Developing system-thinking oriented learning modules of networked measurement systems for undergraduate engineering curriculum

Abstract

This paper describes the design of a set of system-thinking oriented learning modules of network measurement systems for data acquisition and instrumentation courses. The courseware was designed based entirely on open source components: including commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) Wireless Sensor Nodes (WSN) and open source TinyOS-based software. The objective of the module is to introduce students to system-thinking oriented design of networked measurement systems, while taking into consideration the differences and details at component, system, and networking levels. The pedagogical model harnesses a wide range of wirelessly networked hardware/software co-design skills in engineering and technology (E&T) education to address a need for such skills in 21st century instrumentation and measurement workforces. The six project-based learning modules with twenty-two hands-on experiments were developed for the networked measurement systems cover topics including how to select a sensor, fundamentals in analog and digital systems, and fundamentals of networking and data logging. Students learn about the system-oriented design procedures, configuration and programming of wirelessly networked sensor nodes, visualization and analysis of monitoring data from any individual sensor on the node, as well as the state of the node. After completing these modules, students will be able to design, develop, and implement a networked measurement system to solve real world problems. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2013.