The following is a reflection and a proposal on the contents of the hardware related degrees in the Department of Electronics, Telecomunications and Informatics (DETI), at the University of Aveiro. In particular, it is focused mainly on the more hardware related undergraduate degree of this department, the “Licenciatura em Engenharia Eletrotécnica e de Computadores” (LEEC), the Bologna 1st Cycle degree on Electrical and Computer Engineering.

Background and Motivation

There is a general perception that, among the areas of expertise of DETI, student interest in the field of Electronics has been declining over the past few years. On the contrary, areas related to programming and computer science (particularly the Computer Engineering and Informatics courses at the undergraduate level) have been experiencing sustained, if not growing, interest from students entering higher education.

The decline in interest in the field of Electronics is not exclusive to our University, nor even to the country. The following figure clearly shows that the phenomenon also occurs elsewhere1.

Figure 1: Enrollments in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science courses in the United States

However, the need for Engineers with hardware training remains, as evidenced by companies that face difficulties when seeking to recruit new staff, frequently complaining that they cannot find candidates with the skills they need (i.e., with hardware expertise).

A Vision for Hardware Courses

The attractiveness of courses in the field of Electronics depends, among other things, on our ability to demonstrate the relevance of hardware-related Engineering and, with that, to engage and involve students in the course activities.

Based on this assumption, my proposal is to anchor the practical activities of the LEEC course in projects related to physical quantities and sensory perception. In other words, projects involving aspects of:

  • Light
  • Sound
  • Motion

as a way of creating a positive differentiation of this course compared to those more focused on software. This differentiation is supported by activities that can only be developed based on hardware. These projects would give students the opportunity to develop, by themselves, various devices that they frequently use. Besides the aspect of making students the creators of these devices, it also allows them to adapt and design new or customized solutions, in an exercise of creative design.

Some specific activities that could fit into this approach are:

  • Building a Speaker
    • This project would initially involve building a speaker, with wired connections for power and sound. Later, it could evolve to battery-powered, incorporating circuits like voltage regulators and battery charge controllers, removing wires for power. At a more advanced stage, it could progress to Bluetooth connectivity, totally removing wired connections.
    • Skills involved: analog amplification circuits; battery management, PCB design.
  • Night Light
    • A project for a light that turns on when it’s dark.
    • Skills involved: light sensors; sensor reading circuits; actuation and feedback circuits, which can be either analog (based on op-amps) or digital (based on microcontrollers).
  • Temperature based controller
    • A device, based on a temperature sensor, that controls a heater or a fan, switching on and off depending on temperature.
    • Skills involved: temperature sensors; sensor reading circuits; actuation and feedback circuits, which can be either analog (based on op-amps) or digital (based on microcontrollers).
  • Desk Lamp / LED Ring
    • A lamp with LEDs powered by USB. The project could start with fixed lighting (in intensity and color) and evolve to intensity control (PWM) and color control (using multicolor LEDs).
    • Skills involved: PCB design; LED drive circuits; microcontroller programming; battery charging circuits and regulators.
  • Presence Lights for Bicycles/Running
    • A battery-powered circuit for running lights or bicycle lights. This could start as a non-rechargeable battery powered device, evolving later to a device based on Li-Po (or other) rechargeable batteries.
    • Skills involved: PCB design; LED drive circuits; microcontroller programming; battery charging circuits and regulators.
  1. Dillinger, Tom. “A Crisis in Engineering Education – Where Are the Microelectronics Engineers?” Semiwiki (blog), July 3, 2022. https://semiwiki.com/events/314964-a-crisis-in-engineering-education-where-are-the-microelectronics-engineers/.

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