Work in progress - a unifying set of experiments for digital design I

Continual advances in technology necessitate ongoing updates and modifications to existing digital design laboratory experiments to ensure a quality, state-of-the-art lab experience for both students and instructors. Maintenance of laboratory material in this manner can obscure the original purpose of experiments, specifically in relation to learning objectives, as changes accumulate over time. Our Digital Design I laboratory is undergoing a transformation with a focus on four areas: continuity of experiments, system integration, independence from lecture, and instructor preparation. A set of experiments with a unifying theme introduces students to modular design techniques and system integration; students combine the results of weekly experiments into a single large design at the end of the quarter. Emphasis is placed ensuring that both the individual labs and final design represent real world applications. Self contained lab experiments with accompanying teaching materials ensure minimal prep time for instructors while providing students with necessary background information to understand and complete laboratory experiments. This paper presents an outline of the new course materials, describes how this new approach relates to course learning objectives, and provides preliminary assessment results comparing student performance in lecture for lab control and experimental groups