From simulation to experiment: Using KiCad to design electric circuits in the physics classroom

Secondary school students encounter a wide range of electronic devices in their everyday lives that are not usually covered in physics classes. Examples include mobile phone power adapters that convert high-voltage alternating current to low-voltage direct current. However, such examples are often not used sufficiently in the classroom to provide students with insights into (a) the specific applications of the electronic components used and (b) the underlying electronic design process. To fill this gap, we have designed a new context-based, easy-to-implement teaching-learning sequence that guides students to how to use the electronic design and simulation program KiCad which is being widely used by professionals in the field, (2) build their own analog experimental setup of a mobile phone power supply, and thus (3) understand how a mobile phone power supply works. The presented part of the teaching-learning sequence focuses on the use of KiCad and is designed to allow students to work individually and in groups to learn according to the think-pair-share principle based on a set of tasks we created. This paper examines the pedagogical potential of KiCad and provides a detailed description of the teaching-learning sequence and reports on initial classroom experiences: A total of N = 28 students aged 16 to 17 years participated in the unit as part of an extracurricular course and completed a questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model to investigate the perceived ease of use and usability of the KiCad software. We found that despite the fact that the students had not used KiCad before, they were quite positive about the educational material as a whole and the KiCad software in particular.