2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Enabling Remote Student Learning of IoT Technologies

Presented at COED: Online and Remote Learning

The proliferation of inexpensive communication, computing, and sensor devices continues to fuel the design and deployment of a wide variety of Internet of Things (IoT) enabled devices. Correspondingly, providing students with educational experiences that include IoT technology has become an increasingly important element of university degree programs. In order to gain practical hands on experience with IoT applications students require access to the physical devices of which these systems are constructed such as sensors, processor boards, and communication networks. This provides a holistic educational experience in which students can gain proficiency with designing, assembling, and programming IoT based applications.

As classes at many universities have transitioned back to an in-person format, some schools have elected to continue offering at least some of their courses in an online format. Online courses in which students study remotely can pose challenges for students, especially those which are lab-based that require students to have access to physical equipment in order to complete assignments. To support remote student learning, AAAA University, a Hispanic Serving Institution, has adopted a strategy that utilizes a basic IoT learning kit. Each kit consists of a basic processor board (such as a Raspberry Pi or a similar board), a variety of sensors, and the necessary equipment to connect components. Students learning remotely that are taking a course involving IoT topics are allowed to check out an IoT learning kit for the duration of the semester. Students can utilize the components of the kit to design solutions for IoT related assignments in their courses.

A series of exercises have been developed at AAAA University as part of the capstone senior design course to introduce IoT concepts to remotely located students and help them learn how to use the components of the IoT learning kits. The exercises start with the basics of connecting and reading data from sensors and progress through logging data to a website and then utilizing it to control an IoT enabled device remotely. The IoT learning kits provide the opportunity for remotely learning students to engage with hands-on learning. Thus, students gain a better understanding of IoT concepts and technologies and how they might be integrated into their capstone projects.

Authors

Dr. Lifford McLauchlan Texas A&M University, Kingsville [biography]

Dr. Lifford McLauchlan is an Associate Professor and Interim Chair in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at Texas A&M University - Kingsville, and has also worked for Raytheon, Microvision, AT&T Bell Labs, and as an ONR Distinguished Summer Faculty at SPAWAR San Diego, CA. He has over 55 publications covering areas such as adaptive and intelligent controls, robotics, an ocean wave energy converter, green technology, education, wireless sensor networks and image processing. He is a co-inventor on 3 US patents related to control systems. Dr. McLauchlan is a member of ASEE and was the 2012-2014 Chair of the Ocean and Marine Engineering Division. He is also a member of IEEE (senior member), SPIE, Eta Kappa Nu, ACES and Tau Beta Pi, and has served on the IEEE Corpus Christi Section Board in various capacities such as Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and Membership Development Officer. Dr. McLauchlan has received the Dean’s Distinguished Service Award twice and the Dean’s Outstanding Teaching Award once for the College of Engineering at Texas A&M University-Kingsville.
Dr. David Hicks Texas A&M University, Kingsville [biography]

David Hicks is an Associate Professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Before joining TAMU-K he served as Associate Professor and Department Head at Aalborg University in Esbjerg, Denmark. He has also held positions in research labs in the U.S. as well as Europe, and spent time as a researcher in the software industry.
Dr. Mehrube Mehrubeoglu http://orcid.org/https://0000-0002-5927-8408 Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi [biography]

Dr. Mehrubeoglu received her B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. She earned an M.S. degree in Bioengineering and Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from Texas A&M University. She is currently an associate professor in the School of Engineering and Computing Sciences at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She is interested in multidisciplinary research in imaging applications using a variety of imaging modalities, including thermal imaging, hyperspectral imaging, and other digital imaging that engage targeted sensors, spatial and spectral data processing, pattern recognition and classification. She has a special interest in energy generation and real-world applications, as well as pedagogical methods in teaching and learning.
Hemanth Kumar Reddy Bhimavarapu Texas A&M University, Kingsville [biography]

Hemanth Kumar Reddy is pursuing master’s in computer science as well as working on campus as a Graduate Research Assistant in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at Texas A&M University-Kingsville. Before that he did his Bachelor's in Electronics and Communication Engineering at KL University-Andhra Pradesh, India. He is actively working on developing IOT applications and doing research on U3810A IOT Educational Kit.

Download paper (1.4 MB)

Are you a researcher? Would you like to cite this paper? Visit the ASEE document repository at peer.asee.org for more tools and easy citations.

» Download paper

« View session