Enhancing Electrical Troubleshooting Skills in a Computer‐Coached Practice Environment

This article describes a project that resulted in the development and testing of a computer‐coached practice environment for enhancing electrical troubleshooting skills. Students were presented with problem scenarios which they tried to solve by collecting and interpreting information, developing a graphical problem space, and selecting procedures to test potential faults. During the problem solving activity, students were coached to think and perform like experts. Student actions were compared to expert actions, and feedback and guidance were provided as needed. A quasi‐experimental field study of the troubleshooting tutor involved 32 university students enrolled in a second level aircraft electrical systems course. The experimental group (N= 18) used the Technical Troubleshooting Tutor in addition to the regular laboratory activities completed by both groups. At the end of the semester, all the students