Work in progress: A project-based learning alternative for first year engineering students

Abstract

Some say engineers are like dogs: if you throw them a bone they will go and fetch it. This crude analogy reflects some of the strong qualities of engineers, like problem-solving (fetching the bone), but it also reflects the fact that someone else has to not only throw them the bone, but must also choose which bone to throw. Educational techniques and courses for improving initiative, curiosity, creativity, and grit in engineers are becoming increasingly important to prepare them for the dynamic working environment they will find after graduation. In this work in progress, we expose the results of a freshman course that has been organized as a project-based learning (PBL) class. It is different from the traditional PBL approach by the fact that the students are required to propose their own projects. Each team, typically four students, receives a Raspberry-Pi and/or a NodeMCU for prototyping their ideas. The goal is to propose a project with an innovative solution. First year students usually, but not always, lack the skills needed to create their own solutions from scratch. However, they can, and are encouraged to, use the vast amount of resources available on the internet and adapt them to fit their needs. The results of this experience are evaluated by surveys and contrasted with control groups taking the same course in a traditional setting. This new PBL approach encourages students to think critically and creatively while gaining experience defining and solving a real engineering project.