Introductory Computer Science with Robots

Robots as Recruitment Tools in Computer Science: The New Frontier or Simply Bait and Switch?

There is little doubt that the use of robots in introductory classes is an effective way to spark an initial interest in Computer Science and recruit students into our classes, and subsequently recruit some of them as Computer Science majors. But when the semester is over, the vast majority of our students are unlikely to see robots in the classroom again until they take advanced courses in AI ...

Designing the Finch: Creating a Robot Aligned to Computer Science Concepts

We present a new robot platform, the Finch, that was designed to align with the learning goals and concepts taught in introductory computer science courses. The Finch was developed in the context of the CSbots program, the goal of which is to improve retention and learning in computer science courses through the use of robots and other physically embodied hardware. This paper concentrates on de...

Robots in the Classroom ... and the Dorm Room

The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, to argue that despite some disappointing results in using robots in the computer science classroom in the past, we should not yet conclude that robots do not belong there. Second, to present the results of a small pilot study comparing two approaches to teaching an introductory computer science class – one traditional and one which used robots. While...

Mindstorms robots and the application of cognitive load theory in introductory programming

An Introductory CS Course for Cognitive Science Students

This paper describes an introductory computer science course recently developed at Pomona College that is designed specifically for liberal arts students majoring in cognitive science with no previous technical background in programming. A key component of the course is the use of low-cost robots to illustrate ideas about the computational foundations of cognition in a hands-on way. We describe...