Abstract
This paper relates a capstone design project conceived through an engineering problem-based learning approach. The project is applied to critical embedded systems and the Scrum Agile method is used. The focus of the paper is on the pedagogical experience, so the Intended Learning Outcomes and pedagogical sequence over one semester are presented. Two platforms (the Parrot AR.Drone 2 and a toy car) were used for the project. Pros and cons of such platforms are debated. Tools like Git for the version control and iceScrum for the Agile management are presented. The different roles of teachers as clients, counselors, and evaluators are detailed. This paper shows that an interdisciplinary teaching team is very important in this kind of project, so is the teachers’ engagement in the Agile philosophy. Feedback, analyses and some suggested improvements are given, based on our 5 years’ experience in such projects and surveys.
Highlights
IntroductionA specific feature of these courses is that they can be accessed by students who majored in different fields, which enables them to build out original profiles at the crossroads between several disciplines
Our Institute is an international, pluridisciplinary, state-funded engineering university which provides a range of 8 engineering specializations
The Software Critical Embedded Systems course is for 5th year students who majored either in Automatic Control and Electronics, or Computer Science and Network Engineering
Summary
A specific feature of these courses is that they can be accessed by students who majored in different fields, which enables them to build out original profiles at the crossroads between several disciplines. The Software Critical Embedded Systems course is for 5th year students who majored either in Automatic Control and Electronics, or Computer Science and Network Engineering. The development of critical embedded systems is known to be a strongly interdisciplinary domain where the students need to mobilize technical skills in electronics, control, software development, communication buses, interfacing analogic and digital systems, safety, hardware and software test,... We note that our students develop all theses skills through a multidisciplinary approach, whereby they "draw on knowledge from different disciplines but stay within their boundaries," as opposed to an "interdisciplinary [approach which] analyzes, synthesizes and harmonizes links between disciplines into a coordinated and coherent whole"[7]
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