Surfacing learner intuitions about electrical circuit design using an open-source virtual environment ‘chart-a-path’

Abstract

Engaging and understanding student-thinking in electrical circuit design can be challenging. While the analysis of circuits is an important component of an Analog Electronics course, one of the primary areas of difficulty faced by students is that they do not have a clear understanding of the current flow. Attempts at mediating this gap are usually limited to the use of metaphors and (too) much is left to the learners’ imagination. This paper reports an intervention co-designed with a lecturer with regard to an undergraduate module on Analog Electronics. The intervention was an open-source immersive virtual environment designed to afford representations of learner intuitions in electrical circuit design with a view to helping their tutor have a better understanding of the roots of their misconceptions. The paper highlights some of the benefits and challenges of using immersive environments and the design and development process, as well as the collaborative learning that resulted.