Abstract:

The Biomedical Engineering study programme represents a bridge between medicine, physics, and engineering. Students graduating from this programme find their application in hospitals working with complex medical devices. The growing interest in healthcare applications has made biomedical engineering one of the fastest-growing disciplines in recent years.
A wide variety of instruments and sensors are used in medicine. Correct analysis of the obtained results and clear determination of the diagnosis are very important for doctors. In order for students to better understand the technical concepts learned in lectures, practical learning modes are needed. Through these hands-on learning environments, students are empowered to take a leadership role in learning, which promotes an active learning process. Thus, students will learn the basic parameters of LEDs, light propagation, light absorption, and other information during their studies. As part of the project teaching, they will learn about simple and affordable methods of measuring the characteristics of the human body, such as heart rate, electrocardiography, or an optical technique called photoplethysmography. They have a wide range of off-the-shelf devices that support different systems like IPCoach, Arduino, and more. IPCoach is a universal environment that uses calibrated sensors for physics, mathematics, and other sciences (STEM). With sensors communicating with Arduino, the cost is greatly reduced and the scope is huge. There are libraries that allow us to communicate more easily with these sensors, which leads to great flexibility in their design and measurement. They are also informed about the forms of power supply and measurement circuits from a technical point of view. Such project-based learning and the flipped classroom improve student achievement and both contribute to the overall improvement of the learning process. As a result, reasoning skills are improved, creativity is enhanced, cooperation and initiative, and self-learning are encouraged. Moreover, better adaptation was observed when dealing with different scenarios in their daily lives. For these practical educational activities, the selection of appropriate educational tools is crucial for achieving the required quality and results.

Keywords:

Sensor’s, Arduino, IPcoach, STEM education.