2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Resource Exchange: The Basics of Computer Hardware for Middle School Students

Presented at Instructional Showcase

Computer Engineering (CpE) is highly in demand for various jobs. This project, designed for middle school students, teaches CpE topics in a cost-effective and hands-on way to contribute to the job pipeline. Schools unable to afford expensive computers, this project offers an affordable and unique solution to teach programming and hardware to middle schoolers. This solution consists of a controller built from a Raspberry Pi Pico or four buttons. We would provide the students with the necessary components, and they would learn to make (including soldering) their computer. The button inputs are interrupted as keystrokes, which opens up endless possibilities for implementing the buttons in various programming projects. This handout will contain all the information needed to successfully use this in the classroom, including a parts list, links to 3D printing files, example programs, background on the hardware, and a lesson plan.

Authors

Dr. Stephany Coffman-Wolph Ohio Northern University [biography]

Dr. Stephany Coffman-Wolph is an Assistant Professor at Ohio Northern University in the Department of Electrical, Computer Engineering, and Computer Science (ECCS). Previously, she worked at The University of Texas at Austin and West Virginia University Institute of Technology (WVU Tech). She is actively involved in community outreach with a goal of increasing the number of women in STEM and creating effective methods for introducing young children to CS concepts and topics. Dr. Coffman-Wolph’s research interests include: Artificial Intelligence, Fuzzy Logic, Software Engineering, STEM Education, and Diversity and Inclusion within STEM.
Dr. Ahmed Ammar http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5907-7043 Ohio Northern University [biography]

Ahmed Ammar received the B.Sc. degree in electrical engineering from Sirte University, Libya, in 2005, and the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in electrical engineering from West Virginia University, USA, in 2012 and 2019, respectively. In 2019, he joined Ohio Nor
Henry Timothy Debord Ohio Northern University

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