Student Misconceptions in an Introductory Logic Design Course

In order to improve student learning, instructors should identify concepts that are difficult for students to understand. Instructors can then change course material or teaching methods to focus on these difficult concepts. Researchers can develop assessment tools based on common student misconceptions to measure the effects of pedagogical changes. This paper describes the results of interviews with students who took an introductory logic design course in the Spring or Summer of 2005 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. These interviews revealed many common misconceptions students have after completing a sophomore-level course on logic design. This paper also describes the results of an assessment test based on the interviews and administered to students taking an introduction to logic design course at the end of the Fall semester of 2005 at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.