My name is lei zhang. I am a doctoral candidate in the Department of Curriculum, Instruction, & Media Technology at Indiana State University. My concentration is Industrial Technology Education. I have a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and a Master’s degree in Electronics and Computer Technology from Indiana State University. After received the master’s degree, I went back to China and worked as an instructor in Liaocheng University in China for about one year and lectured in several courses: Electronic Fundamentals, Microcontroller Fundamentals & Programming (MATLAB), Introduction Technical Graphics CAD, Introduction to Digital Logic & Computer Design, Computer Application & Maintenance, Circuit Analysis   Calculus, and FPGA Programming (VHDL). My lively and interesting teaching method was praised by many teachers and students. Several of my colleagues even adopted my class activities in their teaching. And then I came back to ISU to pursue my PhD degree. Now I am also taking courses in department of computer science for another master’s degree.

I am very interested in teaching and the electronic technology field. My research is to investigate what should the instructors do to help the vocational school graduates meet the requirements of the society. Vocational school in China is similar with community college in the US. It is a fact that what students learned in school does not help them much when they are at work. Many of them do not possess the abilities required by the work place. For example, they do not have strong problem solving skills and are not able to perform a task independently. This is a very important problem that needs to be resolved. I will continue working on this topic.

Research Interests

1. Microcontroller Hardware and Software

2. Programmable Logic Controller Programming

3. D.C./A.C. Circuit Analysis

4. Inquiry-based Learning for Electronic and Engineering Courses

5. Distance and Online Learning for Electronic and Engineering Courses

6. Mobile Technology for Teaching and Learning in Electronic and Engineering Courses