Design Elements of a Mobile Robotics Course Based on Student Feedback

Abstract

The use of robots in undergraduate classrooms has seen a boom in recent years due to the universal appeal of robots, and the applicability of robot systems to preparing students for career paths in computer science, robotics and intelligent systems, as well as for teaching fundamental engineering and programming concepts in a fresh way. At our University, a novel robot platform was developed in 2008 as part of a funded outreach project, applicable to both K-12 outreach and university level instruction. The robot platform, named the CEENBoT, became a central learning platform for instructing K-12 math and science teachers in a large educational robotics project and was simultaneously adopted into the Freshman and Sophomore curriculum in the department of Computer and Electronics Engineering (CEEN), one of the key partners in the outreach project. In the CEEN department, use of the CEENBoT was proliferated through a progression of undergraduate courses as an active learning component in teaching students fundamental computer and electrical engineering topics with a goal of providing additional hands-on engagement. Most often, this included at least one lab or project using the CEENBoT platform in each course. As part of this adoption, an existing course, Introduction to Robotics, was modified to include topics in mobile robotics and include exercises with the CEENBoT. It was offered one time. To test the effectiveness of this course, at the end of this course offering, a focus group study was conducted to gather student feedback over a wide range of discussion topics about the course. This feedback was analyzed and used to provide guidance for a future and final iteration of the course. The focus group results indicated  important directions for the next iteration of the course. The results of this initial study were published and presented in a paper at the ASEE National Conference and Exposition in summer 2010. In 2010, the final iteration of a newly titled Mobile Robotics I course and lab was created to directly address these issues. It was dedicated to mobile robotics concepts with newly designed labs and an extensive suite of custom firmware developed to make the CEENBoT useful for teaching advanced robotics topics. This paper describes the innovations that were created for this course and the subsequent student feedback that has been obtained through several years of teaching the course, including 2010, 2011, and 2013. Student feedback was obtained through an anonymous internet-based survey instrument at the end of each semester, and was reviewed by the instructor after course grades were turned in. The feedback over the three years has validated the course design, and shown the effectiveness of using student focus group feedback for providing excellent direction in course refinement and creation. Finally, this paper illustrates hurdles overcome in designing a robotics course that is both effective for student learning and based upon a novel mobile robot platform. This paper is organized into the following sections: Background: The Need for a Mobile Robotics Course, Mobile Robotics Course Goals, Course Innovations, Analysis of Student Feedback, Reflections, and Conclusion.