A Robotics Introduction to Computer Science.

Abstract

This paper describes a new undergraduate course that serves two purposes. First, it satisfies a general education requirement in mathematical sciences, and second, it serves as one of four possible first courses for computer science majors. The course has no prerequisites: the student population is drawn primarily from college freshmen. This paper focuses on the curriculum, which blends topics from basic computing, artificial intelligence, and robotics. Results of a class survey are presented and discussed. Overall, satisfaction with both the course and the use of robots was high.