Project Workshops with Low-Cost Hardware Platforms – an experience report

Abstract

The experience gained from several years of using Arduino and Raspberry Pi—affordable platforms for the Internet of Things—in teaching content and creating artifacts related to Computer Organization and Architecture, Operating Systems, and Computer Networks is presented as a case study in education. This initiative primarily aims to encourage and increase the participation of high school students. The project initially started with the offering of introductory courses on these two platforms. Eventually, a residential monitoring system application was developed, which sparked interest and still serves as a platform for student experiments. Currently, Maker Workshops are offered, where students can propose projects or engage in ongoing ones. To participate in the workshops, students must complete Raspberry Pi training, a series of six introductory mini-courses. This work also describes the first projects completed by the students.