Supporting the Decision-Making Process of High-school Students in Choosing their University Track. A Raspberry Pi Case Study

Technical higher education, especially in the electrical field has become particularly appealing in recent years due to the incresed employment opportunities currently available on the Romanian labour market. This has contributed to an increased number of highschool students opting to pursue a university degree in electrical field. Yet, increasing drop-out figures in recent years show students find it difficult to finalise their studies in this field. One cause for this situation could be related to the structure of university studies which imply a time span of four years starting with a basis for the theoretical knowledge then followed by the practical skills development. First year students therefore often find themselves not understanding how exactly the theoretical knowledge will be put into practice. This then leads to them becoming dissengaged with the subjects proposed. The article aims to analyse whether the Raspberry Pi can be used as a means for explaining high-school students what it means to pursue a degree in the electrical field of a technical university. More clear explanations regarding the university studies structure and finality could support high-school students in their decision-making process for selecting an undergraduate track, as well as heping them develop realistic expectations in terms of what they will be able to do at the end of their studies. This would, in turn, support higher retention rates of students during the first years of studies. A simple device, the Rasberry Pi, was used to illustrate how the theoretical and the practical knowledge are combined throughout the four years of studies in order to equip graduates with the knowledge and skills required to perform as electrical specialists on the labour market. Using only basic programming skills, the device allows users to immediately see the applicability of their knowledge. Three projects which can be conducted using the Raspberry Pi were presented . The projects can be used to help high-school students understand how the theoretical and practical knowledge are combined, why the theoretical knowledge of the first two years is important, what is the difference between the various tracks in the electrical field, as well as give students an idea of the knwoledge and skills they will possess at the end of their studies. The paper is particularly relevant in the current context of increased drop-out rates among first year students in electrical higher education, while also being of interest to the admissions office as a means of effectively presenting higher education studies in the electrical field to high-school students and supporting their decision-making process when choosing their undergraduate specialty.