A Methodology and Experience of Facilitating International Capstone Projects for Multidisciplinary Fields: Costa Rica Internet of Things (IoT) Case Study
The paper describes the overarching pedagogy and goals of the two-year ISAT capstone experience and describes how the ISAT “Holistic Problem Solving Habits of Mind” are integral to the teaching and mentoring approach in applied projects.
Abstract
This paper explores the opportunities, challenges, and pedagogy of a real-world, hands-on, international capstone project. We present a case study in which three faculty members from diverse disciplines, including engineering, computer science, and political science, guided a team of students from the Bachelors in ISAT (Integrated Science and Technology) program at James Madison University for a two-year capstone experience spanning the students’ junior and senior years. The paper describes the overarching pedagogy and goals of the two-year ISAT capstone experience and describes how the ISAT “Holistic Problem Solving Habits of Mind” are integral to our teaching and mentoring approach in applied projects. The Habits of Mind are structured to facilitate student reflection on the technical, social, and ethical contexts of their work. We explain how the Habits of Mind structured our pedagogy from the problem identification phase through project completion. We describe the phases of the team’s engagement with stakeholders at Punta Leona Hotel and Club Beach Resort, including: early problem identification regarding energy conservation and saving concerns; project development, in which students developed a solution centered around remote, app-based control of large energy consuming devices (e.g., air conditioning units) using Internet of Things (IoT); execution and implementation of the project over a three week period during a study abroad trip in Costa Rica; and remote follow up with stakeholders after project installation. One of the goals of the experience is for students to understand project management and interdisciplinary collaboration in a hands-on way, and to understand that stakeholder engagement is an integral part of the process. The goals, methodology, organizational structure, logistics, lessons learned, and the instructors’ observations of the experience are also described in the paper.