Exploring the basics with circuit simulation: support for self-teaching of electrical engineering fundamentals

Students enrolled in the first year electrical engineering subject at Swinburne University of Technology were encouraged to use an electronic circuit simulation software, Multisim 10 from National Instruments, for self-teaching while: (i) confirming any qualitatively predicted circuit behaviour, (ii) validating any quantitative results of problem-based activities and (iii) first predicting the cause, then verifying these predictions, for the behaviour of potentially faulty circuit components. The students’ exposure to this software was facilitated, not only by the mandatory purchase of a copy of the software, but by them being timetabled for all their tutorial sessions into a computer laboratory (rather than a conventional classroom) where under academic supervision they were able to work on desktop computers that had preinstalled copies of the said software. Analysis of two surveys and five post-event focus groups clearly revealed general learner acceptance for using the simulation software for self-teaching in both communal and private settings.