Fusing theory and practical in a curriculum for engineering students - A case study

Engineering students at the Vaal University of Technology are exposed to both theoretical and practical instruction within their specified disciplines. This provides the students with greater learning opportunities, which is a core academic function of a university of technology. The department of Electronic Engineering comprises one of eight departments within the Faculty of Engineering and Technology that emphasizes the importance of practical instruction for engineering students. This department focuses primarily on finding solutions to industrial problems in the power electronics and telecommunications world. This paper will attempt to highlight the importance of fusing theory and practical in a curriculum for engineering students. Two different approaches exist in this regard, namely presenting the theory before the practical and the practical before the theory. Both approaches were included in a module, Radio Engineering III, which serves as the case study for this paper. It comprises five different theory sections and 10 practical assignments. Most of the engineering students enrolled for this module successfully completed the practical work, which was designed with both approaches in mind. A post-practical survey revealed that the students felt that the practical work done in the laboratory was relevant to the theory work done in the classroom. It also revealed that students enjoyed the practical work, acquiring needed skills relevant to their engineering discipline.