Practical sessions are a cornerstone of effective learning in subjects that involve electronics, especially in engineering programs where theoretical knowledge must be reinforced through hands-on experience. This paper presents a teaching innovation carried out in the subject Electronic Technology, part of the Mechanical Engineering undergraduate curriculum, aimed at improving student performance and engagement in laboratory sessions. The innovation consists of systematically integrating Autodesk Tinkercad, a web-based platform for circuit design and simulation, at the beginning of each practical session involving physical assembly on breadboards.

The proposed methodology introduces a short simulation phase in which students replicate the schematic corresponding to the day’s practice using Tinkercad. This simulation step allows them to visualize circuit behavior, test connections, and correct basic errors before interacting with physical components. Once the simulated circuit behaves as expected, students transition to implementing the same design on a real protoboard using electronic components. This change significantly alters the learning dynamics of the practice sessions: instead of starting from scratch and immediately confronting potentially frustrating wiring issues, students work from a known functional baseline, which encourages iterative learning, error diagnosis, and circuit analysis.

This approach was implemented during the academic years 2023–2024 and 2024–2025, replacing the previous model in which students began directly with hardware assembly. Comparative observations reveal a notable improvement in the practical outcomes of students. Specifically, there has been a reduction in the number of initial errors, fewer cases of students becoming stuck early in the session, and an increased ability to complete and analyze the proposed circuits within the allocated lab time. Additionally, students reported feeling more confident and better prepared to approach the hardware component of the practice after having experimented with the virtual circuit.

The results of this teaching innovation suggest that embedding digital simulation environments such as Tinkercad at key stages in the practical learning process can substantially improve both performance and confidence in students with little prior exposure to electronics. While the experience described is specific to a Mechanical Engineering context, the proposed methodology is broadly applicable to other STEM disciplines that include practical components involving electronic or programmable systems. Future work will explore the inclusion of collaborative dynamics in the simulation phase and the potential integration of automatic evaluation tools, further enriching the learning experience and supporting continued pedagogical innovation.

Keywords: Tinkercad, Circuit simulation, Electronics, Breadboard prototyping, Engineering education.