First-year Engineering Students Engagement by Hands-on Experience with Star Wars Robotics

摘要

Applied Academics is both a trend within pioneering educational institutions as well as a demand from the current generations of students at all levels. The first semesters of an engineering curricula focus on developing a solid theoretical basis in Mathematics, Physics and Programming before becoming immersed in practical projects. Therefore, first-year engineering students usually struggle to visualize the practical applications of their studies. Advancing towards an educational model based on competencies, the following workshop was an effort to increase engineering students' engagement and to launch their development at a first stage. This interactive workshop was designed and implemented in an introductory engineering course where students were able to understand how a Star Wars BB8 commercial prototype droid is built and how it works. This droid worked as a great example of a well-known robot that integrates the different disciplines of the engineering programs involved in the workshop: Mechanical, Industrial, Automotive, Electrical, and Mechatronics. More than 600 freshmen took this workshop, which resulted in satisfactory outcomes. Results suggest that this kind of activity will prevent the abandonment of engineering studies. Students were really engaged in the workshop and showed curiosity and interest in understanding what was inside the famous robot and how it worked, given its innovative design. The students enjoyed the experience and realized the main differences between the engineering disciplines involved according to their application in this practical example. This workshop also helped them to reaffirm their decision on an Engineering Major and to motivate them to become skilled to be able to create this kind of technology.