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Towards a Unified CPS Education: Lessons Learned from a Cross-Disciplinary Robotics Engineering Program
Taşkın Padır and Michael A. Gennert, Robotics Engineering Program, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
ABSTRACT
In 2007, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) introduced an undergraduate degree program in robotics engineering, first in the United States, with the goal of educating a new cadre of engineering students with multidisciplinary skills to meet the workforce needs of the growing robotics industry. A four-course core curriculum called unified robotics is at the center of the program and provides an effective way of teaching foundations of robotics engineering from traditional disciplines of computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. In its fifth year, the program has been highly successful in meeting its educational outcomes in terms of quantity and quality of enrolled students, ABET EAC accreditation, placement in engineering workforce and graduate school, and course and project evaluations.
CURRICULUM DESIGN STRATEGY
CAPSTONE DESIGN
UNIFIED ROBOTICS CURRICULUM
ü 240 undergraduate students ü ABET -accredited in 2010. ü ~100 graduates, 97% placement ü Collaborative between CS, ECE, and ME Departments ü ü ü ü ü ü ü
Figure 2 – A proposed design approach for CPS education.
UNIFIED ROBOTICS IV: NAVIGATION
4th course in sequence ~60 students per year Precedes capstone design 7-week course 28 lectures, 7 labs Project teams of 3 “We work hard, the courses are hard, but we learn a lot. So, it is worth it.” – Students
Figure 4 – Examples of capstone design in robotics engineering.
1. What comprises a meaningful laboratory? 2. What is the appropriate level of robotics education? 3. How do we ensure that students can reach a level of robotics theory and practice for a meaningful project? 4. How do we maintain student interest and learning active as the courses progress? 5. What is the required content for a robotics capstone experience?
Figure 1 – WPI’s Robotics Engineering Program Layout
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION
ü Robotics in nature is a multidisciplinary engineering field similar to CPS, therefore it needs to be learned in a unified and integrated manner. ü Robotics, similar to CPS, is a complicated field to be taught at the undergraduate level. ü Unified robotics curriculum is spread over multiple years and self-contained. ü The program structure is flexible enough to accommodate students who do not decide “early” that they would like to pursue the program. ü Students who are not in the program can still be exposed to robotics topics either by pursuing a minor or taking any of the RBE courses as their engineering electives. ü A Roadmap for U.S. Robotics projects 10 ABET-approved BS programs in Robotics and 10 PhD programs in Robotics to be active in 15 years.
Figure 3 – RBE 3002 Unified Robotics IV: Navigation Design
REFERENCES
1. UNESCO Report, “Engineering: Issues, Chal- lenges and Opportunities for Development”, 2010. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001897/189753e.pdf 2. Baheti, R. and Gill, H. “Cyber-physical systems,” The Impact of Control Technology 161-166, 2011. 3. Padir, T., Gennert, M.A., Fischer, G., Michalson, W.R. and Cobb, E.C., “Implementation of an Undergraduate Robotics Engineering Curriculum”, ASEE Computers in Education Journal, Special Issue on Novel Approaches to Robotics Education, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 92-101, 2010. 4. http://www.robotics-vo.us/node/332
5. Tryggvason, G. and Apelian, D., “Re-Engineering Engineering Education for the Challenges of the 21st Century,” Commentary in JOM: The Member Journal of TMS, Oct. 2006. 6. Lee, E.A and Seshia, S.A., “Introduction to Embedded Systems, A Cyber-Physical Systems Approach,” http://LeeSeshia.org, ISBN 978-0- 557-70857-4, 2011. 7. Padir, T., Fischer, G., Chernova, S. and Gennert, M.A., “A Unified and Integrated Approach to Teaching a Two-Course Sequence in Robotics Engineering,” Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics,Vol. 23 No. 5, 2011. 8. “The WPI Plan: 40 Years of Innovation and Counting,” http://www.wpi.edu/news/perspectives/108116.htm.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1135854.
Taşkın Padır and Michael A. Gennert, Robotics Engineering Program, Worcester Polytechnic Institute
ABSTRACT
In 2007, Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) introduced an undergraduate degree program in robotics engineering, first in the United States, with the goal of educating a new cadre of engineering students with multidisciplinary skills to meet the workforce needs of the growing robotics industry. A four-course core curriculum called unified robotics is at the center of the program and provides an effective way of teaching foundations of robotics engineering from traditional disciplines of computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. In its fifth year, the program has been highly successful in meeting its educational outcomes in terms of quantity and quality of enrolled students, ABET EAC accreditation, placement in engineering workforce and graduate school, and course and project evaluations.
CURRICULUM DESIGN STRATEGY
CAPSTONE DESIGN
UNIFIED ROBOTICS CURRICULUM
ü 240 undergraduate students ü ABET -accredited in 2010. ü ~100 graduates, 97% placement ü Collaborative between CS, ECE, and ME Departments ü ü ü ü ü ü ü
Figure 2 – A proposed design approach for CPS education.
UNIFIED ROBOTICS IV: NAVIGATION
4th course in sequence ~60 students per year Precedes capstone design 7-week course 28 lectures, 7 labs Project teams of 3 “We work hard, the courses are hard, but we learn a lot. So, it is worth it.” – Students
Figure 4 – Examples of capstone design in robotics engineering.
1. What comprises a meaningful laboratory? 2. What is the appropriate level of robotics education? 3. How do we ensure that students can reach a level of robotics theory and practice for a meaningful project? 4. How do we maintain student interest and learning active as the courses progress? 5. What is the required content for a robotics capstone experience?
Figure 1 – WPI’s Robotics Engineering Program Layout
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION
ü Robotics in nature is a multidisciplinary engineering field similar to CPS, therefore it needs to be learned in a unified and integrated manner. ü Robotics, similar to CPS, is a complicated field to be taught at the undergraduate level. ü Unified robotics curriculum is spread over multiple years and self-contained. ü The program structure is flexible enough to accommodate students who do not decide “early” that they would like to pursue the program. ü Students who are not in the program can still be exposed to robotics topics either by pursuing a minor or taking any of the RBE courses as their engineering electives. ü A Roadmap for U.S. Robotics projects 10 ABET-approved BS programs in Robotics and 10 PhD programs in Robotics to be active in 15 years.
Figure 3 – RBE 3002 Unified Robotics IV: Navigation Design
REFERENCES
1. UNESCO Report, “Engineering: Issues, Chal- lenges and Opportunities for Development”, 2010. http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001897/189753e.pdf 2. Baheti, R. and Gill, H. “Cyber-physical systems,” The Impact of Control Technology 161-166, 2011. 3. Padir, T., Gennert, M.A., Fischer, G., Michalson, W.R. and Cobb, E.C., “Implementation of an Undergraduate Robotics Engineering Curriculum”, ASEE Computers in Education Journal, Special Issue on Novel Approaches to Robotics Education, vol. 1, no. 3, pp. 92-101, 2010. 4. http://www.robotics-vo.us/node/332
5. Tryggvason, G. and Apelian, D., “Re-Engineering Engineering Education for the Challenges of the 21st Century,” Commentary in JOM: The Member Journal of TMS, Oct. 2006. 6. Lee, E.A and Seshia, S.A., “Introduction to Embedded Systems, A Cyber-Physical Systems Approach,” http://LeeSeshia.org, ISBN 978-0- 557-70857-4, 2011. 7. Padir, T., Fischer, G., Chernova, S. and Gennert, M.A., “A Unified and Integrated Approach to Teaching a Two-Course Sequence in Robotics Engineering,” Journal of Robotics and Mechatronics,Vol. 23 No. 5, 2011. 8. “The WPI Plan: 40 Years of Innovation and Counting,” http://www.wpi.edu/news/perspectives/108116.htm.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1135854.