A Graphical Approach to Teaching Amplifier Design at the Undergraduate Level

Current methods of teaching basic amplifier design at the undergraduate level need further development to match today's technological advances. The general class approach to amplifier design is analytical and heavily based on mathematical manipulations. However, the students mathematical abilities are generally modest, creating a void in which basic design issues are lost. As a result, students are often puzzled when faced with advanced circuit design classes or design challenges presented by the industry. This paper recognizes the existence of such a void in the teaching of amplifier design at the undergraduate level, and proposes a novel graphical approach which presents the complete amplifier design in a visual form that is easy for the students to understand. Moreover, with the aid of computer-aided design (CAD) tools such as PSpice, this graphical approach promotes the students' mastery of the subject. The design of a bipolar junction transistor common-emitter (BJT-CE) amplifier is used here as an illustration of this approach.