Using Scratch to Teach Undergraduate Students' Skills on Artificial Intelligence

This paper presents a educational workshop in Scratch that is proposed for the active participation of undergraduate students in contexts of Artificial Intelligence. The main objective of the activity is to demystify the complexity of Artificial Intelligence and its algorithms. For this purpose, students must realize simple exercises of clustering and two neural networks, in Scratch. The detailed methodology to get that is presented in the article.Comment: 6 pages, 7 figures, workshop presentatio

Unifying an Introduction to Artificial Intelligence Course through Machine Learning Laboratory Experiences

This paper presents work on a collaborative project funded by the National Science Foundation that incorporates machine learning as a unifying theme to teach fundamental concepts typically covered in the introductory Artificial Intelligence courses. The project involves the development of an adaptable framework for the presentation of core AI topics. This is accomplished through the development, implementation, and testing of a suite of adaptable, hands-on laboratory projects that can be closely integrated into the AI course. Through the design and implementation of learning systems that enhance commonly-deployed applications, our model acknowledges that intelligent systems are best taught through their application to challenging problems. The goals of the project are to (1) enhance the student learning experience in the AI course, (2) increase student interest and motivation to learn AI by providing a framework for the presentation of the major AI topics that emphasizes the strong connection between AI and computer science and engineering, and (3) highlight the bridge that machine learning provides between AI technology and modern software engineering

Design & Development of a Robotic System Using LEGO Mindstorm

This research presents a design and development of robotic system based on LEGO Mindstorm kit. The system is capable in operating an off-line programming method, starting from its programming sequences until robotic implementation of the program. During early stages, the research is emphasis more towards designing a robotic system using RoboLab software and C++ programming language. A robotic hardware system has been developed using LEGO Mindstorm kit. The robotic model acts as a prototype or test-bed for programming execution. The model involves motorize movement, sensors detection and machine vision to be manipulated by the programmers inside their programs. Since the model is built using LEGO bricks, the model is fully customized, in term of its applications, to perform any relevant tasks. Ultimately, the algorithm development program designed earlier is linked up directly to the robotic model for program implementation and verification. For this research, several set of robots by using Lego has been developed and it uses LeJos and C programming techniques as a platform. A Java-based robot development tool has been set up as alternative programming methods incorporating LeJos and the controller. A prototype of a mobile robot based on Lego successfully implemented by using PIC and can be controlled through voice recognition

Impact of libre software tools and methods in the robotics field

Software is one of the major components of robots; in fact, it is the main bottleneck for the proliferation of robotics in our everyday lives. In the last years the field of robotics has been an emerging application area of the libre (free/open source) software phenomenon. Libre software tools have been traditionally popular among the robotics research and teaching community. Even companies whose main business model is to sell robots have found convenient to share the software in order to promote a community around their products. In this paper we analyze the situation of libre software in these three subareas: industry, teaching and research. In particular, we describe commercial robots like the Cye and the Pioneer, a software platform like Orocos as a examples of industrial world applications, the libre tools around the LEGO Mindstorms in the case of teaching, and the Robocup competition and the Player/Stage platform in research area. All these cases show that libre software can act as a catalyst in the robotics industry which is still a sector in its early research and industrial stage

La enseñanza de Ingeniería de Sistemas y Electrónica mediante el laboratorio de robots autónomos

En este trabajo se presenta el empleo de sistemas físicos controlados por computador como un método muy adecuado para introducir a los alumnos de Informática en las áreas tecnológicas relacionadas con la Ingeniería de Sistemas y Electrónica. La idea principal es conseguir estimular la capacidad de aprendizaje de ciertas materias por parte del estudiante mediante la realización de prácticas en un laboratorio docente destinado a la construcción de robots autónomos. Este laboratorio debería permitir materializar las ideas del alumno a través de dispositivos capaces de resolver problemas en el ‘mundo real’, incluso con el estímulo de que una solución personal sea más eficiente compitiendo con la propuesta por un compañero. En los siguientes apartados se describirá las principales metas académicas del laboratorio propuesto, así como el material empleado y los prototipos desarrollados para ser empleados como modelos en la práctica

Why Using Robots to Teach Computer Science can be Successful Theoretical Reflection to Andragogy and Minimalism

Categories and Subject Descriptors K.3.1 [Computers and Education]: Computer Uses in Education – collaborative learning; K.3.2 [Computers and Education]: Computer and Information Science Education – computer science education, self-assessmentTo help students understand subjects such as theoretical aspects of computation, algorithmic reasoning and intelligence of machines, a number of publications report experiments to teach these topics with the help of Lego Mindstorms robots. In the publications, the researchers report how they have created various ways to approach the issues either in Computer Science or in Artificial Intelligence. The reported results of the experiments are based on the learning outcomes, the feedback from the students, and the perceived informal observations (i.e. “feelings”) of the instructors. But can anyone else benefit from the reportedly positive outcomes of the experiments? To give an answer to that question, this paper analyses the reported results through two support theories. The two theories chosen for this, andragogy and minimalism, are concerned with adult learning and how teaching adults should be approached. When reflecting the results of the four teaching experiments to the suggestions drawn from the theories, a more comprehensive answer to why the experiments have been successful can be given. The four teaching experiments analysed here were in many ways similar to each other. A connection to the chosen support theories was straightforward to make. Besides describing the artefacts of teaching with the robots, a deeper discussion on this teaching approach is provided. For an instructor, all these observations offer more concrete evidence about beneficial factors of teaching with robots

A importância da aprendizagem da robótica no desenvolvimento do pensamento computacional : um estudo com alunos do 4º ano

Trabalho de projeto de mestrado, Educação (Área de especialidade em Educação e Tecnologias Digitais), Universidade de Lisboa, Instituto de Educação, 2015O presente documento relata o processo de preparação, concretização e análise de um projeto realizado no âmbito da robótica educativa numa escola básica de 1º ciclo de Lisboa, ao longo do 2º período do ano letivo 2014/15, com alunos do 4º ano de escolaridade. Na fase de preparação do projeto, e após uma revisão da literatura sobre o tema a investigar, partiu-se da ideia da utilização da robótica educativa como meio de desenvolver o pensamento computacional e como auxiliar de relevo na aprendizagem dos conteúdos curriculares. Durante a execução do projeto, os alunos realizaram diversas atividades relacionadas com a programação de robôs, de modo a efetuar uma prova com vista à sua participação no Festival Nacional de Robótica. Durante esta intervenção, os alunos foram resolvendo uma sequência de problemas em grau crescente de dificuldade, onde foi possível abordar alguns conceitos das áreas disciplinares de Matemática e Português. A estratégia de operacionalização do projeto incidiu na Aprendizagem por Problemas com o recurso à robótica educativa. A avaliação efetuada durante o projeto foi, sobretudo, formativa, tendo decorrido durante as aulas, assumiu um caráter regulador das aprendizagens; neste o feedback e o papel orientador do investigador foram bastante evidentes. Na fase de avaliação do projeto, analisaram-se as evidências demonstradas pelos alunos, tendo-se concluído que a robótica educativa é uma mais-valia para o desenvolvimento do pensamento computacional em crianças desta faixa etária, tendo nesse processo o robô exercido um papel essencial, largamente reconhecido pelos alunos e respetiva professora titular.This document describes the process of preparation, operationalization and analysis of a project undertaken within the sphere of educational robotics in a primary school in Lisbon, over the 2nd term of the school year 2014/15, with 4th grade students. In the preparation phase, and after a review of literature on the topic, the project assumed as starting point the idea that the use of educational robotics is a mean to develop computational thinking and acts as a relevant aid in the process of curricular content learning. During the intervention, a series of problems with a growing degree of difficulty was solved by the students, and in it, some concepts of Mathematics and Portuguese Language was possible to address. The project operationalization strategy focused on Problem-Based Learning with educational robotics. In the evaluation carried out during the project was mostly formative, occurred during the classes, with a regulatory role, in which the feedback and the guidance of the investigator were quite evident. The use of robotics as an educational tool showed favourable effects on the development of problem solving skills, and in this process the robot played a key role, highly recognized by pupils and teacher. In the evaluation phase of the project, the learning evidences presented by the students were analysed and it was possible to conclude that educational robotics is an asset to the development of computational thinking in children of this age group. The robot assumed a highly relevant role, widely recognized by the pupils and the 4th grade teacher