ENGINEERING EDUCATION THROUGH

LEGO MINDSTORM

Donald Kline, Jr.; Emily Redmond; Kaitlyn Ruhl, Vikram Patwardhan

Overview: Part 1

ObjectiveMotivationData

Part 2ObjectiveBackgroundMotivationStatement of WorkData

Justified Budget Summary

Part 1

Objective:

Design exhibit as representatives of University of PittsburghDisplay at Carnegie Science Center for

“Engineer the Future”Consist of interactive Lego Mindstorm

robotsEngage students & encourage interest in

engineering

Motivation:

Inspire students to consider computing, robotics, & engineering

Project a positive image of the University of PittsburghFuture studentsEmployers

Data

Data Cont’d (Monster Robot) Two personalities

Line Following ModeMonster Mode

Robot designSensorsStructure

CodingCalls to “Follow” and “Claw Attack”Lego Mindstorm NXT Code (image based)

Data Cont’d

Part 2

Objective Develop a curriculum for teaching incoming

9th graders how to use Lego Mindstorms, as part of the Investing NOW program

Our curriculum must:Engage, instruct, and challenge incoming 9th

gradersAllow students to explore programming, logic, &

mathematical concepts through instruction & friendly competition

Include a detailed manual for the instructor

Background

Every summer, Investing NOW hosts summer enrichment programming for high school students.

Investing NOW focuses on drawing the interest of future students and aiding their success in high school.

Investing NOW’s summer program lasts for five weeks, consisting of four days of classes each week.

Background Cont’d

This year is different from past yearsPrevious years: Each group of students get

one week with each engineering courseThis year: Students are sorted by grade,

and each grade has the same course for the entire summer program

Due to the change in the time of the program, the robotics curriculum will need significant changes

Motivation

Provide Investing NOW with a curriculum that they can reuse year after year in their summer engineering course

Give the students in the Investing NOW program an excellent experience

It is also our hope that a positive experience would reflect well on both the University of Pittsburgh and the Engineering 0715 class as a whole

Statement of Work

1. Become acquainted with coding, structure, and capabilities of the Lego Mindstorm robots

2. Develop a detailed curriculum that fits with the changes in the Investing NOW program

3. Submit the teacher manuals, instructional documents, and final challenge board to Investing NOW

WBS 1. Learn about the summer class 1.1 Learn what the course is supposed to teach 1.1.1 Meet the instructor and assess what he believes would be beneficial for the teacher to have 1.1.2 Meet with the program advisors to see what goals they have for the class 1.2 Create a rough sketch of how each day will be spent 2. Make a syllabus 2.1 Divide the days into different departments of engineering 2.1.1 For each department, teach about the department and the relation to this class 2.2 Decide which documents and Power Points will be needed to teach each days material 2.2.1 Create these files to be used by the instructor. 2.2.2 Test them by practicing teaching the material to a student 2.2.3 Make worksheets to reinforce the material 2.2.4 Create a teaching manual for the instructor 2.2.4.1 Include a more detailed syllabus and teaching materials meant for the instructor to learn from 2.3 Decide how and when each new bit of information should be taught 2.3.1 Create ice breakers and in-class activities to keep students’ interest 2.4 Create a survey to adequately divide students into groups 3. Make the Final Task 3.1 Brainstorm and decide how the students will be assessed at the end 3.2 Find how previous years have done this 3.3 Finalize idea on final task 3.4 Make the board for the task 3.5 Create robots ourselves to test the difficulty of the task 3.6 Create rules and regulations for this competition 4. Submit Deliverables 4.1 Put together teaching manual 4.2 Submit all copies of files needed to teach

Gantt Chart 2Gantt Chart: Team 6, Lego Mindstorms Part 2: Curriculum Donald Kline, Jr, Emily Redmond, Vikram Patwardhan, and Kaitlyn Ruhl

9-Feb 16-Feb 23-Feb 1-Mar 8-Mar 15-Mar 22-Mar 29-Mar 5-Apr 12-Apr 19-Apr1

1.1 1.1.1

1.2 2

2.1 2.1.1

2.2 2.2.1 2.2.22.2.3 2.2.4

2.2.4.1 2.3

2.3.1 2.4

3 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6

4 4.1 4.2

Data (Documents): Day 1:

Course Overview (ppt) Flashy Demos/Robot Potential

(online/ppt) Ice Breakers (doc) Intro to NXT Brick (ppt)

Day 2: Logic Demos/Applications (ppt) NXT Trainer: Thinking about

Programming (online) Intro to Mindstorm Logic (ppt) Math Concepts (ppt) Math Applications Worksheet (doc) Smart Motor Example (online) Extra Math Document (doc)

Day 3: Importance of Planning Designs (ppt) Mechanical Engineering (ppt) Common Building Options (doc) Electrical Engineering (ppt) Sensor PowerPoint (ppt) Examples for Practicing Building (doc)

Day 4: Competition Explanation (doc) Industrial Engineering (ppt) Team Building (ppt) Assorted Videos (online)

Day 5: Intro to Pseudocode (ppt) Description of Mindstorm Code (ppt) Individual Psuedocode (doc) Intro to Computer Engineering (ppt) Group work on coding (doc)

Day 6 Complicated Coding from Video Trainer

(online) Complicated Coding Techniques (ppt) Individual Worksheets (doc) Group Exercises (doc)

Day 7 Video Suggestions List (doc/online)

Map Teacher Manual

Data (Example of Day-By-Day Manual)

Data (Example of a Worksheet)

Data (Example Instructional Power Point)

Data (Final Challenge Board)

Justified Budget Part 1:

Action figures ~$12 each○ Needed for the robot to attack in monster mode○ 7 total, different types to ensure functionality

Candy ~$55○ Picked up with claw robots○ Many kids over 2 days, need to have plenty

Miscellaneous supplies ~$20○ Needed to create map

Part 2:Investing NOW will take care of it

Summary

Part 1:Created an exhibit which was enjoyed by

students Part 2:

Created a 19-day curriculum with clear guidance for the instructor

References:“Engineer the Future 2012”. (2012). Carnegie Science Center. [Online events detail]. Available: http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/calendar/events_detail.php?eventID=2187

“Carnegie Science Center To Host Engineer the Future” (2011, Feb. 11). Carnegie Science Center. [Online press release]. Available: http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/content/press/pdf/2011_02_February_11_Engineer_the_Future.pdf

“Carnegie Science Center’s Engineer the Future Offers Inside Look at Regional Engineering Opportunities”. (2010, Feb. 16). Carnegie Science Center. [Online press release]. Available: http://www.carnegiesciencecenter.org/press_release_detail.aspx?pressID=273&pageID=237

D. Budny. (2012, Jan. 12). [Conversation]