Development and Evaluation of an RF Vector Network Analyser Experiment for an Undergraduate Engineering Programme

This paper outlines the development of an RF Vector Network Analyser (VNA) laboratory for undergraduate electronic engineering students. Because of the expense of high-quality high-frequency vector network analyser systems, these are usually only encountered by a small number of students who undertake a senior-year project in the RF/microwave area. This paper describes a VNA-based laboratory which is intended to be used by all undergraduate Electrical and Electronic Engineering students in the 4th year of the programme, thus giving all students an insight into this sometimes “mysterious” area of the undergraduate curriculum. The paper moves from the initial “wish list” for what the laboratory might incorporate to the final roll-out to a cohort of 23 students. Feedback from the students indicate that the laboratory session was well received while also indicating that there is potential for improvement in some areas.