Embedded systems: teaching and design challenges for nonhomogeneous classes

Abstract

The growth of technology leads the industry to move beyond and crosses the boundaries of its own disciplines. The changes from pure mechanical system, to electronics systems and the integration with control software brings new challenges to the engineers working in the industry and to the source shaped the engineers. As a result, institutes of higher education need to make the necessary changes to meet this continuing market demands. This work address the issue and describes a new systematic and an effective approach for teaching hardware based courses for large non-homogenous (Computer Science and Electronics students) class setting using existing e-learning system in the university to promote powerful, long-lasting learning outcomes. It is a blend of several approaches with an insightful goal to provoke deeper understanding in various topics in microprocessors and microcontrollers details, intended to teach the computer science students to learn low-level hardware interfacing, interrupt handling, and other microprocessors issues, as well as embedded systems through learning microcontrollers. Our methodology revolute around three steps: using visual simulators, incrementally weighted exercises, from easiest to hardest, and finally working on real hardware controllers. The proposed approaches developed for the course “Embedded Controller Technology”, but any other hardware based course can apply them. The approach comprises a 3-hour a week lecture and 2-hour a week laboratory, both taught in the 3rd semester. Imposing the approach leads to the overall improvement of the course quality: student satisfaction and interest, increased number of completed hardware projects and significant improvement in grade distribution and it has been observed that students feel better prepared to face the challenges to be found in their future professional activities.