Table 2 Microskills and learning outcomes

Ability to understand current flow

Understand the circular path of electrons around a circuit

Understand the difference between an open circuit and a closed circuit

Ability to understand polarity

Learn to connect components in which current flows in one direction

Learn to read polarized components, e.g., the positive (longer) leg of an LED needs to be connected to the positive terminal of the battery. Other components with polarity: capacitors, batteries, power supplies, transistors, voltage regulators

Ability to understand resistance

Understand the opposition of a component to the flow of electric current

Learn that electricity always follows the path of least resistance to ground (beware of short circuit)

Ability to understand connections

Understand the connections between one component and another, with emphasis on the terminal ends of conductivity

Learn that every component must be well connected to power the circuit (e.g., battery, bulb, and wires)

Ability to recognize components

Learn to recognize 3–5 components and their functionality from memory

Learn to read the shape and terminals of each component

Ability to understand breadboard logic

Learn to understand the governing principles of breadboard connections and parts of the breadboard

Understand how components may be inserted into the breadboard and how to connect them to each other

Ability to understand series circuits

Learn to connect components in series, in which the current only follows one path

Understand that series components are connected to follow a single path, without being separated by any branches (e.g., a string of LEDs)

Ability to understand parallel circuits

Learn to connect components in parallel, in which the current is divided into two or more paths before recombining to close the circuit loop. The voltage across every component in the circuit is similar

Understand that for two components to be connected in parallel, both ends of each component (e.g., LEDs) must be connected together

Ability to read specs sheet

Learn to read the tables or descriptions that explain the terminals and connections of each component

Understand the diagrams which will be overlaid on the component (e.g. do not use an input only terminal from a component if you require an output)

Ability to read resistor color code

Learn to read resistor values from left to right towards the golden band

Consult the color value chart to learn the resistor values from the first two colors, the multiplier from the third, and the tolerance from the fourth (golden)