Understanding the role of single‐board computers in engineering and computer science education: A systematic literature review

摘要

In the last decade, single-board computers (SBCs) have been employed more frequently in engineering and computer science (CS) at both technical and educational levels. These devices are of importance to educators and students due to several factors such as the versatility, the low cost, and the possibility to enhance the learning process through technology. However, the implications, possibilities, and constraints of these devices in engineering and CS education have not been explored in detail. In this systematic literature review, we explore how the SBCs are employed in engineering and CS and what educational results are derived from their usage in the period 2010–2020 at tertiary education level. For this, 154 studies were selected out of n = 605 collected from the academic databases Ei Compendex, Inspec, and ERIC. The analysis was carried out in two phases, identifying, for example, areas of application, learning outcomes, and students' and researchers' perceptions. The results of the review mainly indicate the following aspects: (1) The areas of laboratories and e-learning, computing education, robotics, Internet of Things, and persons with disabilities gather the studies in the review. (2) Researchers highlight the importance of the SBCs to transform the curricula in engineering and CS for the students to learn complex topics through experimentation in hands-on activities. (3) The typical cognitive learning outcomes reported by the authors are the improvement of the students' grades and the technical skills regarding the topics in the courses. Concerning the affective learning outcomes, the increase of interest, motivation, and engagement is commonly reported by the authors.