How to Increase Students’ Activity When Performing Simulations of Electronic Systems

Abstract When creating educational simulation models, and in classes where computer simulation experiments are used, what frequently happens is that some students meet the targets and achieve the intended educational objectives earlier than the teaching time planned for this activity expires. The teacher can resolve such a situation in an appropriate manner, by encouraging the creativity of the “fast” students. This article is concerned with the possibilities of increasing students’ activity in classes where computer simulation of electronic circuits is used. Using a particular example of a simulation experiment, it shows one possible option for how to engage students in the classwork. To achieve this, the function of “fault”, available in the majority of electronic virtual computing labs, is used. This feature allows a teacher to assign one of three possible errors to a selected component; students have no direct way to find out which component is faulty. To resolve the problem, they must use their own creativity and effort, their own ideas, knowledge, and skills, and the tools that they have available in the electronic laboratory.