Skip to Main Content
 

Global Search Box

 
 
 
 

Files

File List


29087.pdf (4.52 MB)

ETD Abstract Container

Abstract Header

The Role of Arduino for Increasing Performance and Interest in Programming for First-Year Engineering Students

Pradhan, Praakrit
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7771-4616
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin15118679493748

Abstract Details

2017, MS, University of Cincinnati, Engineering and Applied Science: Computer Science.
Engineers rely on computers for their work. In engineering curricula, programming is typically required. Students tend to question the viability of programming in their prospective field and are reluctant to learning programming for the first time. At the University of Cincinnati (UC), external data acquisition tools, such as National Instruments Data Acquisition (NI myDAQ), have been used to try and help students learn programming, as the theory of programming can be a difficult experience for the students. MATLAB is taught in a required sequence of courses at UC to all first-year engineering students, entitled Engineering Models I and Engineering Models II, and the NI myDAQs are used to in conjunction with MATLAB. One of the major problems using hardware tools like the NI myDAQ is the difficulty in implementing them for teaching purposes. When teaching first-year engineering students, the use of a tool that is easy to implement is very important. Implementation of a tool is the way the tool can be manipulated or programmed to be able to let the students focus on the topic at hand. Arduino is a universally compatible, cheap hardware tool. This study shows its viability as a tool for improving performance in programming for first-year engineering students. Using an Arduino can make learning programming courses more interesting. Arduino as a tool helps with visual stimulation for learning programming. It can be used to make circuits, which can be controlled by the programs made by students. The ability to control simple LEDs gives visual stimulus to the students. Not only is Arduino relatively inexpensive (under thirty dollars), it can be used with all computer operating systems. This study aims to design and implement introductory programming learning modules and evaluate these modules taught to engineering students. This study designs learning modules which enhance the learning experience. The module covers programming of a simple circuit and making a working thermostat. This study uses the Arduino Uno board as the hardware data acquisition tool. The effectiveness of the board is assessed by comparing two sections of the Engineering Models I course: in one the teacher only uses lecture materials and a coding-focused lab activity with no hardware tool implementation; in the other the labs were enhanced using the Arduino Uno board. The students in both courses were given surveys and short quizzes to answer. Both the quizzes and surveys were given both before and after the lab to allow for an experimental design with a pre- and post-test. This paper evaluates the role the Arduino system plays in increasing the interest and performance of these students in the programming concepts they were taught. This paper offers a conclusion that by making use of Arduino boards, student performance increases by as much as 5 percent.
Carla Purdy, Ph.D. (Committee Chair)
Gregory Bucks, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
Karen Davis, Ph.D. (Committee Member)
72 p.
Engineering
Arduino; Engineering Education; Programming; First-Year Engineering Students; MATLAB

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Pradhan, P. (2017). The Role of Arduino for Increasing Performance and Interest in Programming for First-Year Engineering Students [Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin15118679493748

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Pradhan, Praakrit. The Role of Arduino for Increasing Performance and Interest in Programming for First-Year Engineering Students. 2017. University of Cincinnati, Master's thesis. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin15118679493748.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Pradhan, Praakrit. "The Role of Arduino for Increasing Performance and Interest in Programming for First-Year Engineering Students." Master's thesis, University of Cincinnati, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin15118679493748

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

ucin15118679493748
413
© 2017, some rights reserved.Creative Commons License The Role of Arduino for Increasing Performance and Interest in Programming for First-Year Engineering Students by Praakrit Pradhan is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Based on a work at etd.ohiolink.edu.
This open access ETD is published by University of Cincinnati and OhioLINK.