Retention of students in early electronics courses is a problem acknowledged worldwide. It is a particular problem in universities, such as the University of Waikato, that have a common first-year programme because students can change streams (e.g. from electrical to mechanical) at the end of the first year. It is commonly believed that the major reason for the low level of student retention is practical engagement—mechanical engineers can see and get their hands on boats, cars, propellers, cogwheels and so forth from the start, while electronics is too small to see and handle, and its workings are alien to most school leavers.