Teaching Dc-Dc Switch-Mode Converter Design to Undergraduates in Power Electronics Education

This paper presents an outline of an integrated- lecture-laboratory lesson for undergraduates in power electronics. In a new university structure, where the number of hours per course is being reduced, productivity of learning must increase, in order to avoid a decrease in the quality of education. As a consequence, teachers should make every effort to present their subjects in the most interesting and appealing way possible, so as to accelerate the learning process. The example proposed consists in a typical subject for power electronic courses: DC-DC switch-mode converters. Theoretical concepts are presented in a lecture suitable for the level of the students. Since the objective is to obtain rapid and easy learning, attract the students’ attention and stimulate their interests, the lecture integrates extensive use of laboratory activities. The case of designing a multifunctional converter is briefly described, as an example of laboratory work