Student Participation in EE Lab Teams as a Predictor of Acquired Skills and Knowledge

In a fundamental electrical engineering laboratory course, the current model utilizing laboratory groups of two or more students to perform assignments reduced the student's ability to learn rudimentary laboratory skills and knowledge and the ability to apply them to a basic circuits analysis application.The students' performance on the laboratory final exam provided an indicator of their individually acquired knowledge and skills.Several factors were investigated as contributors to a student's performance on the laboratory final exam.The two factors that were found to be significant were (a) the student's grade in the Electric Circuits II lecture course and (b) the student's active participation as a "builder-tester" during the weekly laboratory exercises.The only factor that significantly and independently contributed to the students laboratory skills and knowledge base was the latter.The results of this study indicate that students must be fully engaged in the fundamental laboratory exercises to thoroughly and properly learn the skill and knowledge required to apply them in basic circuit analysis applications.