Transforming Electronics Engineering Classrooms: Fostering Students’ Motivation to Design Technological Solutions through Inquiry-Based Learning

This research analyzed the outcomes of an inquiry-based learning (IBL) activity presented to electronics engineering students to help them develop their abilities, propose new experiments, and construct their own knowledge. The IBL activity was led by a carbon nanotubes-based sensor prototype presentation where 39 engineering students were introduced to the operation of the prototype, followed by a discussion where the presenters highlighted possible applications of this type of prototype and a ten-minute questions session. At the end of the presentation, all participants answered a survey analyzing the impact of the IBL activity on their understanding of electronics engineering concepts and their motivation to design new experiments to explore and test their knowledge. The qualitative and quantitative data analysis showed that most of the participants were interested in the IBL activity, reporting that they would like to have more of this type of presentation in their engineering courses. Participants’ interest in the prototype presentation was reflected in their understanding of electronics engineering-related topics and their motivation to design new prototypes. They reported that they learned something new or developed a better understanding of topics they previously learned in their courses from the examples shown during the IBL activity. This research suggests that more IBL activities and partnerships with the industry should be included in electronics engineering courses aimed at developing students’ abilities to design and build technological applications.