Effects of lightboard usage on circuit problem skills

While assessing electric circuit homework assignments in an Electrical Engineering program at West Virginia University, it is sometimes difficult to follow students' logic and thinking process. When instructors grade homework assignments, they only see what is written down on paper. Most students neglect to write out their thoughts, which can cause difficulty in comprehending why they choose a particular method to solve the problem, or the point where they experienced difficulty. A class of twenty-two students in a 200-level undergraduate Digital Electronics course that was offered at West Virginia University were asked to conduct several of their assigned homework problems using a Lightboard, a lecture recording tool that allows the user to face the camera while writing on a transparent surface. The intent of these exercises was to gain a better understanding of the students' thought process and see the effect on their self-confidence in circuit solving skills. While conducting the assignments, students would narrate how they were solving the circuit problem on the Lightboard, as if they were teaching the problem to their peers. These recorded sessions were assessed for problem-solving skills using a rubric with the following performance indicators: defining the problem, determining the strategy and procedure, evaluating the outcomes, creating diagrams and sketches, using neatness and organization, and referencing terminology and notation. Students were also asked to complete a survey prior to and after the Lightboard sessions using a five-point Likert scale to gauge their self-confidence. This data, in correlation with the students' course performance, was analyzed to determine if this approach to problem-solving techniques impacted the students' course grades and competency in problem-solving skills.