A Hardware Laboratory for Incorporating Computer Science Theory with Real-World Interests and Difficulties

这个项目的目标是更好地准备计算机科学的学生，无论是专业和未成年人，在系统和硬件依赖的软件开发领域。 一个积极的学习实验室建立在计算机软件和硬件的相互依存关系的中心主题，以及在嵌入式系统，正在开发中。 这个实验室是基于以前的NSF支持下开发的类似实验室，但增加了一些独特的组件，如移动的机器人和一个仪器化的模型铁路，以提供复杂的，现实世界的问题。 这个实验室作为两个必需的高级顶点计算机科学课程的动手实验中心。 由于这是一个以西班牙裔为主的服务机构，该项目将让学生参与“近同伴”教学，以吸引更多来自少数民族服务地区的学生学习数学、科学和计算机科学。从该项目毕业的学生将在硬件接口、数据采集、实时编程和观察数值计算解决问题的实际结果方面获得实践经验。 他们为担任系统开发员和应用程序员的职位做好了更好的准备，从而满足了当地劳动力对这些技能的需求。 由于他们与这个实验室的互动，学生也更好地准备研究生院。 项目评估包括项目前、项目中、项目后学生对课程满意度的数据收集。 它还包括收集ETS计算机科学专业领域评估考试的学生考试成绩，并由独立的计算机科学教师评审团对学生项目进行评估。 传播是通过在ACM，ASEE和IEEE会议上的演讲，以及通过一个关于如何为其他教职员工实施类似实验室和项目的实用信息的网页来完成的。

The goal of this project is to better prepare students of computer science, both majors and minors, in the areas of systems and hardware-dependent software development. An active learning laboratory built around the central theme of the interdependence of software and hardware in the computer, as well as in embedded systems, is being developed. This laboratory is based upon similar labs developed under previous NSF support, but adds some unique components such as mobile robots and an instrumented model railroad to provide exposure to complex, real-world problems. This laboratory serves as the hands-on experimentation center for two required senior-level capstone computer science courses. Since this is a predominantly Hispanic-serving institution, the project is involving students in "near-peer" teaching to attract more students from the minority service area to study mathematics, science, and computer science.Students graduating from this program have hands-on experiences with hardware interfacing, data acquisition, real-time programming and observing actual results of numerically computed solutions to problems. They are better prepared for positions as systems developers and applications programmers, thereby filling a need in the local workforce for such skills. As a result of their interaction with this lab, students are also better prepared for graduate school. Evaluation of the project includes pre, mid and post data collection of student satisfaction with the courses. It also includes collection of student test scores on the ETS Major Field Assessment Test in Computer Science and evaluation of student projects by an independent computer science faculty jury. Dissemination is being accomplished by presentations at ACM, ASEE, and IEEE conferences as well as through a web page with practical information about how to implement a similar lab and projects for other faculty members.