Abstract:

The Project/Problem Based Learning (PBL), Challenge Problem (CP) or Case Method (CM) allows the students acquire a more significant learning, developing at the same time another series of competences and skills. The motivation of the student is fundamental in the education of diverse areas of knowledge and especially the associated with the Electrical and Electronic Engineering. Factors to having in consideration in this series of educational performances can be the curiosity, notion of the challenge and/or current affairs of the proposed problem. The goals of Project/Problem Based Learning are to help the students develop flexible knowledge, effective problem solving skills, self-directed learning, effective collaboration skills and intrinsic motivation. A dynamic element in the learning of the students is the utilization of a didactic motivating strategy that is capable of creating the intention of learning. Working in groups, students identify what they already know, what they need to know, and how and where to access new information that may lead to solve the problem. In PBL the students are encouraged to take responsibility for their group and organize and direct the learning process with support from a tutor or instructor.

The subject matter wakes up the curiosity of the students and it stimulates them the challenge of designing an application destined for a mobile robot that carries out a simple task more or less efficient. On the other hand, the utilization of small electronic devices applied on autonomous mobile robots appears as a multidisciplinary dynamic and flexible science that one adapts adequately to the aims of the European Higher Education Area (EHEA). What facilitates the integration of knowledge associated with diverse disciplines in the Engineering and it promotes the motivation of the students as key element for the education/learning process. This document presents a simple application based on the incorporation of an old mobile phone Nokia 3310, Ericsson 750i or Siemens A55 to autonomous mobile robots, in order to transmit the instructions related to his navigation, orientation and displacement. The developed application constitutes a factor of extra-motivation on the students principally due to the curiosity and relevancy of the proposed problem. The students prefer procedures of education/learning more flexible, dynamic, participative, and with continuous evaluation; although they impression is that a major effort and an increase in their dedication is necessary with regard to the conventional procedure.

Keywords:

Project/Problem Based Learning, Active and Collaborative Methodology, Knowledge Integration, Motivation, Education/Learning Procedure, Educational Innovation.