Iterative Design of a Robot-Centered Curriculum for the Introduction to Computer Science Course

Abstract

In the context of steeply declining enrollments in Computer Science [6], our group is focusing on developing curricular modules for introduction to Computer Science (CS1) classes in which robots are used as educational tools to motivate students about applications of Computing. We strongly believe that robots can be an ingredient in the solution to the retention and diversity problems plaguing Computer Science education. Robots have been used in a number of contexts to excite students towards further study in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) fields. At Carnegie Mellon, a student taught course in which programming robot behaviors and creating robotic art are the main activities attracts nearly half its students from the humanities, business, and art schools [5]. High school robotics competitions such as FIRST and Botball have grown explosively over the last decade. Robot kits, such as Lego’s Mindstorms, have also become a popular tool in traditional CS1 [1] and CS2 [3] courses. Robots, as physically manifested computing devices, inherently show students how computing algorithms can impact the real world; they provide a degree of relevance to assignments that is often missing. Even so, there are well-known weaknesses to using robots in computing courses [1]: Robots are typically too expensive for student ownership, and so students must work on robot programming assignments in labs with limited hours. Feedback is delayed due to the real-time nature of robotics, and so students must devote more time to tedious debugging, and less to developing solutions. The ingredients needed to overcome these limitations are achievable: New hardware technologies [4] that enable high functioning robotics at a low cost; a software architecture that is student-friendly and can be peeled away to reveal layers of deepening complexity as students learn