The biological amplifier and the need for Interactive Course Modules to help teach electrical circuits

“When beauty is found in a mathematical derivation, it means we are understanding and beginning to like the subject”

-Max E. Valentinuzzi

Chapter five talks about the biological amplifier.  Sounds pretty exciting huh… well maybe more exciting for the electronics engineer.  In college, the topic of electrical circuits was hardly my favorite subject in introductory physics although I was able to get through it.

The amplifier is a relatively simple concept at first glance because essentially, its application is used to make signals more detectable; although interpreting circuit diagrams and quantifying their values can be such a headache!  The math in chapter five made flipping each page progressively heavier until eventually reaching the final paragraph where Valentinuzzi shows concern for the reader who may be feeling “sick” after finishing the chapter.

 

I believe Valentinuzzi is saying that simply reading the text cannot furnish an understanding of math because he urges that “[p]ractice and study are mandatory to fully master the subject”.  Biomedical engineering is a challenging subject to master because appreciation of the subject requires the ability to think like an engineer and a scientist.  This goes back to one of my original premises from my third post, “What is bioengineering all about?”, that teaching biomedical engineering presents a problem because instructors must demonstrate proficiency in both math and science.  Even as a science teacher, it was difficult for me to follow Valentinuzzi’s equations; occasionally the math was just way over my head!  It’s uncommon for secondary teachers to have endorsements in both math and science, and even when a teacher has both, he or she maintains a preference for teaching one or the other.  I believe however the rapid growth and demand for biomedical engineering will eventually foster more quality programs in secondary and post-secondary education.

     

Although until we see an abundance of biomedical engineering programs in high school, STEM curriculums and innovative teaching will need to pave the way for biomedical engineering.  Conceptualization of topics such as electrical circuits nonetheless are abstract and often counterintuitive.  This presents another problem for secondary teachers and undergraduate instructors because it complicates our ability to apply scaffolding techniques in the classroom.  For example, Galileo’s famous Leaning Tower of Pisa Experiment is fun to replicate when demonstrating the properties of mass and gravity; however, how do you model electrical circuits in a way that can be structured to students’ understanding of electricity?      

Perhaps a recent study by Omur Akdemir can shed light on effective strategies to teach the topic of electrical circuits and other abstract subjects.  According to Akdemir, physics and engineering students have a hard time learning about circuits.  He demonstrates however that interactive course modules are conducive to students’ understanding of electrical circuits, more so than teaching the same topic with traditional teaching tools (Akdemir, 2015).  Similarly, I have implemented interactive modules in my classroom lessons such as virtual labs and online science games which have proven effective for life science and sports medicine instruction in both middle school and high school education.  

      

Without interactive course modules, chapter five would have been beyond the grasp of a biomedical engineering novice.  As a recommendation for prospective future editions of “Understanding the Human Machine – A Primer for Bioengineering”, I believe the text would better serve the reader if the next edition came with a supplemental practice problems notebook and perhaps even a companion website with interactive modules.  Furthermore, interactive course modules show great potential for teaching abstract subjects in secondary and post-secondary education.    

References:

Akdemir, O. (2015). Using Interactive Course Modules to Improve Students' Understanding of Electric Circuits. International Journal of Engineering Education, 31(4), 1117-1125.