A project oriented approach to teaching software-hardware integration of microcontroller-based systems

The microprocessor interfacing course offered at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez is a core course for all computer engineering majors and a technical elective course for electrical engineering majors specializing in the electronics technical area. Students enrolled in the microprocessor interfacing course have traditionally been required to complete a major design project in the area of microcomputer/microcontroller systems. However, it has only been recently that the physical implementation of the student´s design has been stressed as a requisite of the course. In addition, the course has been restructured to stress teamwork, communication and project management skills. A major aspect of the course is the extensive use of the World Wide Web (WWW) for student portfolio development and for the paperless conduction of the course. This paper presents various aspects regarding the new course structure, the laboratory facilities developed to facilitate prototype implementation and the use of the WWW. Also, an overview of a typical project design is provided.