International Journal of Computer Science Trends and Technology (IJCST) – Volume 12 Issue 5, Sep - Oct 2024

RESEARCH ARTICLE OPEN ACCESS

Comparative Analysis of Electronics Circuit Simulation software

(EDA tools) for E-learning and Assessment
Chirag B. Panchal [1], Dr. Chetan B. Bhatt [2]
[1]
Instrumentation and Control, Gujarat Technological University, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
[2]
Principal, Government MCA college, Ahmedabad, Gujarat.

ABSTRACT
Assessment is one of the important processes in teaching-learning. Student’s performance in formative assessment decides the
feedback and successive learning experience to be provided, while summative assessment decides the student’s learning on
course completion. The assessment tools to be used in a course depend on the nature of the course and course outcomes. Course
outcomes statements are prepared in the context of Bloom’s Taxonomy. The quality of assessment influences the student’s
learning. Nowadays, a higher student-to-faculty ratio impacts the quality of assessment. Online learning management systems
and assessment tools can effectively address the concern in quality teaching – learning, and assessment.
The course on analog electronics is a basic course offered in many electrical allied engineering programs. This course requires
analog electronics circuit analysis and design. Circuit simulation tools are widely used in teaching and learning electronic
circuits. However, the use of simulation tools in assessment is not widely in practice. This paper presents a survey of various
electronic circuit simulation tools and a comparative analysis of their features for their suitability for analog circuit simulation
and integration with online learning platforms.
Keywords — E-learning, online teaching, Assessment, electronics circuit simulation, bloom’s taxonomy, online learning
management system, EDA tools.

Many Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) platforms

I. INTRODUCTION are also available. In Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs),
Nowadays, a higher student-to-faculty ratio (SFR) is the assessing complex and open-ended student assignments
main concern in the delivery of quality education. The remains challenging [7]. To address this burden, automated
imbalance between a large number of students and a limited tools like formative e-assessments in virtual learning
number of faculty members can indeed create problems in environments can help assess students effectively and provide
teaching [1] and quality of assessment. The interaction feedback, reducing the workload on facilitators [8]. These
between the mass of students and fewer teachers can tools streamline the assessment process and contribute to
significantly affect assessment and student outcomes. maintaining the sustainability of Massive Online Courses by
Assessing large populations of students poses a significant improving learners' performance [9].
burden on teaching staff capacity, especially when strict A student’s learning can be further improved if one-on-one
deadlines for feedback exist [2]. Imbalances in student-to- teaching experience is provided based on his skills and
faculty ratios can indeed lead to poor assessment practices in knowledge [10]. To provide such a learning experience, many
education. Additionally, the current educational system often projects have been developed, such as a Web-based Intelligent
fails to address the personal needs of individual students, Tutoring System for the Course on Control System Design
leading to feelings of alienation and discontent [3]. Research [11].
suggests that assessment plays a crucial role in student This next section presents a review of various online
learning [4], with frequent testing positively impacting student learning platforms, followed by a review of adaptive e-
engagement and performance [5]. Furthermore, students' learning platforms such as Online Intelligent Tutoring
perceptions of assessment tasks and the classroom assessment Systems. Section III presents the specific requirements of
practices of teachers can significantly impact students' high-order thinking skills related to design problems and its
academic self-efficacy beliefs [6]. assessment for the course on Analog Circuit Design.
Online assessment can play a vital role in quality teaching- Electronic Design Automation (EDA) tools are widely used in
learning and assessment. Nowadays, many Learning the design and simulation of electronic circuits. Section IV
Management Systems (LMSs) are available which support presents the survey of various EDA tools and their capabilities
various assessment tools and methods. However, online for integration with online learning systems.
automated assessments of higher-order thinking skills are still
a challenge. Particularly in engineering courses where design
problems demand certain domain-specific drawings and II. ONLINE LEARNING PLATFORM
diagrams. In such cases, designing assessment tools and Online learning refers to instruction delivered electronically
evaluations is more challenging. through various multimedia and Internet platforms. Online
learning is one of the most important means of learning in all

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International Journal of Computer Science Trends and Technology (IJCST) – Volume 12 Issue 5, Sep - Oct 2024
areas and levels of education and training. An online learning system can be accessed universally through any platform.
platform is specialized software, sometimes referred to as a Blackboard [17], WebCT [18], Moodle [19] etc., are different
virtual learning environment or the Course Management types of LMS. They all have many features that are easy to
System (CMS) [12]. This software should be capable of use and can be extended with even more functionality.
providing facilities for both the development and the delivery Through web interfaces, they provide support for a wide
of e-learning services. Furthermore, online learning platforms collection of activities, including forums, assignments, and
break through time and space limitations, connecting students quizzes, and effective strategies for class management, such as
and teachers effectively, enriching the learning experience, grade books or student annotations. MOODLE is an open-
and enhancing teaching efficiency. source LMS. There are third-party modules and plugins
In the last few available so that you can add special functionality that is not
decades, attempts have part of the standard core code. In all the above LMSs
been made to develop mentioned, the assessment of higher-order thinking skills
adaptive online learning remains the challenge.
platforms that offer
personalized one-to-one III. ITS AND COURSE ASSESSMENT
teaching and learning. Intelligent tutoring systems (ITS) have revolutionized
These types of course assessment by providing personalized and adaptive
platforms provide very learning paths based on continuous feedback and assessment
effective learning [11] [20]. These systems aim to model the domain being taught
[13]. Online platforms and the student's mastery level, offering a more efficient and
Figure-1 Education Process offering personalized effective learning experience. By combining ITS with
learning experiences technologies like Markov decision processes (MDP) and
have significantly benefited one-to-one learning scenarios. query equivalence solvers, educational platforms like ViSQL
Teaching-learning-evaluation (figure-1) is a crucial process have emerged, offering comprehensive teaching, tutoring, and
in education that involves assessing learning goals, providing assessment functionalities within a single system [21] . Such
feedback for improvement, and ensuring accountability. systems not only guide students efficiently towards higher
Educators must be competent to conduct effective evaluations, intelligence levels but also enable the evaluation of learner
considering cognitive and non-cognitive aspects. Proper performance parameters in real-time, enhancing the overall
evaluation enhances teaching quality, motivates students, and learning experience and assessment process [22].
determines the success of the learning process. Evaluation Bhatt C. B. and Rao N. J. [10] have developed an
helps educators understand student progress, the effectiveness Intelligent Tutoring System for the course on Control System
of teaching methods, and the overall quality of education, Design. It is a web-based tool that provides individualized
highlighting the importance of continuous assessment for support to learners. An intelligent tutoring system should test
educational enhancement [14]. Most Institutions use Learning the student’s skill and knowledge in a given learning context,
Management Systems (LMS) platforms to facilitate online as defined by a set of learning objectives, and guide him
learning [15]. These systems organize content, assignments, through appropriate learning experiences. The system defines
and assessments. Assessment is pivotal in Learning the learning objectives using Bloom’s Taxonomy and
Management Systems (LMS), contributing to effective Categories of Engineering Knowledge. The learning resources
learning experiences. in the system are stored along with the metadata prepared in
The CMS is usually a distributed online system connected the context of Bloom ’s-Vincenti Taxonomy proposed by the
to the Internet through the e-Learning web portal. Throughout authors [13]. It captures the present state of the student’s
history, some educational institutions have started the process knowledge, which is then used to guide him. The tutoring
of creating of enterprise open-source applications such as module consists of ontology about the facts of the instruction
course management systems and electronic bulletin (e-bulletin) material and a rule base based on the categories of engineering
boards. These are some of the initiatives taken by higher knowledge (Vincenti) and cognitive skills (Bloom’s
institutions to move away from proprietary software towards Taxonomy). The proposed way of knowledge representation
open source. These platforms are normally located on a supports scalability and reusability [10]. The authors have
computer on the Internet and are typically accessed using a recommended pursuing further research in design assessment
Web browser. Many educational organizations already have tools on automated assessment of higher-ordered thinking
the infrastructure to support online tests and have also started skills in engineering courses, where a solution to design
experimenting with such tools in their teaching and learning problems involves mathematical equations, computer
activities. Many online tools support managing online programs, and various types of diagrams.
assessments [16].
Various noteworthy systems have been developed to IV. ANALOG CIRCUIT DESIGN COURSE
address the problems of automatic evaluation of question
All the electrical allied engineering programs offer a course
papers or assignments. The automatic evaluation systems
on Analog Circuit Design. In real life, most physical variables
being developed nowadays have a web interface so that the
we observe and measure are continuous in amplitude and time.

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International Journal of Computer Science Trends and Technology (IJCST) – Volume 12 Issue 5, Sep - Oct 2024
These variables are converted to electrical signals, which are place these components in the design area and connect them
called analog electrical signals. Analog Circuits are used to through wires in the schematic diagram. Each EDA tool has
perform various processes on analog electrical signals. The its file format to store the graphical schematic diagram. This
content of an analog circuit course typically includes file is called a netlist file. It contains the element type, an
fundamental transistor circuit analysis, operational amplifiers element's specification, and connectivity information between
and their various circuit configurations, and a circuit's time elements. A schematic file is processed by the netlist compiler
response and frequency response. to create a netlist file. The next step is verification of the
Electronic circuit simulation is crucial in evaluating various design through simulation, which is the software equivalent of
aspects of electronic circuits. Studies have shown that hardware prototyping.
utilizing computerized simulation with electronic circuits SPICE (Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit
positively impacts students' motivation, achievement, and Emphasis) simulation circuit follows language that describes
cognitive load [23]. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the shift device models and circuit data in text format and is called a
to online learning necessitated the use of simulators to support netlist.
virtual practicum activities related to basic electrical circuits The most widely used simulation tools in electronics and
[24]. electrical engineering are QUCS, Circuit Maker, and LT Spice.
Traditionally, electronic circuits were modeled and These software packages are essential components that help
simulated using special-purpose electronic circuit simulators. simulate and analyze electronic circuits before hardware
Although several such simulation tools have been made implementation.
available over the years, the one tool that is used widely is the A brief feature discussion about the three widely used tools
“Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis is given next, followed by a comparison of the important
(SPICE).” It is widely used in open-source and commercial features useful in online platforms.
Electronic Design Simulation and Design Automation tools
[25]. It was first released in 1972 by the University of QUCS
California at Berkeley, followed by many further versions and QUCS (Quite Universal Circuit Simulator) [27] is an
add-on features. SPICE model has become a de facto standard educational software program. It helps us to generate
in EDA tools. schematic diagrams and check their performance. It has a
Graphical User Interface (GUI) based on Qt® by Trolltech. A
V. ELECTRONIC DESIGN AUTOMATION (EDA) TOOLS Qucsator simulation engine is used to simulate circuit designs
EDA tools are widely used in teaching and learning. Using in QUCS. It has a wide range of component libraries, which
EDA tools, students can actively engage in circuit design, include lumped components, sources, probes, transmission
receive automatic feedback, and improve their understanding lines, nonlinear components, digital components, simulations,
of circuit components and connectivity. Reflection through file components, diagrams, and paintings.
SPICE simulation encourages self-regulatory behaviors and It supports circuit simulation types, such as DC analysis,
helps students recognize errors and strategize for future AC analysis, S-parameter, Harmonic Balance analysis, S-
improvement. Overall, evaluation using circuit simulation parameter noise, AC noise, transient analysis, etc. SPICE
tools not only boosts motivation and achievement but also netlists can be read and simulated by QUCS using the
reduces the cognitive load on students, making it a valuable conversion program ‘Qucsconv’. It uses FreeHDL and Icarus
tool for skill identification and development in electronics Verilog for VHDL and Verilog digital simulation.
technology. Simulation data can be presented in various diagrams,
Though EDA tools can be effectively used in continuous including Smith-Chart, Cartesian, Tabular, Polar, Smith-Polar
evaluation and improvement of student skills, their use in combination, 3D-Cartesian, Locus Curve, Timing Diagram,
student performance assessment is very rare. Even its use is and Truth Table. It takes a netlist, checks it for errors,
mostly limited to offline teaching and learning. Nowadays, performs the required simulation actions, and produces a
many EDA tools are available which can be used online. This dataset. Many of the basic circuit components and simulation
section evaluates different EDA software programs based on domains found in SPICE are also available in QUCS [28].
their features useful for online teaching, learning, and
assessment. Circuit Maker
Circuit Maker [29] is a Microcode Engineering proprietary
Open-source EDA tools have emerged as valuable product protected by Copyright Law. Circuit Maker is a
alternatives for research and academic purposes due to their simulation program that, in most cases, produces results very
cost-effectiveness and transparency. Projects like OpenROAD, similar to a real-life circuit. Circuit Maker allows the
OpenLane, and the development of open-source EDA minimization of the breadboarding required to produce a
technologies are gaining traction [26]. functional circuit. However, it should not be used as a
EDA tools have different types of components like lumped replacement for proper breadboarding. Using Circuit Maker's
components (resistors, capacitors, transformers, etc.), digital advanced schematic capabilities, one can design electronic
components (gates, flip-flops, multiplexer, de-multiplexer, circuits and output netlists for TraxMaker and other PCB
etc.), sources (current source, voltage source, etc.), etc. Users design tools, and auto routers. It also enables the performance

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International Journal of Computer Science Trends and Technology (IJCST) – Volume 12 Issue 5, Sep - Oct 2024
of fast and accurate simulations of digital, analog, and mixed Spice Netlist No (QUCS Yes Yes
analog/digital circuits using Circuit Maker's Berkeley Format Netlist Format)
SPICE/XSpice-based simulator. Is online No- Offline No- Offline No- Offline
version Version 0.0.19 Version Version
available 2.2.1 24.0.12
LT Spice
Can be Yes No No
It is free simulation software which Linear Technology
integrated
provides [30]. LTspice is also called SwitcherCAD by its with LMS?
manufacturer since they use it primarily to design Switch
Mode Power Supplies (SMPS). A nice feature in LTspice is VI. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORKS
that several models may be added to any symbol. This means
that there does not have to be a symbolic view for every Over the last three decades the SPICE simulation circuit
model included in the library. This makes it very easy to add netlist language has become a standard for describing,
new device models to the component library and adjust model interchanging and publishing semiconductor device models
parameters if needed. The file structure for LTspice is very and circuit data. Therefore, EDA tool which follows SPICE
simple, which makes it easy to add any components to its model-based simulation, have wide range of basic components,
library structure. All libraries are simple ASCII files, and the allows to perform various required analysis to be carried out
user only has to open the respective file in any editor and cut in a course, and also open source is the best option to be used
and paste the corresponding component of the spice model in teaching-learning and assessment.
into this file. When this has been done, the new model should Qucs and SPICE differ significantly in circuit file netlist
appear when the user tries to pick a new component again. formats, which are very different. Qucs cannot directly
simulate standard SPICE circuit netlists but requires them to
Comparison of EDA Software be converted to their Qucs equivalent prior to simulation [27].
The table-I presents a comparison of QUCS, CircuitMaker, Circuit Maker is user-friendly software. It works on spice
and LTspice. The comparison is based on the library of model. It is not an open-source tool and it can be difficult to
components, open-source or proprietary tools, types of circuit integrate with LMS.
analysis that can be done, and the workings of the simulation LT spice is also user-friendly software. Its format is quite
engine. It also presents the comparison of the ability of the similar to SPICE netlist file. Its netlist file format is quite
tools to be integrated into the online platform. simple and understandable. This is an important feature. But it
does not allow digital simulation and it is free but not an open
TABLE I source so it cannot be useful for further integration in LMS.
COMPARISON OF EDA SOFTWARES
As discussed above the three software are not suitable to
Parameter QUCS (Quite Circuit LT Spice integrate in LMS. It is necessary to develop one such tool for
Universal Maker electronics circuit simulation which can be integrated with
Circuit LMS and also used for assessment purpose.
Simulator)
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