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NON TRADITIONAL TEACHING STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE LEARNING

PROCESS OF POST-GRADUATE MEXICAN STUDENTS

Eloy RAMÍREZ GARCÍA,Rebeca FLORES DELGADO

Luis Manuel RODRÍGUEZ MÉNDEZ, Instituto Politécnico Nacional – México D.F. – México

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Generalities of the M. in Sc. in Telecommunications Eng. (MST)

General description of the traditional teaching in the MST

Strategy to improve teaching method of MST students

Theoretical background

Application example: The Smith ChartActivities of exploration, and introduction of new contentsActivities of structuring and application Evaluation results

Conclusion

Outline

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Generalities of the M. in Sc. in Telecommunications Eng. (MST)

Some student community facts of the MST (2007-2012)

Only the 50% of the MST students obtain their grade of Master in Sciences, Hernández y Enciso, internal report, 2013.

One of the possible problems is: The teaching strategy implemented in the MST.

Prior Institution No. of students IPN-Mx 66

Hidalgo State University 8 Puebla Technologic 5

Mexico State Technologic 4 Valley of Mexico University 3

Other universities 20 Total 106

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General description of the traditional teaching in the MST

The teachers of the MST:

o Develop the topics of the course on the whiteboard.

o Make questions during the session.o Give some homework and final projects.o Apply exams.

The students are supposed to:

o Work individually.o Pay attention to the teacher’s explanations.o Be quiet (passive) during the session.

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Strategy to improve the teaching method of MST students

The teacher may:

o Respect all points of view of the students.o Create an ambience of respect and

cordiality.o Encourage the interchange of ideas .o Promote that the student participate in the

development and y construction of new concepts.

The student should work:o In groups.o Actively to construct new concepts and

ideas.

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Theoretical background

A. Exploration

[1] J. Jorba y E. Casellas, (editores) “La regulación y la autorregulación de los aprendizajes”, Ed. Síntesis, 240 pp., España, 1999

Simple Complex

B. Introduction of new contents

C. Structuring

D. Application

Specific

AbstractThe learning process cycle [1]

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Application example: The Smith Chart

1 – Lecture name: Microwave circuits.

2 – Kind of lecture: Optional.

3– Two sessions per week 4 (two hours per session).

4 – Academic background: Introduction to the Electromagnetic Theory.

5 – Mean no. of students per semester: Five.

Some key facts concerning the subject “Microwave Circuits”

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A. Exploration

Activity 1.• What is the role of the professor? To organize a round table and ask the following

questions: what is a reflection coefficient? y what is a Smith chart? • What is the role of the students? Express their opinions.

Activity 2 • What is the role of the professor? Form teams of two or three students. • What is the role of the students? Draw a Smith chart as best as they can.

Activity 3• What is the role of the professor? Demand the students to tag the different

regions found in the Smith chart. • What is the role of the students? Try to tag these regions by heart.

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B. Introduction of new contents

Activity 1 • What is the role of the professor? To introduce the physical definition of the

reflection coefficient (G) and its relation to the smith chart.• What is the role of the students? Using the definition of Γ draw this parameter in

the Smith chart as a function of load impedance (ZL).

Activity 2 • What is the role of the professor? To provide the analytical formulas of G. • What is the role of the students? Relate the analytical formulas of G with the

Smith chart and give some conclusions.

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C. Structuring

Activity 1• What is the role of the professor? To provide the material to work (tables which will

be fulfilled by the students).• What is the role of the students? To fulfil the tables according to the indications of the

professor and answer some questions.

Activity 2• What is the role of the professor? To provide some Smith charts in paper and to

demand the students to draw on it their results obtained in the previous activity.• What is the role of the students? To draw the results of the previous activity on the

Smith chart.

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D. Application

Activity • What is the role of the professor? To provide a software that simulates impedance

coupling by using the Smith chart. Give some challenges to coupling different impedances (this is important to protect microwave sources of being damaged).

• What is the role of the students? To use the software and solve the challenges proposed by the professor.

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Evaluation

Once the course had finished an oral evaluation was carried out and the students claimed that:

• The work of the teacher involved us in the different subjects and concepts of the course.

• We had the opportunity to express our ideas and to use metaphors to understand concepts and to re-used this concepts later in the course.

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Conclusion

This work described an experience concerning the implementation of constructive strategies in a post-graduate course.

The problem faced by students in this course was the difficulty to understand how all the subjects are linked among them and how they are applied in practical situations.

At the end of the course the students declared that they finally could identify the different subjects, remember the main concepts and applied them in practical situations.