Teaching embedded software development utilising QNX and Qt with an automotive-themed coursework application

Within the later stages of many Electronics or Computer Science degree programmes it is common to cover the programming of real-time systems, sometimes with an embedded orientation, instructing students in the fundamentals and application of multitasking and multithreading. Within this paper we detail the approach taken at Glasgow Caledonian University in the design of such a module as part of a programme in Computer and Electronic Systems Engineering. In particular we explain how we structure laboratory exercises to reflect the typical industrial design practice of partitioning systems into application layer and presentation layer - utilising QNX^TM RTOS for application, integrated with open-source Qt for presentation and human interaction. The target application is based on a simple automotive dashboard executing on the Beagleboard-xM platform. The approach is shown to raise student interest and understanding of embedded application-building using highly productive toolsets.