ABS controller: An introductory case study for motivating non-major students

Many undergraduate engineering programs require students to take non-major courses to enhance their multidisciplinary competence, interdisciplinary competence, or both. Motivating non-major students is often challenging, especially when they feel that such courses do not really relate to their major, i.e., when they miss the interdisciplinary aspects. This situation is often caused by adopting a teaching approach that treats the course subjects in a self-contained manner, i.e., without sufficient links to the students' major. A case study is sometimes used in engineering education to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and application. However, this approach is typically used after presenting the theoretical material and, thus, cannot easily contribute to an early improvement of students' motivation. If used as an introduction to the course, in contrast, we claim that a case study can considerably highlight the value of the course and motivate students to learn. For this purpose, the case study's level of details should be kept appropriate and the case study must include clear links to the course content. We tested this approach at Khalifa University. A case study on the anti-lock brake system was presented to mechanical and aerospace engineering students taking a course on the fundamentals of electronic systems. Students reported a higher motivation to study the course after presenting the case study.