NRI-Small: Human-Robot Collectives as a Curriculum-Wide CS Learning Platform

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The following project is an effort to re-conceptualize what it means to study computer science at the undergraduate level. Based on years of research and curriculum development, the project team at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is collectively building on prior work to design a sequence of computer science courses that integrate the use of a network of robots to facilitate student learning. In this project, the co-robot teams share space and tasks with humans and are used as a teaching platform in an introductory context, and as a laboratory platform for projects in intermediate and upper-level courses in which students can develop and even invent new services. This approach enhances a traditional approach to teaching computer science and provides ample opportunities for students to design, test, and evaluate using co-robot systems. The project focuses on three main goals: (1) Develop a co-robot platform that can be used by undergraduates of all levels within the existing curriculum and is adoptable by other universities; (2) Improve student engagement and learning of core CS concepts through modules that use the co-robot platform; and (3) Develop undergraduate students with a thorough understanding of co-robot systems and their potential applications. The project team is developing modules aimed at an introductory sequence, data management, and networking. Coupled with module development, there is heavy emphasis on building suitable hardware that will serve the needs of students, giving them the flexibility to develop new applications (code) to operate and manipulate the co-robotics systems. The project measures the impact of the new approach on student outcomes through both qualitative and quantitative measures, with the intent of disseminating the model and technology beyond the context of RIT. As such, the project will enhance the knowledge base about the effective use of co-robotics systems in traditional undergraduate computer science courses.