A Research-Driven Approach to Undergraduate Robotics Education

A Research-Driven Approach to Undergraduate Robotics Education. Singh, S. P. N., Fitch, R., & Williams, S. Computers in Education Journal, 1(4):21–27, 2010.
abstract bibtex

Robotics is a rapidly-progressing and applied subject. This paper advocates for a research-driven model for modern robotics course design that, based on a principled approach, prepares students to consider and adopt recent results in their mechatronics applications. This view pro-vides a rubric for defining a sufficient set of top-ics that give a broad overview of robotic tech-nologies and provides a foundation for later (undergraduate) research experience. To address the inherently multidisciplinary nature of robot-ics, a modular co-teaching model is adopted in which separate sections are taught by different lecturers, who potentially span various academic departments. Evidence supporting this approach is illustrated from case studies of student pro-jects in The University of Sydney�s Experimen-tal Robotics course, MTRX 4700. By providing an engaging topic, a research approach, exten-sive mentorship, and an open-ended problem, the course not only meets learning objectives, but also promotes a research foundation sup-porting later undergraduate research opportuni-ties.

@ARTICLE{spns.mtrx4700,
  author = {S. P. N. Singh and R. Fitch and S. Williams},
  title = {A Research-Driven Approach to Undergraduate Robotics Education},
  journal = {Computers in Education Journal},
  year = {2010},
  volume = {1},
  pages = {21--27},
  number = {4},
  abstract = {Robotics is a rapidly-progressing and applied subject. This paper
	advocates for a research-driven model for modern robotics course
	design that, based on a principled approach, prepares students to
	consider and adopt recent results in their mechatronics applications.
	This view pro-vides a rubric for defining a sufficient set of top-ics
	that give a broad overview of robotic tech-nologies and provides
	a foundation for later (undergraduate) research experience. To address
	the inherently multidisciplinary nature of robot-ics, a modular co-teaching
	model is adopted in which separate sections are taught by different
	lecturers, who potentially span various academic departments. Evidence
	supporting this approach is illustrated from case studies of student
	pro-jects in The University of Sydney�s Experimen-tal Robotics course,
	MTRX 4700. By providing an engaging topic, a research approach, exten-sive
	mentorship, and an open-ended problem, the course not only meets
	learning objectives, but also promotes a research foundation sup-porting
	later undergraduate research opportuni-ties.},
  pdf = {CIE_2010_Research_Approach_Education.pdf}
}

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