A Novel Approach in Teaching STEM Subjects through Cross-departmental Collaboration in Capstone Courses

Abstract

In today’s higher education, use of state of the art technology in the classroom and laboratory plays a vital role in hands-on cross-disciplinary activities and demonstration for students to learn the interconnection of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) concepts. To implement these activities, the capstone courses present an ideal opportunity for cross-departmental collaboration. The hands-on robotic design project is introduced in the capstone courses to teach interconnected STEM concepts. This type of project, which has proven very effective in engaging students, is used in many areas of technical courses as hands-on activities and demonstration and, in addition, lab work. Additionally, the focus of robotic project is on hardware/software interface, data communication, electrical circuits, and mechanisms which reflect actual engineering activities in a company. These areas provide a tight integration of many STEM concepts and activities for capstone course. In general, the capstone course is a parent course that has inherited the knowledge of many feeder (pre-requisite) courses, and is usually offered in the last or second to last semester of the senior term.