A Project for the Programme of Information Technology at Linköping University

The project is developed for the Programme of Information Technology and started in 1997. It consists of 30 ECTS credits, i.e., it covers the work of the entire autumn of the students third year. It includes both project works and individual examinations, half of each. The aim is that the students will conceive and develop a technical system, consider the technology in its context and cooperate with students from LiU1 School of Management and Psychology. They will work in a project organisation and gain knowledge about project planning and project management.

The subject areas involved are Business Administration (marketing and calculation), Computer Hardware and Architecture, Numerical Algorithms, Ethics, Psychology (group dynamics and group processes) and Communication (text revision and criticism). The students are divided into project teams of 5—7 students from Information Technologyand a project manager from LiU School of Management. Students of Psychology work as consultants and give professional support to the teams helping them to understand their own group process.

To implement these ideas the students are going to study the possibilities of constructing a mobile robot with one arm. They shall also study how to design a computer system with good qualities-in-use. The aim is to investigate and examine certain properties about the robot and the system, not to construct a manufactured product.

The students select and investigate a market area (examples: libraries, pharmacy, flight packaging, feeding cows) and design a computer system suitable for that area. They construct a small-scaled vehicle which is able to follow a marked track automatically. To control the movement of the arm they have to develop and examine numerical algorithms. They also examine the profitability and investigate and discuss ethical aspects.

The results of the investigation are reported to a customer in the form of oral presentations and a written report.

The advantage with this project is the large freedom for the students to choose their own business idea and the details of their studies. Thus every project has its own unique point of view.

2nd International CDIO Conference, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden, 13 – 14 June 2006