A Case Study Of Thinking Out Of The Box In Electrical Engineering

TEM Journal. Volume 10, Issue 3, Pages 1257‐1262, ISSN 2217‐8309, DOI: 10.18421/TEM103-32, August 2021.
TEM Journal – Volume 10 / Number 3 / 2021. 1257
A Case Study of Thinking out of the
Box in Electrical Engineering
Lia Elena Aciu 1
, Petre Lucian Ogrutan 2
1
Transilvania University of Brasov, Department of electrical engineering and applyied physics,
9 Eroilor Bvd, Brasov, Romania
2
Transilvania University of Brasov, Department of electronics and computers,
9 Eroilor Bvd, Brasov, Romania
Abstract – The current context of rapid evolution of
IT technologies and devices (Information Technology)
imposes changes in engineering education. Education
for the development of creativity becomes a
requirement. This paper presents a new concept for the
development of creativity by introducing an optional
homework for Applied Electronics students, the final
year of undergraduate studies. The homework requires
electronic design of an application in the field of art of
each student's diploma project. The paper presents the
results of this initiative and the analysis of students'
feedback. A statistical pilot study was organized that
highlighted students' opinions about creativity as well
as students' reasons for doing or not doing the optional
homework.
Keywords – Engineering education, Creativity, Art,
Lateral thinking.
1. Introduction
Creativity has a major contribution to the
development of current technology. The 21st century
is marked by an unprecedented technological
evolution and university education has to keep up
with this evolution "While it is true that
DOI: 10.18421/TEM103-32
https://doi.org/10.18421/TEM103-32
Corresponding author: Lia Elena Aciu,
Transilvania University of Brașov, Electrical engineering
and applied physics Dpt.
Email: lia_aciu@unitbv.ro
Received: 30 Jun 2021.
Revised: 19 July 2021.
Accepted: 29 July 2021.
Published: 27 August 2021.
© 2021 Lia Elena Aciu & Petre Lucian
Ogrutan; published by UIKTEN. This work is licensed
under the Creative Commons Attribution‐
NonCommercial‐NoDerivs 4.0 License.
The article is published with Open Access at
www.temjournal.com
certain basics of engineering will not change, there
will be an increased premium for some skills (such as
lifelong learning, meta-learning, collaboration,
creativity, critical thinking, communication skills,
and cultural/global literacy)" [1].
Creativity is considered a way to achieve a higher
standard of living and engineering education has to
develop creativity. An analysis of the definitions of
creativity is presented in [2]. This paper classifies
and compares the definitions of creativity in
dictionaries, starting with the 1950s, and the diversity
of these definitions is noted. The best known
definition is given by Runco and Jaeger [3], a
definition explained and elaborated in several papers.
According to the initial definition "Creativity
requires both originality and effectiveness". In [4] the
authors examine in detail the term "effectiveness" in
the definition, which applies perfectly if creativity
brings financial benefits but is difficult to generalize.
The authors quote clarification proposals for
"effectiveness" using "adaptation to reality",
"valuable" or "acceptable".
The development of creativity can be trained
through Lateral thinking or Thinking out of box. The
notion of Thinking out of box was introduced by
Edward de Bono [5]. The connection with creativity
is given in the statement "Lateral thinking is closely
related to creativity". Nevertheless, whereas
creativity is too often only the description of a result,
lateral thinking is the description of a process,
Bono’s definition states "It is as definite a way of
using the mind as logical thinking but a very
different way." The concept is nuanced in [6]
"Lateral thinking involves deliberate mental efforts
to change more automatic or habitual responses that
have been shaped through perceptual frameworks." A
paper in the field of philosophy [7] analyzes the
connection between creativity and Lateral thinking.
In connection with creativity but also with
understanding reality, it is necessary to develop
Critical Thinking in students. In [8] are presented the
results obtained by students in the critical analysis of
some texts. The results are worrying, "many students

TEM Journal. Volume 10, Issue 3, Pages 1257‐1262, ISSN 2217‐8309, DOI: 10.18421/TEM103‐32, August 2021.
1258 TEM Journal – Volume 10 / Number 3 / 2021.
do not possess basic thinking skills" and "many
students lack the ability to keep separate their own
views, the author's views, and the external data."
In this context, at the Faculty of Electrical
Engineering and Computer Science in Brașov,
Romania, methods have been constantly sought to
develop students' creativity. One of the reference
works addressing this subject with a focus on the
difficulties of moving from imitation to creativity is
[9].
In order to develop the creativity of Applied
Electronics students and to train them the way of
Thinking out of box, it was proposed to create
homework in which they had to design an application
of each diploma project in the field of art.
There is a wide variety of diploma project fields,
software, hardware, image processing, embedded
devices, etc. Thus it is not easy for engineering
students to imagine an application of their project in
the field of art, a field about which they know very
little. Such an application can only be imagined by
using Thinking out of box and Critical Thinking and
only after searching for information in the field of
art. In order to stimulate the students to do this
project, a bonus of maximum one point was provided
in the evaluation at the end of the semester. In order
to analyze the effectiveness of this initiative, a pilot
study was conducted in which students completed a
questionnaire and had the opportunity to
communicate their personal opinions.
2. The Connection Between the Fields of Art and
Engineering
The technological progress of the last years has
determined the spread in the field of art of computer-
based systems and peripheral equipment. Suffice it to
mention is the smartphone and 3D printers. A paper
that justifies the interdependence between art and the
use of technology [10] shows in an example that
there can no longer be music without the help of
electronic devices, but also mentions that excessive
use of technology can affect the essence of art.
Current achievements adopted in museums and
virtual exhibitions accelerated by the Sars-Cov2
pandemic make full use of technology, based on
high-performance computing systems and advanced
algorithms. In [11] the authors present some best
practices in the field of virtual reality applied to visits
in museums and virtual exhibitions. An original
achievement is described in [12], the transformation
of a poem into visual images by 3D printing of
various shapes inspired by the sounds generated
when reciting the poem.
In terms of art education, the book [13] examines
the challenges that have arisen today. A chapter is
dedicated to one of the challenges, digitization and
computer-based technologies. Paper [14] presents the
results of a study that analyzes the attitude of 305
students who are preparing to become teachers in art
education. The study shows a favorable attitude
towards the digital skills needed by art students. The
paper [15] analyzes the possibility of integrating art
in STEM education (Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics) "to improve
creativity, critical thinking, reasoning skills, aesthetic
sensibilities and appreciation." The multidisciplinary
nature of STEM by introducing the study of art can
provide the necessary qualities for 21st century
researchers. The authors' initiative was applied to
three courses by introducing small projects,
laboratory works and multidisciplinary simulations
[15].
Artists with advanced digital skills use the open-
source Processing library and Integrated
Development Environment (IDE) to support the
creation of works of art [16]. The authors present the
bidirectional relationship between artists and
computer specialists. Thus, it is proposed that for
Computer Science students, in addition to
programming, the introduction of an Animation and
Multimedia course for the development of artistic
skills [17]. Paper [18] analyzes the digital knowledge
of art students and finds worrying shortcomings.
The students from Applied Electronics at the
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computer
Science, Transilvania University of Brasov had little
to do with art. Some of them took part time jobs
during their studies in areas related to art, others had
various passions. Thus, some of the diploma projects
aimed at creating devices or software programs
related to art.
One of the projects consisted of a system of
mirrors using a laser beam for writing texts on a fog
screen at concerts; another project was an image of a
piano keyboard projected on the floor that could be
played while stepping on the keys. Most of the
projects were in the field of music, for example the
actuation of a motorized drum that controls the
timing and the force of the strike (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Drum strike actuation

Another project presents a harp with virtual strings
consisting of LED-phototransistor pairs (Figure 2),
then an electronic music synthesizer. In the field of
image analysis, a project was developed to restore
old paintings in Romania, affected in the course of
time.
Figure 2. Virtual string harp
3. Educational Research
In the academic year 2020-2021, an experiment
was proposed that aimed to identify students'
opinions about thinking processes and their ability to
use engineering knowledge in a different field, such
as art. The experiment was conducted with a group of
students from Applied Electronics in Interfacing and
Peripheral Equipment. The students were assigned in
the 2nd semester of the 4th study year (duration 10
weeks) an optional homework in which to develop, at
a theoretical level, an application of their diploma
project in the field of art. The homework was not
simple, the students had to study various fields of art
and identify in which field and how their project can
be applied. The most interesting achievements of the
students with the homework "My diploma project
and art" were:
1. A diploma project on the subject of indoor
environment monitoring (temperature, humidity,
flammable gases, etc.) has been adapted for the
monitoring of a museum room;
2. A project that performs lighting control to ensure
constant illumination regardless of ambient light
has been adapted to provide the illumination of a
painting.
3. Object recognition using artificial intelligence
algorithms has been adapted for the recognition
of works of art in order to analyze the flow of
visitors in museums;
4. A machine learning application that runs on the
mobile phone, able to recognize paintings, to
provide user information about the author and the
temporal context of the historical period in which
a painting was achieved;
5. A very uncommon way to combine art and
engineering was illustrated by the project of a
student who found no better connection with art
than to paint the project wiring diagram on
Easter eggs using old Romanian traditional
methods.
To obtain a small-scale preliminary result of the
effectiveness of introducing such an optional
homework in all specializations, a pilot study was
conducted with a group of students from Applied
Electronics. A questionnaire (Table 1) was designed
that included 30 items measured on a five point
Likert scale, with 15 questions for those who did the
homework and 15 for those who did not. The study
was attended by 39 students, of which 14 students
completed the questionnaire. The homework was
completed by 12 students. The questions were similar
to those in [9].
Table 1. Questionnaire for the students who complete the
project
Questionnaire for the students
who complete the project
A M SD
1.
I set out to do the homework the
moment I was aware of its
existence.
3.80 4.00 1.50
2.
I think the homework was
helpful in developing creativity
4.00* 4.00 1.09
3.
I think that the lack of time was
a factor that affected the quality
of solving the homework
3.40 4.00 1.37
4.
I think that what I learned
during the 4 years of study
helped me to do the homework
3.00 3.00 1.09
5.
After completing the
homework, I consider that it
was very complex and difficult
1.80* 1.50 0.81
6.
I think the extra bonus point for
the homework was important.
3.40 4.00 1.50
7.
I would have chosen to do the
homework even if it had not
been rewarded.
3.20 3.50 1.47
8.
I think the homework was
related to the need for creativity
on the labor market.
4.00* 5.00 1.60
9.
I was able to better understand
creativity after doing the
homework.
3.00 3.00 1.26
10.
I think I will use the way of
thinking that I have learned on
doing this homework in the
future
3.20 3.50 1.36
11.
I think solving the homework
was too much of a waste of
resources
1.40* 1.00 0.51
12.
I think I learned new things
from solving this homework
3.60 3.50 0.81
13.
The time allotted for solving the
homework was justified by the
bonus point received
4.60* 5.00 0.51
14. The issue of the connection
between electronics and art is
worth raising
3.60 4.00 1.50
15.
I enjoyed solving the homework
because I managed to complete
it
4.80* 5.00 0.40

The questionnaire was completed by 14 students,
of which 6 did the homework and 8 did not. Each
question was scored in Table 1 Average (A), Median
(M) and Standard Deviation (SD). The answers
were marked using an asterisk (*) with value A
greater than or equal to 4 and those with value A less
than or equal to 2, which will be discussed. To these
questions the students had answers that show a high
degree of similar opinions.
Table 2. Questionnaire for the students who did not
complete the project
Questionnaire for the
students who did not
complete the project
A M SD
16.
Lack of time prevented me
from solving the homework. 4.50* 5.00 1.06
17.
I consider that I did not have
the necessary knowledge to
solve the homework
1.88* 2.00 0.83
18.
I don't think the extra bonus
point for the homework was
important
2.38 2.00 1.59
19.
I think that the development of
creativity has nothing to do
with what is really happening
in the labor market.
1.88* 2.00 0.83
20.
I think I can understand
creativity and I'm creative even
if I haven't solved the
homework.
4.50* 5.00 0.75
21.
I think that solving the
homework would have meant
too much waste of resources
apart from time
2.13 2.00 0.83
22.
I was not informed of the
possibility of doing the
homework
1.50* 1.00 1.06
23.
The extra bonus point that is
added to the grade is too small 1.63* 1.50 0.74
24.
I'm not interested in art
applications 2.38 2.00 0.91
25.
I don't need bonus points
because I don't study for grades 3.63 3.50 1.06
26.
I didn't do the homework
because I don't see its
usefulness in developing
creativity
1.63 1.00 1.06
27.
I didn't do the homework
because it was too complex 2.75 2.50 1.48
28.
Solving the homework would
have required learning too
many new things in the field of
art
3.13 3.00 1.45
29.
have required learning too
much software
2.13 2.00 1.24
30.
have entailed learning too
much hardware
2.38 2.00 1.40
The students who did the homework consider that
it contributed to the development of creativity
(question 2, A = 4.00) and that the homework was
related to the need for creativity in the labor market
(question 8, A = 4.00), while students who did not
solve it consider that they can be creative even if they
have not solved the homework (question 20, A =
4.50). The students who did the homework
considered that the completion of the project brought
them satisfaction (question 15, A = 4.80), did not
mean too much consumption of resources (question
11, A = 1.40) and the time needed to solve the
homework was compensated by the bonus point
received (question 13, A = 4.60). Students who did
not solve the homework consider (Table 2) the lack
of time (question 16, A = 4.50) as a cause, and do not
consider as causes the lack of knowledge (question
17, A = 1.88), the fact that they were not informed
(question 22, A = 1.50), or that the bonus is too small
(question 23, A = 1.63). Also, the students who did
not do the homework, as well as those who did,
consider that the development of creativity is related
to the labor market (question 19, A = 1.88).
A more detailed analysis of the students' answers
was made considering the main objectives pursued
with this homework and presented in the paper, i.e.
the students' opinions about creativity and the
reasons invoked by those who did not do the
homework.
The answers of the students who did the
homework to questions 2, Table 1 (I think the
homework was useful to develop creativity) and 8 (I
think the homework was related to the need for
creativity in the labor market are represented in
Figure 3).
Figure 3. Answers of the students who did the homework
to questions 2 (in red) and 8 (in blue)
Five out of six students who did the homework and
completed the questionnaire consider the homework
to be useful and very useful for the development of
creativity (average 4) and for the necessary
preparation for the labor market (average 4). One
student finds them of very little use. This last opinion
could be explained due to the student's contact with
jobs which use employees as simple executants.

The answers of the students who did not do the
homework to questions 19 (I think that the
development of creativity has nothing to do with
what is really happening in the labor market) and 26
(I did not do the homework because I do not see its
usefulness in developing creativity) are represented
in Figure 4. In order to be able to compare with the
answers in Figure 3 the scores were reversed because
questions 19 and 26 contain a negation.
Figure 4. Answers of the students who did not do the
homework to questions 19 (in blue) and 26 (in red)
All students who didn't do the homework as well
as those who did with one exception consider that it
is important for the development of creativity
(average 3.37). The connection of creativity with the
labor market is considered less important in contrast
with the opinion of the students who did the
homework (average 3.12). In conclusion, even if they
did not do the homework, there is unanimous
recognition of the importance of creativity.
The main causes invoked by the students who did
not do the homework as they result from the
questionnaires are given in Figure 5.
Figure 5. The main causes invoked by students who did
not do the homework
The answers to question 16 (Lack of time
prevented me from solving the homework) are
marked in blue and also the main cause is considered.
In red are the answers to question 17 (I consider that
I did not have the necessary knowledge to solve the
homework), in green are the answers to question 22
(I was not informed of the possibility of doing the
homework), in which only one student largely
considers that he was not informed. The answers to
question 23 are marked in yellow (the bonus added to
the grade is too small). The main cause identified in
the questionnaires is lack of time (average 4.5), the
next cause is lack of knowledge (average 1.88), then
too little bonus (average 1.63) and then lack of
information (average 1.5). Study [9] also indicates
lack of time as a cause for not solving the homework.
With regard to these causes one can envisage
attempts to help students to allocate more time by
managing and standardizing tasks during the study
period before the final year.
A selection of some of the opinions of the students
who did the homework is given below: "If this
homework did not exist, I would not have discovered
so many important aspects and the connection
between electronics and art"; "The homework created
a different perspective for me as a student and I
enjoyed the research work for this homework"; "I
learned that in any field we can discover close and
pleasant connections with art and the environment";
"Electrical engineering, as well as other branches of
engineering has a close connection with art"; "I
enjoyed the challenge to think differently. I think the
bonus was welcome and this homework did not
require much effort. I enjoyed discovering a new way
of thinking and applicability in art of a theoretical,
technological work"; "If two fields differ it does not
mean that a connection cannot be made between
them"; "Thinking creatively is beneficial in any
field"; "Art and engineering are not as different as I
thought at first."
An analysis of the quality level of solving the
homework (average grades 8.16) compared to the
average grades obtained by the student group in
Interfacing and Peripheral Equipment (7.26) shows
that not only the best students did the homework. The
correlation between the students' grades for the
homework and the previously mentioned course was
also analyzed and a weak positive correlation
resulted (Pearson correlation of +0.23).
An analysis of the situation of students (with or
without a job) shows that out of the total number of
respondents 8 have a job and 6 do not have a job, and
of those who did the homework 4 have a job and 2 do
not, which shows that there is no significant
connection between solving the homework and the
fact that students have a job, which affects their time
spent on education.
4. Conclusions
The experiment of encouraging "Thinking out of
box" by creating a homework that would make a
connection between the diploma project and the field
of art produced interesting results. Only 12 students
did this homework, i.e. 30.77%, a lower percentage
than expected, when considering the extra point
granted at the assessment. The questionnaire

designed to identify students' motivation was
completed by 14 students that is 35.89%. The
opinions of the students who did the homework were
positive, they appreciated the importance of Thinking
out of box and the knowledge about art acquired. The
students who did the homework consider that it had a
major contribution to the development of creativity
(average 4.00) and that the homework was related to
the need for creativity in the labor market (average
4.00). The bonus point awarded was considered
important but to some extent (average 3.20), the
students would have done the homework even if
there was no bonus.
The most important cause invoked by the students
who did not do the homework was lack of time,
which is credible. The solutions found by the
students for the homework had a high degree of
originality. As the diploma projects had different
topics, collaboration between students to find
common solutions was impossible. The average
degree of similarities reported by Turnitin for the
homework was 4.66, and the work with the highest
degree of similarities had 16%. The values of
similarities were below those expected for a work
that contained part of a description of a field of art.
The data obtained through this pilot study have a
limited degree of relevance because the sample of
students surveyed was small. However, the results of
the study encourage the extension of the initiative to
a larger number of students. Generalizing the
completion of a homework that involves Thinking
out of box would be welcomed in the current context
of technological developments and employer
requirements. The authors of this initiative do not
expect visible results from a large number of
students; rather they hope to provide a useful training
for some students. Through discussions between
teachers and students, other homework can be
imagined to develop students' creativity. The idea of
homework for students to establish a connection with
the field of art emerged from the passion of some
students for art, which materialized in the
achievement of outstanding diploma projects.
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