2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

All incoming students at the University of Louisville’s J.B. Speed School of Engineering, regardless of their engineering major, are required to take a two-course introduction to engineering sequence. The first course of the sequence is ENGR 110: Engineering Methods, Tools, & Practice I. ENGR 110 covers fundamental engineering skills: engineering graphics, introduction to programming (Python), spreadsheets, critical thinking, etc. The second course is ENGR 111: Engineering Methods, Tools, & Practice II. ENGR 111 applies and expands the skills and knowledge learned in ENGR 110 to a hands-on semester-long Cornerstone project. ENGR 111 uses a 15,000 square feet makerspace and has the students work in teams of 3-4. The ENGR 111 project incorporates many different engineering skills, and the project varies by semester that it is taught. Projects used in the past are a Windmill System introducing power generation, a Water Filtration System based on a partnership with the Metropolitan Sewer District, and the most recent project added to the course was based on a robot.

This paper focuses on the robot project which centers on an autonomous robot controlled by an Arduino microcontroller that could drive around a course and sense various aspects of its surroundings. After students were taught the basics of both circuitry and Arduino programming, they were given instructional modules to interact with and practice using this robot. Student teams gained experience with the basic movements of the robot and using various sensors (line-following, ultrasonic distance, and IR proximity) to detect objects and roadways that could be useful for navigation. Ultimately, the students completed a final Cornerstone Project that involved the robot following a road to a security gate that would only open for a RFID tag with the correct access. Students programmed their robot to drive the RFID tag to a scanner, detect if the gate opened or not, and then drive through the gateway if it opened.

At the end of the semester, students were asked to complete a survey regarding their interest in engineering with respect to this new cornerstone project as well as interest based on different skills (programming, circuitry, etc.) used in ENGR 111. The survey included multiple Likert-scale questions, including one particular question that asked, “How much did the opportunity to work with a robot for this semester’s cornerstone experience impact your interest in the ENGR 111 course?” The Likert-scale was: Not at all, Somewhat, Slightly, Very, and Extremely. Previous research shows a relationship between student interest and persistence [1][2][3]. The summer semester allows the authors to pilot possible new cornerstone project to a smaller cohort of students, while being aware of improvements and necessary adjustments before using the cornerstone project in the larger semester. Thus, the purpose of this paper was to assess students’ interest in the course due to the new Cornerstone project. Results could inform instructors of student perceptions across engineering disciplines and provide directions for course improvements.