46 / 2016-04-23 18:58:33

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science for Peruvian High School Students

9896,9895

This paper introduces a comprehensive curriculum for teaching electrical engineering and computer science to high school students. It promotes intensive, creative, and critical thinking by applying both inquiry-based learning and project-based learning. This five-year curriculum considers international standards for teaching science, technology, engineering and math, and it has been tailored to the needs of the Peruvian education system by developing scientific and design activities in out-of-school settings.

The curriculum helps students to learn the foundations of electronic design and computer programming with its applications to control systems, telecommunications, digital signal processing, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. We leverage many Internet resources, such as MOOC and free software. Along the first four years, students learn how to use programming and design tools, and how to analyze and design a variety of logic circuits, amplifiers, electronic interfaces, computing algorithms and programs. For example, they build microprocessors and microcontrollers using programmable logic devices and VHDL. Other products can be digital controllers, science kits, remote-controlled robots, ECG devices, computer games, etc. The final year is devoted to scientific research, engineering design, and entrepreneurship for solving important local problems and necessities.

We have created interactive easy-to-use software to support teaching and learning of logic circuits, electrical circuits, and single-input single-output control systems. Project management standards and real-time systems design methodology are used to produce reliable documents and prototypes. Math, from arithmetic to calculus, is embedded in the entire curriculum. Physics, chemistry, and biology are presented as case studies with its relations to electronics and computing. All topics are introduced considering historical, social, environmental, and economical background.

Currently, we are looking for opportunities to apply these methods and to share our tools with teachers and students in long-term projects. Meanwhile, we are updating our website to show our work in progress to the community.