation and it encompasses the use of high-accuracy yet…

Preliminary investigations reveal that some academic staff find it difficult to adapt use of e-learning facilities for delivery academic duties which could lead to job ineffectiveness. The study, investigated the extent to which e-learning facilities availability, usability and adaptability predict job effectiveness among academic staff of…

Practical solid state diodes and transistors have made glass valve technology nearly obsolete. Nevertheless, valves survive largely because electric guitar players much prefer the sound of valve amplifiers to the sound of transistor amplifiers. This paper discusses the introductory-level physics behind that preference. Overdriving an amplifier…

How does Skype, as an online communication tool, contribute to school and district administrators' reported level of self-efficacy? A sample of n = 39 participants of which 22 were school administrators and 17 were district administrators was purposefully selected to use Skype in their offices with a webcam and microphone to communicate with other…

Michigan State University Extension conducted its first virtual conference, attended by more than 600 staff, with a weeklong menu of over 100 online meetings and learning sessions. Providing multiple types of pre-conference hands-on training to small groups using Adobe Connect Pro was an important key to success. Other success factors were pre and…

This article showcases a virtual interactive participatory design activity for building a digital entomology lab. Conceptualized as a virtual complement to a general entomology course at Kansas State University, the lab would allow learners to explore morphological aspects of insects--their various forms and functions--in order to understand…

This report describes the incorporation of digital learning elements in organic chemistry and biochemistry courses. The first example is the use of pen-based technology and a large-format PowerPoint slide to construct a map that integrates various metabolic pathways and control points. Students can use this map to visualize the integrated nature…

We evaluated the effectiveness of the use of an electronic personal response system (or "clickers") during an introductory psychology lecture on perceptual constancy. We graphed and projected student responses to questions during the lecture onto a large-screen display in Microsoft PowerPoint. The distributions of answers corresponded…