International Flipped Class for Chinese Honors Bachelor Students in the Frame of Multidisciplinary Fields: Reliability and Microelectronics

Abstract

This paper reports an innovative pedagogic experience performed at South-East University (SEU) with electrical engineering Bachelor honors students (computer science, mechanics, and electronics). The purpose was to develop their motivation and to make them aware of the strategic importance of two aspects of electronic engineering i.e. integrated technologies and reliability assessment of devices and systems. The pedagogical approach was based on a flipped class and learning by project that consisted to involve the students in the two topics. After several lectures on the fundamentals of microelectronics and reliability of electronics components performed by foreign professors, twelve groups of five students were built. Each group had to develop one topic, chosen for its strategic importance. Thus, from a given set of main literature references, the students prepared during three days a twelve pages report and an oral presentation, both in English language. Results were generally very good. Most of the students succeeded in addressing issues that were completely new for them. They clearly built by themselves the skills allowing understanding of all the important aspects of the topics they had to approach. This paper gives details on the organization, the content and the final evaluation.

Keywords

• pedagogical innovation
• learning by project
• flipped classes
• microelectronics
• reliability
• transdisciplinary approach
• international teaching