# WIP: Exploring the Value of a Debugging Cheat Sheet and Mini Lecture in Improving Undergraduate Debugging Skills and Mindset

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.11339 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.11339/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 12 Jun 2025.

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Chat Debugging: An Exploratory Study of Human-AI Collaboration to Debug Analog Circuits](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2608.02955/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

This work-in-progress research paper explores the efficacy of a small-scale microelectronics debugging education intervention utilizing quasi-experimental design in an introductory microelectronics course for third-year electrical and computer engineering (ECE) students. In the first semester of research, the experimental group attended a debugging "mini lecture" covering two common sources of circuit error and received a debugging cheat sheet with recommendations for testing and hypothesis formation. Across three debugging problems, students in the experimental group were faster by an average of 1:43 and had a 7 percent higher success rate than the control group. Both groups demonstrated a strong general growth mindset while the experimental group also displayed a shift in their debugging mindset by perceiving a greater value towards debugging. Though these differences are not yet statistically significant, the pilot results indicate that a mini-lecture and debugging cheat sheet are steps in the right direction toward improving students' readiness for debugging in the workplace.