2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Board 388: Student Engagement - IoT-Based Learning Materials and Projects

Presented at NSF Grantees Poster Session

Even with a return to in-person learning by many institutions since the COVID-19 pandemic, many educational institutions continue to offer a plethora of online learning opportunities for students. Student experience with hardware-based applications and projects though can be somewhat limited for engineering and computer science courses not offered in in-person educational settings. Problem-based learning exercises enable students to learn skills for analyzing or solving problems and processes in STEM applications and projects.

We describe ongoing activities at two Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) for the development of engaged learning exercises and associated materials for two different IoT-based kits, one centered around a Raspberry Pi with associated sensors and actuators and a second commercial-off-the-shelf kit developed around a BeagleBone Green microcontroller with connected sensors and communication components. The Internet of Things (IoT)-based kits have been utilized to facilitate practical hardware experiences for remote student learning.

In this research we are currently concentrating on two research questions: Can transfer of learning be successfully achieved in remote hands-on engaged student learning (ESL) scenarios? and How well do online tutorials contribute to hands-on ESL, when coupled with physical hardware accessible at home? Preliminary assessment demonstrates that students benefit from the access to IoT-based course materials and many students incorporate IoT-based aspects into their senior design capstone projects.

Authors

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

Dr. Lifford McLauchlan is an Associate Professor 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 [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. After working in industry developing algorithms for machine vision systems, she returned to academia. She is currently a professor and program coordinator at the Department of Engineering at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Her research interests span applications of imaging modalities (hyperspectral, thermal, color) in engineering and science applications. She has been engaged in effective teaching and learning pedagogies, and is a proponent of engaged student learning through hands-on experiences. Her most recent work involves effective learning pedagogies using PBL in IoT applications.
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. After working in industry developing algorithms for machine vision systems, she returned to academia. She is currently a professor and program coordinator at the Department of Engineering at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. Her research interests span applications of imaging modalities (hyperspectral, thermal, color) in engineering and science applications. She has been engaged in effective teaching and learning pedagogies, and is a proponent of engaged student learning through hands-on experiences. Her most recent work involves effective learning pedagogies using PBL in IoT applications.
Dr. Adetoun Yeaman http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7063-9836 Northeastern University [biography]

Adetoun Yeaman is an Assistant Teaching Professor in the First Year Engineering Program at Northeastern University. Her research interests include empathy, design education, ethics education and community engagement in engineering. She currently teaches Cornerstone of Engineering, a first-year two-semester course series that integrates computer programming, computer aided design, ethics and the engineering design process within a project based learning environment. She was previously an engineering education postdoctoral fellow at Wake Forest University supporting curriculum development around ethics/character education.

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