Emerging Hardware Prototyping Technologies as Tools for Learning

Integrating hardware prototyping platforms such as Arduino, Raspberry Pi or BeagleBone Board in education is becoming more prevalent as the number of courses utilizing such platforms is continuously increasing. In this work, we conduct an analytical investigation on the plurality of courses that utilize or integrate hardware prototyping platforms. We examine curriculum and instructional material (e.g. course syllabi or outlines) through publicly available web informational resources (e.g. search engines). We use this data to determine the degree to which these platforms are used as effective learning technologies in existing courses. We further use this data to determine hardware platforms integration statistics and distribution based on the number of courses, types of platforms employed and institutions using them as learning technologies. This statistical data can be used to help determine the current status of the utilization and adoption rate of hardware prototyping platforms into courses. In this paper, we present evidence that hardware prototyping technologies are employed as tools for teaching and learning. Based on examining forty five universities worldwide, we determine that there are on average nine unique courses per university which utilize or integrate a variety of these platforms into courses. We also determine that 75% of these courses are Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math- (STEM-) based while 25% are Non-STEM. We further use our findings to provide insights on the extent to which educational institutions are utilizing these platforms as learning technologies and applying project-based or experiential learning approaches as part of their curriculum development.