RESEARCH PAPER
From simulation to experiment: Using KiCad to design electric circuits in the physics classroom
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1
Physikalisches Institut, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Nürnberg, GERMANY
2
Institute of Physics and Astronomy, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, HUNGARY
3
Institute of Physics Education, Faculty of Physics and Earth System Sciences, Leipzig University, Leipzig, GERMANY
Online publication date: 2024-09-19
Publication date: 2024-10-01
EURASIA J. Math., Sci Tech. Ed 2024;20(10):em2510
KEYWORDS
ABSTRACT
Secondary school students encounter a wide range of electronic devices in their everyday lives
that are not usually covered in physics classes. Examples include mobile phone power adapters
that convert high-voltage alternating current to low-voltage direct current. However, such
examples are often not used sufficiently in the classroom to provide students with insights into
(a) the specific applications of the electronic components used and (b) the underlying electronic
design process. To fill this gap, we have designed a new context-based, easy-to-implement
teaching-learning sequence that guides students to how to use the electronic design and
simulation program KiCad which is being widely used by professionals in the field, (2) build their
own analog experimental setup of a mobile phone power supply, and thus (3) understand how a
mobile phone power supply works. The presented part of the teaching-learning sequence focuses
on the use of KiCad and is designed to allow students to work individually and in groups to learn
according to the think-pair-share principle based on a set of tasks we created. This paper examines
the pedagogical potential of KiCad and provides a detailed description of the teaching-learning
sequence and reports on initial classroom experiences: A total of N = 28 students aged 16 to 17 years
participated in the unit as part of an extracurricular course and completed a questionnaire based
on the Technology Acceptance Model to investigate the perceived ease of use and usability of the
KiCad software. We found that despite the fact that the students had not used KiCad before, they
were quite positive about the educational material as a whole and the KiCad software in particular.
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