Yes We CAN: A low-cost approach to simulate real-world automotive platforms in systems engineering education for non-computer science majors

Abstract

In system engineering education, physical computing and problem-based learning are used successfully for some time. These concepts are especially suitable for programming novices and computer science non-major students. However, their broad adoption in universities requires access to affordable low-cost hardware. But for courses specific to the automotive domain, usually specific and expensive hardware and toolchains are required. Therefore, in this paper an approach is presented simulating real-world embedded systems by low-cost single-board computer hardware and allowing the students to focus on the essential elements of the system design. A customized teaching scenario including a laboratory vehicle based on low-cost hardware enables practical lessons in the area of "Connected Car Applications" (Car2x). The evaluation results demonstrate the practical feasibility and its strong acceptance and positive influence on the learning success.