electricity and electronics module syllabus

Module Title: INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRICITY & ELECTRONIC ENGINEERING

Course Purpose: The aim of the module is to expose students to careers in electricity and electronic engineering; to give a historical background to the development of electricity & electronics; to understand the practical and theoretical aspects of working with electricity & electronics; and use experimental methods to investigate the fundamental aspects of the science.

Module Designed For: This module designed to be used as one part of a one year (two semester) high school course on engineering fundamentals. It may be used alone as a technology-based science (physics) unit. Lessons substantial incorporate National and State algebra and physics content standards, SCANS, and California Engineering Technology standards.

Duration. The material is organized to be presented over six weeks. Teachers may compress or expand the material as desired.

Assessment Methods: Assessments are continuous and include class participation, homework, individual and team projects, and quizzes and tests.

Course structure: There is a standard format for the engineering modules when they are taught part of the objective engineering technology course. Over the six-week unit duration, 20% of the time is motivation to learn, 20% lecture and guided discussion, 40% activities, laboratories, and projects. The balance of the time, 20% is for evaluations and feedback.

Laboratory Description: Many laboratory experiments and projects are incorporated into the module to assist with the practical understanding of the science. The completion of the experiments and presentation of the results as a group project format is used to increase the student’s abilities to understand and verbalize results.

Prerequisites: Algebra and Physics or general science.

Textbooks and other resources: There is no text for the module. All material to teach the basic course is included in the course materials. Supplemental material is included in the course materials or by reference.

Units and Lesson Summary:

  • Introduction to Electricity & Electronics (Safety & Historical Developments and Pioneers)
  • Resistance
  • Voltage
  • Current
  • Energy
  • Power

Specific Objectives: On completion of the course the student should have a sound fundamental understanding of:

  • the historical developments that form the foundation of modern electricity and electronic sciences
  • the basic hazards and safety issues involved with electricity and electronics activities
  • the atomic and geometrical basis for resistance
  • how charges are moved by potential differences (voltages)
  • the flow of charge in a circuit (current) and the functioning of the two types of circuits (serial & parallel)
  • the various type and functions of electronic energy storage devices (capacitor & inductor)
  • the electronic effects of combining various circuit elements in series or parallel configurations
  • the concept of power associated with current flow or charged storage.