Development of technical skills in Electrical Power

Engineering students: A case study of Power Electronics as a

Key Course

I S Hussain1 and Fazrena Azlee Hamid2

1
Department of Electrical Power Engineering,
2
Department of Electronics & Communication Engineering,
College of Engineering, Universiti Tenaga Nasional, Selangor, Malaysia

Email: idasuzana@uniten.edu.my, fazrena@uniten.edu.my

Abstract. This paper describes how to develop technical skills in the psychomotor domain
based upon quantifying the attainment of related Programme Outcome (PO). This method is
implemented in the Bachelor of Electrical Power Engineering (BEPE) programme, University
Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN), using the Key Course concept. This concept measures the overall
PO attainment for the programme by calculating the PO attainments of the Key Courses based
on the students’ assessment marks. PO5 of UNITEN is stated as “Create appropriate
techniques, select resources, and apply modern engineering tools to execute complex
engineering activities”. In this paper, the attainment of PO5 of several courses through-out the
semesters are measured. It is shown that Power Electronics course, which is the Key Course for
PO5, has a strong attainment at above 90%. PO5 of other supporting courses are also achieved.
As a conclusion, by embracing outcome-based education (OBE), the BEPE programme has a
sound method to develop technical psychomotor skills in the degree students

1. Introduction
Job market is becoming more competitive as employers have high expectations on fresh engineering
graduates to perform once they are hired. To ensure a smooth entry in the industries, engineering
graduates are expected to possess employability skills needed by employers. Importance of assessing
graduates’ skills was discussed comprehensively in [1].
In education, learning skills can be categorised in three learning domains; the cognitive, affective
and psychomotor domains. These categories are the basis of the formulations of the outcomes as
required by OBE being implemented by all engineering courses in UNITEN. Based on the
Engineering Accreditation Council (EAC) [2] requirements, and stakeholders' inputs, UNITEN has
set 12 PO statements comprising of the all learning domains to support the achievement of the 4
Programme Education Objectives (PEOs) [3].
Psychomotor skills that includes technical skills and soft-skills development has been a vital
element in higher institutions [1]. This is in track with the progresses made in the technology
advancement where competency to use modern engineering tools and software are imperative in
working environment to guarantee quality standards and to meet engineering specifications. Soft-skills
which includes communication, team-working and leadership abilities are important factors to be
successful in the workplace. In UNITEN, such psychomotor skills are considered as important
outcomes for the engineering graduates to acquire. From the 12 POs statements, there are two POs
dedicated to psychomotor domain; PO5 which assess the technical skills and PO9 which assess the
students’ communication skills.
An earlier study on UNITEN students [4] reported the effectiveness of the development of
psychomotor skills based on students’ survey. The survey was conducted for the lab courses to 216
students from the 1st year through the 4th year taking BEPE and Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering (BEEE) in UNITEN. The survey results indicate that students are satisfied on the impact
of lab courses on their learning and attainment on psychomotor and also soft-skills.
On the other hand, an objective method to indicate the successful achievement of psychomotor
skills would be by directly measuring the attainment of the desired outcomes of the programme,
namely PO5 and PO9. This paper presents on the technical aspect of the psychomotor skills of PO5.
The PO5 for BEPE and BEEE states that the graduates will have the ability to “Create appropriate
techniques, select resources, and apply modern engineering tools to execute complex engineering
activities” [3]. The evaluation of PO5 is done using the Key Course evaluation method described in
[5]. For UNITEN’s BEPE, the Key Course for PO5 is the Power Electronics course.
This paper aims to describe how technical skills are developed in UNITEN BEPE students by
focusing on the designing of outcomes, assessing the outcomes and finally measuring the
achievements of the outcomes. Section 2 gives an overview of the methodology focusing on PO5.
Next, Section 3 describes the implementation in the form of a case study on Power Electronics, the
Key course for PO5. Finally, in Section 4, the validation of the development process is shown.

2. Methodology to develop technical skills

The technical skills development process of BEPE’s PO5 is part of the OBE process in UNITEN. It is
generic and can be applied to any PO. There are four steps in the development process,
i) Mapping of the courses to the PO
ii) Determine assessment methods for each PO
iii) Build skill-scale rubric for the PO
iv) Determine the PO attainment

2.1. Mapping of the courses to the PO

The development process starts with mapping of all the courses to all the POs. Once the PO to the
courses have been identified, the Course Outcomes (CO), learning and teaching activities at course
level are developed. The courses can be classified into three categories [3],
i) Supporting courses: In these courses the students are expected to learn and accumulate their
knowledge/ ability with respect to the PO prior to key course.
ii) Key courses: The course is a third or final year course. The PO attainment of the key course
is used to indicate the overall PO attainment for the program.
All engineering programmes in UNITEN currently implements the key course concept to measure
the attainment of POs [5]. For PO5, Power Electronics is identified as the key course. There are six
other supporting courses consisting of all lab courses and Digital Signal Processing (DSP) course that
also has a lab component.
Table 1 lists seven courses tagged to PO5 that address students’ technical skills. The COs listed are
developed by the instructors based on the Bloom’s Taxonomy action verbs. The depth and breadth of
the technical skills covered by each course are indicated by the Course Outcomes descriptions as well
as the list of components, equipment and software being used.

2.2. Determine assessment methods related to the PO

For technical skills evaluation, a comprehensive assessment must include hands-on practical
laboratory sessions [6]. The psychomotor domain has psycho (or knowledge element) and motor
elements. Understanding and reasoning skills (psycho element) are assessed in the lab reports where
the students clarify, illustrate and document ideas.
 Table 1. Courses mapped to technical skills development (PO5).
Semester Courses and Course Outcomes (COs) tagged to PO5 Components, equipment, software used
1st Sem. Electrical/ Electronics Measurement Lab DC power supply, function generator, digital
 demonstrate measurement of resistance, DC voltage, multimeter, analogue meter, oscilloscope,
node voltage, current resistors, capacitors, inductors
 construct 1st & 2nd order circuit, op. amplifier circuits
 simulate the circuits using modern tools

2nd Sem. Digital Logic Design Lab TTL 74 series basic logic gates, digital logic
 construct digital circuits experimenter kit, Quartus II and ModelSim
 simulate digital circuit designs using modern tools Altera

3rd Sem. Electronics Design Lab AC & DC power supplies, diodes, BJTs,
 assemble basic electronics prototypes MOSFETs, analog & digital meters,
oscilloscope, LTSPICE
5th Sem. Electrical Machines Lab DC & AC machines, analog & digital
 construct wiring connections for experiments meters, oscilloscope, AC & DC supplies

6th Sem. Communication (Comm.) System Lab EMONA board, oscilloscope

 investigate the generation and reception of AM & FM
 investigate the generation and reception of digital
modulation

6th Sem. Digital Signal Processing
 simulate the DSP concepts using MATLAB and Real-
Time laboratory implementation on DSP board
6th Sem. Power Electronics
 construct various types of converters
 simulate the designed system using modern tools
DSP Starter Kit (TMS320C6713), MATLAB
& Code Composer Studio (CCS)
DC & AC power supplies, function generator,
digital & analogue meter, oscilloscope,
resistors, capacitors, inductors, diode, IGBT,
thyristor, DC motor, MATLAB/ / PSCAD

The assessment for motor element is done by evaluating the students’ ability to perform the
experiments. The assessments vary according to courses and can be classified into [7],
i) controlled laboratory experiments (laboratory work, practical test)
ii) experimental investigations
iii) projects (problem-based or project-based learning (PBL))
Table 2 describes the courses tagged to PO5 according to the three categories of lab activities
conducted. Each lab activities contribute to the final grade marks as shown in Figure 1. Referring to
Figure 1, Electrical Machines Lab has the highest total PO5 assessments at 60%. This lab course is
highly related to the core of the BEPE program. The least PO5 assessment is DSP course at 7.5%. This
is acceptable as the course is more relevant to BEEE students, whereas BEPE students only need an
exposure to the DSP course. Four courses assessed group problem-based learning or project-based
learning. Even though the percentage of contribution of PBL assessments towards the final marks is
relatively low, it has been shown to be able to enhance students understanding, particularly in the
Power Electronics course [8].

2.3. Build skill-scale rubric for the PO

In UNITEN, a standard assessment rubric is used to assess the psychomotor domain. It is intended to
assess students’ knowledge and the ability to practically apply the knowledge. The attributes of the
technical skills described in [9] includes selection of tools/ resources, familiarity on tools, operation of
tools/ resources and integration of tools. The scale is based on the Simpson psychomotor domain from
level 1 (Perception) to level 5 (Complex Overt Response) [10].
 Table 2. Type and description of lab activities.
Type of lab
Course Characteristics Description
activities
Controlled All the supporting courses Detailed experimental The students are in exposure stage to the
laboratory except Electrical Machines procedures are given. components and equipment. A step-by-step
experiments Lab experimental procedures are necessary
Experimental Electrical Machines Lab Brief experimental The students conduct the experiments, tabulate
investigations procedures are given. the results and make the conclusions

Projects Project-based: Assignment to develop a The students are required to used available
Digital Logic Design Lab product. components available in the lab only

Problem-based: Assignment to simulate The scope of the assignment is closed-ended

Power Electronics, EE a system model. for lab courses & an open-ended for Power
Measurement Lab and Electronics
Electronics Design Lab

70
60
Percentage (%)

50
40
30
20
Group PBL
10
0 Practical tests
EE Measurement

Digital logic

Electrical Machine

Comm. System
Electronics Design

Power Electronics
Design Lab

Digital Signal

Lab work
Processing
Lab
Lab

Lab

Lab

Figure 1. Total contribution of lab activities assessments for the PO5 courses.

2.4. Evaluate the PO attainment

Detailed descriptions on how a PO attainment is measured and evaluated is given in [11] with the
improved strategy reported in [3]. The attainment is computed by using Outcome Based Education
online system (OBEos), a program developed by the university to evaluate the attainment of COs and
POs at the end of each semester. The attainment of CO and related PO addressed by the course can be
calculated based on a set performance criteria target. If the target is met, then the PO is achieved [5]:
i) At student level, a PO is considered ‘attained’ if the students obtained 40% mark and above.
ii) At course level, a PO is considered ‘attained’ if at least 70% of the students taking the course
attain the PO, i.e. getting 40% mark and above.
iii) At program level, a PO is considered ‘attained’ if at least 70% of the students taking the key
course assigned to each PO attain the PO

3. Key course for PO5: Power Electronics

The Power Electronics course is a core subject taken by BEPE students in the 3 rd Year, which is the
6th semester of their studies. It introduces different types of switching devices including diodes, BJTs
and thyristor. The course covers fundamental concepts of power electronics circuits such as AC-DC
 Power Electronics

Digital Signal Processing

Comm. System Lab

Electrical Machine Lab

Sem. 1 15/16
Electronics Design Lab Sem. 2 15/16

Digital Logic Design Lab

EE Measurement Lab

0 20 40 60 80 100
Percentage (%)

Figure 2. PO attainment for PO5 courses for Sem. 1 15/16 and Sem. 2 15/16

converters, DC-DC converters and DC-AC converters. This course is selected as the Key Course for
PO5 to evaluate the programme level attainment of PO5 [3].

3.1. Assessment methods

In general, the assessments can be divided into non-technical skills assessments and technical skills
assessments. For Power Electronics course, the non-technical skills assessments are based on Test,
Laboratory, Final examination and PBL assignment which contributes 70% of the total grade marks.
As shown in Figure 1, technical skills assessments for the course are based on laboratory work and
also PBL assignment. The laboratory work consists of written reports and lab performance, which is
the execution of experiments. The PBL assignment addressed two POs; the cognitive element and the
technical skill [8]. The technical skill assessment was based on ability to design simulation model and
generate simulation results using simulation software such as MATLAB or PSPICE.

3.2. PO5 rubric assessment guide

In order to give a more objective evaluation for scoring, detailed rubrics are developed. For Power
Electronics course, the rubric items to assess technical skills are defined as follows,
i) Selection of tools/ resources: The students are expected to know the types of equipment and
connectors required to set up the experiment from the list of equipment given.
ii) Familiarity on tools: The students are expected to be able to make connections based on the
diagram given and set controller and analog meter settings with minimal assistance.
iii) Operation of tools: The students are expected to be able to conduct the experiments to obtain
the measurements and waveform plots according to the instruction given in the lab manual.
iv) Integration of tools: The students are expected to be able to reconstruct the connections made
to measure and display signals not shown in the lab manual.

4. Results and discussions

In this section, PO5 attainment for the supporting and key courses for Semester 1 and Semester 2
2015/2016 is presented. Figure 2 shows the PO attainment results for all the eight courses tagged to
PO5 in Semesters 1 and 2, 2015/2016. All the courses achieved at least 70% and above, which means
that PO5 was attained in all semesters. The PO attainment results for the Key Course of PO5, i.e.
Power Electronics were 97.1% and 97.3%, in Semesters 1 and 2, 2015/2016 respectively.
 The PO5 attainment results quantifies the achievement of the psychomotor skills of the BEPE
students since their 1st Semester of studies until their final Semester. This shows that the psychomotor
skills are being developed successfully in the BEPE students. Based on this results, any further
improvements to the BEPE programme related to psychomotor skills would be able to be done since
the contributing content and assessments related to the PO can be tracked.

5. Conclusions
This paper has presented the method to develop psychomotor skills related to the hands-on
engineering aspect of the BEPE programme in UNITEN. This method is based upon incorporating
related POs into courses from the beginning of the studies in Semester 1, until the final Semester. The
POs attainments are measured each semester, and using the Key Course concept, the programme level
attainment of the PO can be monitored.
In this paper, the results of PO5 attainment from several courses are presented and discussed. The
results of PO attainment in the 2015/2016 academic year for Key Course of PO5, Power Electronics
which has 30% of its assessments contributing to PO5, shows more than 90% of attainment. All
supporting courses also have PO5 being attained. It can be concluded that BEPE students in UNITEN
have their engineering psychomotor skills being well-developed. With the development process
undertaken, it is anticipated that the graduates are able to contribute to the employers once they are
employed.

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