Developing Courseware for Robotics in Pre-engineering Education for High School Students

Abstract

Incorporating robotics into the STEM initiative is an essential part of keeping students relevant and competitive in a global economy. This paper presents an original way of developing courseware for an introductory Robotics course as part of a six-week pre-college engineering summer program. The goal of the course was to expose high school students to Robotics engineering and involve the students in robot designing and building, programming and troubleshooting, collaborative writing, and presentation. After the class, students from diverse academic backgrounds are expected to be well prepared for a college level engineering curriculum. The six-week program consisted of four stages, introduction to Robotics engineering, hardware design, robotics programming, and project development. The application of this courseware proved to be an effective way for students to realize their academic capabilities and engage themselves in group projects. The course was held at Vaughn College of Aeronautics and Technology in Queens, New York.Based on the planned course layout the courseware has been developed as follows: (1) Introduction to Robotics engineering, such as engineering design steps and industrial applications. The robot design implemented by college students who won the World Robotics competition has been utilized as an example in the class lecture; (2) Hardware design with a focus on innovative chassis building, and sensor integration. Measurement of wheel diameter and calculation of wheel circumference were noted for use during programming; (3) Software design to program a number of sensors for high quality robot localization, object detection, and manipulator control through the use of algorithms; (4) Group based project development to increase team work efficiency by partnering students of complementary skills. The course culminated in a presentation day where the high school students demonstrated their projects in groups.By the end of the course, nearly all students exhibited a much better comprehension of engineering than they did at the first class meeting. The future improvements of the courseware can be made by preparing a wider array of supplies such as different sensors, various motors and chassis building materials. This would allow high school students to have more options during the robotic design and implementation process, which would result in more demanding brainstorming sessions. Exposing students to challenging concepts will make it easier for them to solve more complex problems when they move on to college to pursue a career in engineering.

Development of an Advanced Robotics Program for Middle and High School VEX Robotics Students

“…Mathematical formulations and explanations were also provided to give students an understanding of the concepts and principles that were necessary for creating these designs. [2] After the mechanical segment of the summer program, students were introduced to robot sensors, sensor implementation and calibration. The sensors covered included the ultrasonic, shaft encoder, touch, line tracking, vision, and Inertial Measurement Unit sensor.…”

Board 112: A STEM Training Program to Improve Middle and High School VEX Competition Outcomes

“…Furthermore, the aims to improve and prepare students who are interested in pursuing a career in engineering for college. [5]…”

Board 176: Summer Robotics Program for High School Students

“…Anwar et al [1] conducted an analysis of 147 studies on educational robotics and found that youth participation in robotics activities enhances their knowledge in STEM fields, their perceived problem-solving abilities, and their interest in pursuing engineering careers. Several outreach programs for both students and teachers have been developed in this regard [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9]. FIRST® is an example of a program that offers a platform for students to engage in robotics competitions.…”

“…Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) offers a robotics education program for middle and high school students utilizing the LEGO® MINDSTORM® NXT/EV3 and TETRIX™ platforms [6][7]. Additionally, many institutions provide robotics summer camps for pre-college students, with various focuses on mechanical design, electronics, and coding [8][9].…”