Introducing computer engineering major for first year students using robotic projects

Abstract

In almost every engineering curriculum, an introductory engineering course to enlighten students knowledge on the different engineering disciplines is offered for the freshman students. To better describe the engineering majors and increase students interest, practical projects are often requested to complement the theoretical lectures and concepts covered in these classes. In here we present a robotic-based design project that is designed and developed to serve as one of several final projects available for an introduction to engineering class. The projects require minimal-to-no previous knowledge in programming and attempts to give the students an enjoyable and rewarding experience while being introduced to the computer engineering discipline. The survey results clearly show that the projects enhance students' motivation and improve their interpretation to the engineering design process.