Supporting undergraduate computer science education using educational robots

  • Authors:
  • Ashraf Saad;Travis Shuff;Gabriel Loewen;Kyle Burton

  • Affiliations:
  • Armstrong Atlantic State University;Armstrong Atlantic State University;The University of Alabama;Armstrong Atlantic State University

  • Venue:
  • Proceedings of the 50th Annual Southeast Regional Conference
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

There has been a sharp decline in undergraduate enrollment in computer science over the past decade. Reasons for the decline vary amongst computer science programs. However, upon observation it is noticeable that many students considering computer science as their undergraduate major decide to pursue other fields due to misconceptions about the discipline. Some students are even intimidated by the computer science curriculum. One way in which educators are trying to combat this issue is by introducing computer science concepts using a more hands-on and involved approach with educational robots. Robots provide an exciting platform that students might not initially think of when contemplating their choice in higher education. We present a novel approach to integrate the use of educational robots into introductory computer science courses as a learning tool in order to increase student motivation and improve the enrollment rate of computer science undergraduate students.