A PBL-Based Methodology for IoT Teaching

The Internet of Things has dramatically expanded its scope of applications in the last few years, reaching all areas of human activities, from biology to technology to social sciences. In the same way, IoT applications are becoming a driving force in the economy, playing a central role in many businesses. This scenario presents challenges in the teaching and designing of IoT applications due to its inherent multidisciplinary nature, with areas of knowledge ranging from electrical and computing engineering to those related to the target application to the business itself. In this article, we present a teaching methodology that relies on the project-based learning approach and makes use of a six-layer IoT Open Reference Model that covers all aspects of an IoT solution, from sensors to the end-user interface. The proposed methodology focuses on a complete understanding of the business behind the application and on the end-user needs. Following a top-down approach, from the business to the devices required to collect the necessary information, the approach allows students to have a complete view of all components involved in any IoT application. The proposed methodology has been applied in graduate and extension courses at the University of Campinas and has proven extremely useful.