A project-based learning design for teaching and learning of mechatronics engineering: The riderless bicycle as an application

Abstract

This study aims to design a modified project-based learning model and a series of courses in riderless bicycle scenario to cultivate students' professional knowledge, practical skills and core competencies. The riderless bicycle scenario is not only familiar to students and rich in a large number of theoretical and practical research topics but also integrates mechatronics engineering subjects from the freshman year to the senior year. Through the series of courses, students are allowed to have project-based learning in this scenario so as to cultivate the necessary professional knowledge, practical skills and core competencies for entering the industry in the future. The series of courses include the introduction, in-depth, and transformation courses. The introduction courses guide students about the scenario and establish their framework relation and basic understanding about the various subjects of mechatronics engineering. The in-depth courses allow the students to gradually design and actually fabricate the riderless bicycle. During the process, they can study and integrate the various subjects and disciplines in depth as well as develop independent learning, innovative thinking, problem-solving, teamwork, and communication skills and other core competencies. The transformation courses help the students internalize their knowledge and experience in the scenario, translating them into other practical applications and connecting with the industry. This study designed a learning workshop for actual implementation and conducted a survey afterward on to make a preliminary assessment of the feasibility and basic functions of the riderless bicycle as a project-based learning and teaching scenario and to collect feedback from students to serve as the reference for the design and improvement of follow-up curriculum series