EVENT: Electrical and computer engineering freshmen test their Lego robots in a timed competition to sink the most golf balls. This championship playoff caps a weeklong series of matches, which eliminated 75 percent of the original 125 contending teams.
WHEN: 9-11 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 16
WHERE: Chemical and Petroleum Engineering Building (CPE) Room 2.214 on The University of Texas at Austin campus, NE corner of Speedway and Dean Keeton Street.
(Campus Map: http://www.utexas.edu/maps/main/areas/engineering.html)
BACKGROUND: Take 400 or so engineering freshmen enrolled in a difficult required course. Break them into small teams. Provide each team with a Robo-Lab kit. Have them design and build the best "golf-playing" robot they can imagine. Showcase the results in a contest.
That's the new approach to teaching Introduction to Electrical and Computer Engineering rolled out this semester by the university's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering All the student teams enter the competition on equal footing. They're given a Robo-Lab kit comprising more than 700 Lego pieces, programming software, motion sensors, light sensors and more. From the same basic materials, each team will design its own machine to perform the same task.
Professor Archie Holmes, faculty coordinator for the large six-section course, supervised its redesign. Holmes thinks such early engagement with a challenging hands-on project will keep students motivated and lead to higher retention rates. The Lego robot project-in addition to providing an opportunity to practice some programming and mechanical design- will teach the participants "teamwork, and how to go about organizing and carrying out a project." And there's one more thing.
"It really gets their competitive juices flowing," Holmes says.
CONTACT: Becky Rische, (512) 471-7272; or Dr. Archie Holmes, (512) 587-7767.
Email this article to a friend
About the Cockrell School of Engineering:
The Cockrell School ranks among the top ten engineering programs in the United States and aspires to move into the top five. With the nation's fourth highest number of faculty members elected to the National Academy of Engineering, the Cockrell School's more than 7,000 students work with many of the world's finest engineering educators and researchers. This environment prepares graduates to become engineering leaders and innovators working for the betterment of society.