Evolution in the Education of Software Engineers: Online Course on Cyberphysical Systems with Remote Access to Robotic Devices

Janusz Zalewski, Fernando Gonzalez

International Journal of Online Engineering, Vol. 13, No. 8, pp. 133-146, 2017.

Abstract: The objective of this work is to address, from the educationa perspective, the trends in the software engineerring discipline, which rely on a significant increase in the use of remotely accessible and remotely controlled embedded devices. The paper presents an approach and experiences with introducing robotic devices accessible online to a course on Cyberphysical Systems in an undergraduate Software Engineering program. A closer look at both technologies, online labs and cyberphysical systems education, reveals that they are not in sync. Remote labs have embraced a wide variety of science and engineering disciplines, but they are not popular in software engineering. On the other hand, software engineering education, being crucial to the development of cyberphysical systems has not focused on such systems by any measure. This project and paper aim at addressing this gap.

From Embedded Systems to Cyberphysical Systems to the Internet of Things: Consequences for STEM Education

Janusz Zalewski, Dahai Guo, Robert Kenny and Xiaoxue Wang

International Journal of Computers, Vol. 11, pp. 48-53, 2017

Abstract: The paper presents experiences with student projects aiming at gradually acquiring practical command of programming skills in the areas of embedded computing systems, cyberphysical systems, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Three projects are described, one per each domain: Google glass as an example of an embedded system, networking a 3D printer as an example of a cyperhysical system, and using a smatwatch to collect medical data and make them available to doctors and patients, as an IoT device. Finally, the impact of the results of these projects on STEM education is discussed.