This paper presents the use of the Proteus environment for the study of Arduino-driven sensor circuits, designed to support electronics student education. A simulation model of sensor circuit has been developed, including a PIR Motion Sensor, a Flame Sensor and a Humidity and Temperature Sensor SHT15 controlled by the Arduino Uno microcontroller. Also a display of liquid crystal, buzzer and LEDs on the board are included. The simulation model allows for the study, setup and diagnosis of the hardware, the software, CPU, and peripherals. Depending on the level of the students, different possibilities of the simulation model can be used. After the simulation, it is possible to transfer the graphics program to real Arduino board hardware for further measurement and analysis.

This study employs a two-part research design to explore the impact of ChatGPT on programming education for engineering undergraduates. Study 1 involved 56 third-year students who completed a questionnaire examining the frequency and purposes of ChatGPT use in text-based programming. While no statistically significant association was found between ChatGPT usage frequency and final grades, high-achieving students tended to use the tool less frequently, whereas lower-performing students relied on it more for support. Study 2 employed a counterbalanced repeated-measures design with nine first-year students divided into two groups, who developed desktop applications with and without ChatGPT. Project assessments and focus-group interviews were used to examine the effects of ChatGPT on creativity, confidence, effectiveness, and teamwork in visual programming. The results indicate that ChatGPT use was associated with reduced task completion time and increased coding efficiency; however, it was also linked to decreased creativity, greater reliance on ready-made solutions, and diminished code readability and collaborative engagement. These results highlight the need for teaching strategies that balance AI integration in programming education. The study recommends incorporating tasks based on the Reverse Bloom’s Taxonomy and activities that allow students to work with and without ChatGPT to encourage critical reflection and responsible AI use.

The paper presents an open source code-based module designed to help undergraduate students on higher education engineering programmes to learn about analogue-to-digital conversion (ADC). The developed Successive Approximation ADC (SAR ADC) was implemented with integrated circuits DAC 7821 and TL 082 CP and Arduino Mega 2560.The proposed strategy for researching and teaching ACDs provides new opportunities for knowledge organization and new ways of learning aimed at achieving better quality of learning outcomes in engineering education. The results of the experimental studies are shown and discussed.

This article presents the Arduino-based hardware platform for the realization of a smart home by students trained in the engineering specialties of the Plovdiv University “Paisii Hilendarski”. Using the Arduino environment to implement a home automation system is an excellent choice for electronics training of students. Arduino environment based on Wiring, turns it into a multi-platform application that manages LCD displays and various types of sensors for the design and implementation of a “Smart home”.