Hands-On Learning of Digital Systems Through Semi-Guided Projects

This paper presents the application of project-based learning to the course on “Digital Electronic Systems,” taught in the fourth year of the B.Eng. degree in Industrial Electronics and Automation at Universidad de Vigo, Spain. The laboratory assignments and the working methodology are based on two semi-guided projects developed through an incremental process, in which the target systems are progressively provided with additional functionalities. To do that, students must combine predefined circuits with others designed by them, until a final prototype is obtained. To address resource availability constraints (time and materials), students are provided at the beginning of the course with all required hardware components, as well as with detailed information regarding the tasks to be performed before, during and after each of the laboratory sessions. Tasks evolve from fully guided to mostly autonomous ones. Assessment results are also presented and discussed.