Development and implementation of a robot-based freshman engineering course

Abstract

We describe the background and rationale for a new freshman course incorporating construction and testing of a small mobile robot. The custom robot kit is assembled in stages as the novice students learn basic electrical principles, the terminal characteristics of circuit components, and the basic practical skills necessary to build and test a printed circuit board. In this paper we explain the risks and difficulties overcome during the course development, the features and capabilities of the custom robot kits, and the assessment results for our first group of 90 students during the Fall 2004 semester. This effort is supported by an Educational Enhancement Award from the Montana Space Grant Consortium.