Facilitating Theoretical and Experimental Internet of Things Learning in Higher Education Using a Novel Flexible-Web Platform

Abstract

Given the rapid growth of emerging new ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) and their penetration both in the industry and in the home, there is a need for greater familiarization of people with these new technologies. To cover this technological gap, a flexible web platform was developed as a support tool for learning IoT (Internet of Things) by integrating embedded hardware and IoT platforms in the cloud to complement, in a practical way, the teaching of this technology at different levels of the higher education. The platform called SimpleIoT has three levels of complexity: basic, intermediate and advanced, which allows students without prior knowledge of ICT to advanced students in the area to take advantage of the resources it has. Instructors who teach subjects related to IoT can use it as a useful tool to better conceptualize the teaching of this technology. In this sense, SimpleIoT was used as a support tool in an elective course called "Discovering the IoT and its applications"offered to one hundred second-year students of non-ICT-related careers at Tecnologico de Monterrey. The results show that more than 90% of the students see the platform as a useful tool in learning IoT and, in addition, they believe that the information offered by the tool is relevant and can be used at some point in their careers.