2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Although undergraduate computing coursework covers the curriculum and most basic and advanced concepts, there still exists a big gap between what is learned in the class and its application in solving different real-life problems. Additionally, traditional teacher-centered instruction may not attract students well, and may further lead to low retention rates. Innovative pedagogies are highly demanded to enhance computing-related teaching and learning efficiencies. Based on these observations, the objectives of this study are to create a project-based maker concept instruction that will help bridge the gap between classroom studies and real-life problem-solving techniques and to cultivate a maker culture that will help form students’ learning-by-doing habits and enhance their life-long learning skills. This will help the students understand and apply their computer science knowledge in solving real-life problems and prepare them better for their future technical careers.

Learning-by-doing / maker concepts are introduced and delivered in lower-level computing courses. Student-chosen real-application-based project assignments are designed and assigned for students to solve real-life problems. Courses like Computer Science I and Computer Organization are chosen to implement this innovative instruction. Students choose their real-application-based projects and work in teams. Their projects must relate highly to the knowledge introduced in the class. For example, in Computer Organization class, students are required to design a simple computer. Students need to design their computer’s instruction set architecture, its data path, and its final implementation. In the process, students actively practice their lifelong learning skills by studying more rigorously on details about computer architecture and organization. This learning-by-doing process significantly enhances students’ understanding of the concepts learned in class. It dramatically helps students in understanding the course concepts. To further stimulate students’ learning interests, a mini maker faire is organized at the end of the semester for each course to show off students’ projects. Students communicate with and learn from their peers in a maker faire environment. Such a learning environment makes them more confident about what they learned and how they can benefit society. Students’ survey shows that this innovative pedagogy greatly helps our students and meets our expectations.