Introducing raspberry Pi and its peripherals to a mechatronics course under COVID-19 Disruption

Abstract

A more capable Raspberry Pi ecology replaced the Arduino kits in an elective mechatronics course for mechanical engineering students. The paper proposed an instructional design that allowed mechatronics projects to advanced into cyber-physical systems. The in-class lectures were provided at minimal; students were encouraged to learn from the user community. The experiential learning was provided by exercises using kits with compatible peripheral devices as well as student-initiated projects. Written exams were used to assess the theory while the exercises and projects confirmed the same contents experientially. The proposed instruction design mitigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic during the second half of the course. A remotely-operated rig was developed with Raspberry Pi for the hands-on exercises. The projects were completed at home. The written exam was conducted online with a newly developed exam room feature in the Courseville LMS with open-ended questions that were designed to test the basic competency and advanced understanding. The resilience of the proposed instructional design overcame challenges from the pandemic with the newly developed tools on the Raspberry Pi platform; students were able to master knowledge, and skills satisfactorily.