Integrative learning through the design of an electrocardiogram acquisition system

This paper presents an electrocardiogram acquisition system course design project for an upper year bioinstrumentation course. The objective of this design project is to provide students an opportunity for an integrative learning, enhancing their educational experience. Unlike similar electrocardiogram instrumentation projects, this project is based on a commercially available instrumentation amplifier enabling better systems-level thinking. The project is described along with observations made from our pilot implementation of the project. The initial offering of the project is considered a success with positive feedback from students. Recommendations for improvements are also discussed.