Using Robotics to Motivate Learning in an AI Course for Non-Majors

Accessible Hands-on AI and Robotics Education

Volume

Papers from the 2004 AAAI Spring Symposium

Contents

This paper describes an undergraduate course in Artificial Intelligence aimed at students who are not Computer Science majors. A significant component of the course is a weekly laboratory in which students build and program simple vehicular robots. While the laboratory exercises are quite distinct from the topics discussed in class, they serve several important purposes. The lab provides a setting in which students can build confidence; the fun of working with robots motivates students to be more engaged in lecture; and students learn some fundamental programming concepts in addition to material about AI.