ADI, Digilent collaborate on design kits for engineering students

The DIgilent Analog Discovery Design Kit costs little more than a textbook and provides students with access to a range of educational tools. Access is available for downloadable teaching materials, online support, textbooks, reference designs and lab projects to design and implement analogue circuits. "Active learning – learning by doing – helps engineering students understand the process of breaking down larger problems into smaller, more easily solved parts without losing the overall understanding of the complete system," said John Robertson, professor, Department of Engineering Technology, College of Technology and Innovation, Arizona State University. "The two new analogue design kits from Digilent and Analog Devices set up quickly and generate lots of data making any pc a 24/7 design studio for engineering students. I believe that students who own design kits and build circuits frequently learn better, retain more and enjoy the experience." Both design kits connect via USB to a pc, run Digilent's Waveforms software and are based on earlier, field tested designs currently in use at colleges and universities worldwide. Recent studies, presented at American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conferences, showed that students with unlimited access to design tools and hardware consistently perform better academically than their peers using the traditional approach of two to three hours of lab sessions per week. Mean test scores improved approximately 18% in some studies and surveyed students showed more interest, creativity, practical knowledge and, more often than their peers, extended their designs beyond the initial requirements.