The importance of mental calculations in multimedia and e-learning approaches that emphasize simulation and modeling in electrical engineering studies

Thanks to the huge increase in computer performance and the associated software, a large part of the teaching laboratory used to illustrate scientific lessons has moved progressively to simulation instead of physical experiments. Even if we consider that this approach may increase efficiency, problems remain related to critical analyses of the simulation results and teaching the students a synthesis approach involving mental calculation, and fast and approximate estimation of the expected results (often using the apparently buried mathematical background). The aim of this paper is to demonstrate some needs in this area on the basis of effective pedagogical examples that involve pedagogical methods, combining both the top-down and bottom-up approaches.