DIGITAL LOGIC INTRODUCED IN A GRADUAL APPROACH

We describe in this paper the best practice used at the Faculty of Engineering in Foreign Languages from the University POLITEHNICA of Bucharest for the introduction of digital logic to the students from the first year of study in the fields of Information Engineering and Applied Electronics, where the subjects are given in English and French. The particularities include the position of the subject in the first year and the wide-ranging backgrounds of the students, which come from a large number of countries. Many disciplines in the computer science curriculum, like as digital design, computer organization and architecture, embedded systems, etc... contain hardware components. The support of the course includes laboratory and homework assignments concluded sometimes with moderate projects and comprises computer simulation or/and practical prototyping. While the laboratory practical prototyping covers usually simple designs using breadboards, when one chooses the simulation as support for a given subject, several decisions should be taken regarding the simulation paradigm, environment and pedagogical methodology. The parameters that should be considered in the selection are on one side the cost and on the other side the learning curve, the insight and the satisfaction the student get in the laboratory. Taking these parameters into account, we chose a sequence of methodologies that help the students to learn digital logic and digital design in a gradual and enjoyable fashion. We start with circuits design and simulation in "Multimedia Logic", a free capture tool developed by Softronics. The next stage is the practice with "Java Breadboard", a free circuit simulator replicating the breadboard hardware development environment, created at the University of York. When the students are familiar with the breadboards and with the digital integrated circuits, they get to the hardware practice, making simple digital circuits on breadboard. Te next stage is to learn how to sold electronic components and how to make simple designs using perfboard.