The Effect of Project Constraints and Choice on First-year Microcontroller Projects

Thomas Shepard; Jeunghwan Choi; Tyler D. Holmes; Broderick William Carlin

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Conference: 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Seattle, Washington
Publication Date: June 14, 2015
Start Date: June 14, 2015
End Date: June 17, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-692-50180-1
ISSN: 2153-5965
Conference Session: First-year Programs Division Technical Session 5: Using Video, Games, and More in the First Year
Tagged Division: First-Year Programs
Page Count: 12
Page Numbers: 26.1522.1 - 26.1522.12
DOI: 10.18260/p.24860
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/24860
Download Count: 641

Tyler Holmes is an Electrical Engineering (B.S.) and Physics (B.A.) major at the University of Saint Thomas in St. Paul, Minnesota. He is originally from Eagle Lake, MN and will be graduating in May, 2016.

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Broderick William Carlin

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Abstract

The Effect of Project Constraints and Choice on First-Year Microcontroller ProjectsLiterature on self-determination theory suggests that giving students a choice can lead to manypositive effects, however too much choice can actually be detrimental. This paper discusses theeffect that the project constraint level has on student performance and perception during projectswhich require the use of microcontrollers. The projects were implemented in an introduction toengineering course that consists of both electrical and mechanical engineering students at anurban, private institution in the Midwest. This one credit course consists of a single 100 minutelecture and lab each week during a 14 week semester and details of the in-class and lab timededicated to the project are described.In this course, students were given a choice between hands-on Arduino (a microcontroller)projects which differed in the amount of freedom students had over the components used andproject objective. Three projects were offered which had a clearly defined objective andspecified exactly which sensors and actuators to use in meeting those objectives. A more open-ended project was also offered in which students could choose their sensors and actuators fromtwelve different components and develop their own project objective. Pre-project surveys were used to gage student interest level in the various projects, sensors andactuators as well as their experience with microcontrollers and programming. Students wereassigned to the project for which they rated the highest interest. Of the 133 students whoparticipated, 93% had not worked with microcontrollers before entering college. A post projectsurvey was used to assess the amount of time spent, perceived difficulty of the various projects,perceived learning and biggest challenges presented by each project. To examine how theamount of choice relates to student outcomes on a project the survey results and project grades ofstudents who chose a clearly defined project are compared to those who developed their ownproject. This paper further discusses open-ended feedback relating to the microcontrollerproject implementation, challenges and opportunities for improvement.

Citation
Format

Shepard, T., & Choi, J., & Holmes, T. D., & Carlin, B. W. (2015, June), The Effect of Project Constraints and Choice on First-year Microcontroller Projects Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.24860

TY - CPAPER
AB - The Effect of Project Constraints and Choice on First-Year Microcontroller ProjectsLiterature on self-determination theory suggests that giving students a choice can lead to manypositive effects, however too much choice can actually be detrimental. This paper discusses theeffect that the project constraint level has on student performance and perception during projectswhich require the use of microcontrollers. The projects were implemented in an introduction toengineering course that consists of both electrical and mechanical engineering students at anurban, private institution in the Midwest. This one credit course consists of a single 100 minutelecture and lab each week during a 14 week semester and details of the in-class and lab timededicated to the project are described.In this course, students were given a choice between hands-on Arduino (a microcontroller)projects which differed in the amount of freedom students had over the components used andproject objective. Three projects were offered which had a clearly defined objective andspecified exactly which sensors and actuators to use in meeting those objectives. A more open-ended project was also offered in which students could choose their sensors and actuators fromtwelve different components and develop their own project objective. Pre-project surveys were used to gage student interest level in the various projects, sensors andactuators as well as their experience with microcontrollers and programming. Students wereassigned to the project for which they rated the highest interest. Of the 133 students whoparticipated, 93% had not worked with microcontrollers before entering college. A post projectsurvey was used to assess the amount of time spent, perceived difficulty of the various projects,perceived learning and biggest challenges presented by each project. To examine how theamount of choice relates to student outcomes on a project the survey results and project grades ofstudents who chose a clearly defined project are compared to those who developed their ownproject. This paper further discusses open-ended feedback relating to the microcontrollerproject implementation, challenges and opportunities for improvement.
AU - Thomas Shepard
AU - Jeunghwan Choi
AU - Tyler D. Holmes
AU - Broderick William Carlin
CY - Seattle, Washington
DA - 2015/06/14
PB - ASEE Conferences
TI - The Effect of Project Constraints and Choice on First-year Microcontroller Projects
UR - https://peer.asee.org/24860
DO - 10.18260/p.24860
ER -