Teaching Plan for Relays: From Introduction to Repair
How can students move from learning what a relay does to actually diagnosing a relay-related fault? This teaching plan shows how teachers may guide learners through this journey by combining Electude resources into a complete lesson sequence on automotive relays.
It begins with a realistic workshop complaint, introduces the electrical principles behind relay operation, and gradually moves towards measurement, fault-finding, and repair.
The relay teaching plan follows the four stages of the Electude Learning Cycle: Introduction, Discovery, Experimentation, and Hands-on. The result is a flexible roadmap that connects technical knowledge with the skills required in the workshop.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction to relays
The teacher can introduce relays to students with a presentation or by letting them explore introductory modules on their own. This is the first step of the Electude Learning Cycle, in which students get acquainted with the topic.
Presenting relays with a real-world example
An interesting way to start the lesson is to present a real story or case from the workshop through a short video or a presentation. This way, the students understand why they are learning the content.
Relay: A real-world example
Consider the following workshop situation:
A customer reports that their vehicle stopped after the engine overheated. When you start the engine, you notice that the check engine light does not go off. This is a clear indication of a problem in the vehicle’s engine management system.
To investigate further, you connect the diagnostic tester, and the error code P0480 appears on the screen: Cooling Fan Control circuit.
The fault code provides a starting point, but a good diagnosis and repair also require a comprehensive understanding of the technology in question. In this case, the technician must understand how the cooling fan control circuit operates, the relay’s functionality, and its interaction with the entire system.
This scenario gives students a clear objective: to gain the knowledge required for accurate diagnosis and effective repair.
2. Discovering the relay
After being presented with a real-world example, the learners can explore a lesson module to get better acquainted with relays.
During the Discovery stage, students can go through a module independently and understand the topic with Electude’s interactive, gamified learning content.
Relay lesson module
The Relay module (number 45), explains the exact function of the relay and its integration into the vehicle through highly interactive content and tasks, as well as gamified learning.
Students learn through simple explanations, interactive content, images, and questions. They complete the module at their own pace, while teachers can monitor their progress and offer support when necessary.
Teachers can also use Electude’s presentation tool and e-books to review important concepts or discuss them with the class.
Relay quiz
Once students have completed the learning module, assign the Relay quiz (number 2557).
The quiz results provide a useful indication of how well students understood the topic. Teachers can use these results for assessment or to identify concepts that should be revisited before continuing to the next steps of the learning cycle.
Relay operated actuators
Relays are used to switch various large current actuators within a vehicle.
An example of these actuators are:
• Starter motor
• Fuel pump
• High beam
You can present additional information about these actuators at this point if it fits your lesson plan.
Differentiated Instruction
Each learning module and quiz in Electude is available in up to three different levels:
- Basics
- Advanced
- Specialist
This allows you to tailor the learning content to your students’ strengths.
3. Experimenting with relays: linking theory to practice
After introduction and discovery, students move into the Experimentation stage, where they combine theory and practice. Electude supports this stage with experimentation modules, virtual labs, Connect training aids, and the Electude Engine Management Simulator.
Connect training aids
The Electude Connect training aids bridge the gap between theory and practice by providing real automotive components that students can safely use to experiment. With the combined use of courseware and hardware, the acquired knowledge is transferred to hands-on tasks.
With the Electude Connect – Electrical Fundamentals trainer, the behaviour of a relay is examined through measurements. The students integrate a relay into a circuit and observe the working of the relay.
The Connect – Electrical Fundamentals Trainer: Relays module (number 9327) guides the transition from introduction and discovery to experimentation, reinforcing knowledge, helping students practice, and allowing them to experiment safely.
With the Connect – Circuit Diagnosis training equipment and the Connect – Basic Diagnose Circuit 3: Guided fault finding module (number 9531), students will practice using the multimeter in the experimentation phase.
During this process, they will also examine how the relay interacts within a system and diagnose possible relay-related faults.
Handling measuring instruments
Each student should work with a measuring device as often as possible, since practice time is limited during workshop training. Ideally, they should use their own multimeter to become thoroughly familiar with its functions.
The following topics should be covered beforehand:
- Ohm’s Law
- Using the multimeter
- Resistance measurements
- Series and parallel circuits
All practical measurement tasks in Electude begin with a few questions to assess the required prior knowledge.
Electude Engine Management Simulator
The engine simulator also supports the experimentation phase by enabling students to troubleshoot engine management systems and practice their diagnosis and repair skills.
In module 1000025249, the cooling fan relay is faulty, causing the overheated engine, just as described in the introduction.
Students must decide how to approach the diagnosis, which measurements to perform, and how to interpret the available information. This encourages them to follow a logical diagnostic process rather than simply guessing what is wrong.
Teachers can review every step taken in the simulator, including the measurements selected and the sequence in which they were performed. This provides insight into the learner’s diagnostic strategy, not only their final answer.
4. Hands-on
The Hands-on stage brings the learning journey into the workshop. Students now apply their knowledge of coils, relays, circuits, measurements, and diagnostic procedures to a real vehicle or training vehicle.
For the final assignment, recreate the cooling fan fault from the original customer scenario. Students can inspect the vehicle, confirm the complaint, analyse the circuit, perform the necessary measurements, identify the problem, and complete the repair.
In this example, the Connect – Electric Training Vehicle is used in combination with the Connect – Electric vehicle: Fault 21 module (number 8092).
By completing each stage of the Electude Learning Cycle, students progress from understanding the basic principles of coils and relays to diagnosing and repairing a relay-related fault on a real vehicle.
This relay teaching plan can also serve as a template for other automotive topics. Teachers can combine Electude’s content and resources to create a structured learning journey that takes students from introduction to workshop hands-on practice.
Explore our Teaching Plan for Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor to see how you can use Electude to teach about NTC resistors, sensors, and the coolant temperature sensor.
