SOLANO COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Electronics 50
DC Electronic Principles
4 - Units
Online and Classroom
Instructor: Mark Berrett

Conventional Education
Unconventional Learning

From World War II onward, no branch of science has contributed more to the development of the modern world than electronics. It has stimulated dramatic advances in the fields of communication, computing, consumer products, industrial automation, test and measurement, health care; you name it. It has now become the second largest single industry in the world (second only to textiles), exceeding the automobile and oil industries, with annual sales of electronic systems exceeding $2 trillion.

The field of electronics is very diverse, and career opportunities are available in many areas. Because electronics is currently found in so many different applications and new technology is being developed at a fast rate, its future appears limitless. There is hardly an area of our lives that is not enhanced to some degree by electronics technology. Those who acquire a sound, basic knowledge of electrical and electronic principles and are willing to continue learning will always be in demand.

A few years ago I conducted a survey of approximately 200 technology companies in the area to determine their needs for trained technicians. From this study I determined that some level of electronics training was the single most prevalent requirement. Virtually every company involved in manufacturing, servicing, or distributing goods of any sort had employees who were required to evaluate, install, or maintain some sort of electronic equipment. And every one of these employees was required to work with electronic or electrical gear at some time in their jobs.

Most employers prefer to hire people who have both a thorough grounding in the basics and the ability and eagerness to grasp new concepts and techniques. If you have a good training in the basics, an employer will train you in the specifics of the job to which you are assigned.

With the creation of this online/classroom hybrid beginning course in electronics technology, your opportunity to expand your employability has never been better.

What is an Online/Classroom Hybrid?

Solano Community College refers to this course as a "lecture/lab" class. That is, some of the course material is presented to the student by the instructor in the form of lectures, homework, and tests. The rest of the course material is presented to the student in the form of laboratory experiments. The college has dozens of courses that are split in this manner.

Courses that are lecture only, that do not have a lab element, are taught in several ways. As you have undoubtedly noticed, one of those ways is "online." In an online class all of the instructional material, the homework, and the tests are presented to the student through the computer. The student never enters a physical classroom.

An online/classroom hybrid course presents some of the material online, but requires that some of the learning experience be conducted in the classroom. Lecture/lab courses are ideal for online/classroom hybrid.

Virtually every electronics course that has ever been taught at any institution of higher learning has been neatly split between lecture and lab. The basic principles are taught in lecture, the techniques in lab. The online portion of this course contains the lecture, homework, and tests. The classroom portion contains the hands-on experiments and projects.

What's in the Online Portion of this Course?

The college catalog describes this course as follows: "Presents the principles of direct current and passive devices, and introduces active devices. Mathematical analysis and laboratory construction of circuits are required."

The principles of direct current (DC) are presented in several units. Each unit covers a specific topic from a chapter in your text such as the principles of electricity, electronic components, Ohm's law, series and parallel circuits, and circuit analysis. Within each unit I outline the basic concepts and give you the background information you will need to understand DC circuits and equipment. I also have lots of supplemental materials that I have loaded into the online classroom as well. I have a wealth of texts and materials, some may prove to be more useful than others, so I might as well share them.

The homework for this course is also done online. It comes in several forms. There are lots of basic mathematical concepts that must be understood in order to appreciate electronics, so some of the homework is in the form of applied mathematics problems. I also require that you do some searching on the Internet to find information about the applications of the concepts you will be learning.

The textbook that you purchase for this course is also used for ECTRN 51, 52, and 53 as well as ECTRN 60 and 61. Your lab book will be used for both ECTRN 50 and 51. You will use Electronics Workbench for ECTRN 50, 51, 52, 53, 60, and 61.

Electronics Workbench (EB) is the definitive computer program for electronic design and education. EB displaces the long hours of studying formulas and circuit diagrams with a virtual workbench. Instead of talking about principles, they are demonstrated. Instead of theorizing about the importance of troubleshooting skills, they are practiced from the very beginning of the course. Dozens of sample circuits are included in the homework and tests and many more will be developed as part of the course.

What's in the Classroom Portion of this Course?

The hands-on laboratory experiments will be conducted in room 1818 on campus. Here all of the materials (breadboards, wire, power supplies, test equipment, etc.) are provided along with instructor support. Performance of the experiments as outlined in the lab book are designed to show first hand how the principles and circuits studied online work in reality.

The first classroom sessions include a tutorial on the use of Electronics Workbench. Each unit in the course has lab experiments that will be conducted at the same time basic concepts are studied. You will also learn some basic manipulative skills such as soldering and assembly techniques.

The classroom portion of this class is scheduled for Saturdays from 9:00 am to about 3:00 pm for the first 8 weeks of the semester. In order to complete the requirements of this course you must spend six hours a week in the classroom doing your lab work. Should you miss a lab session, it will be very difficult to make up the time.

If you have any questions about the scheduling of the classroom portion of this course, please contact me.

Must I take This Class Online?

A classroom-only version of this course is available as well. It will be offered occasionally as scheduling permits.

See the Schedule of Classes for more details.

Does this Course Have a Prerequisite?

There are no prerequisites to this course. You do not have to take some other course before you start this one.

There is a co-requisite, however. Electronics 140: Math for Electronics must be taken either at the same time or have already been completed. If you have taken another math class at Solano Community College with a registration number below 200, or have taken an algebra class at another college, then you may waive this requirement. If you wish to waive this requirement, be sure to contact me before the semester starts.

Where do I Get More Information?

For more information about the Electronics program at Solano Community College, scheduling, what else is available, and what's going on, visit our web site at:
http://www.sccelectronics.com.

The study of basic electronics is a gateway to dozens of exciting fields.
I hope you'll join me.