Faculty Publications

Model Railroading And Computer Fundamentals

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book/Conference Title

Computer Science Education

Volume

17

Issue

2

First Page

129

Last Page

139

Abstract

Less than one half of one percent of all processors manufactured today end up in computers. The rest are embedded in other devices such as automobiles, airplanes, trains, satellites, and nearly every modern electronic device. Developing software for embedded systems requires a greater knowledge of hardware than developing for a typical desktop application. Despite the great demand for people to develop real-time embedded system software, few universities devote class time to giving students the necessary skills. In this paper I describe a course and stimulating environment for introducing students to this important domain. I make arguments for using real devices rather than simulations and for using a computer-controlled model railroad. I describe the computing and railroad hardware, laboratory assignments, and course project used in my course. Finally, I present a summary of the effectiveness of programming language choice based on an analysis of 13 years of data. © 2007 Taylor & Francis.

Department

Department of Computer Science

Original Publication Date

1-1-2007

DOI of published version

10.1080/08993400601165644

Link to Full Text

Comments?

Share

COinS