LMICSE: Lego Mindstorms in Computer Science Education

Call for Participation

Robotics-inspired problems are beginning to be used as a pedagogical tool for grounding abstract topics in certain computer science courses. Despite the appeal of robotics in computing, the cost of robotics kits and lack of organized educational resources and training have hampered adoption of robotics-inspired projects into established computer science courses. As the ACM/IEEE Computing Curricula 2001 (CC2001) guidelines begin to permeate curricula across the country, and as robotics kits become less expensive, we believe that the time is ripe to address how to integrate robotics effectively and inexpensively throughout the CC2001. To this end we invite computing science instructors to participate in the fifth of a series of NSF sponsored training workshops on using the MindStorms platform for teaching a significant portion of CC2001. The workshops focus on MindStorms for three reasons:

• Cost: A MindStorms NXT kit costs approximately $250 -- substantially Cheaper than the majority of robot kits considered for college use.
• Student Interest: Many students have played with LEGO building blocks as children, and therefore they are intrigued with working on LEGO-based classroom exercises.
• Flexibility: MindStorms has a suite of reusable snap-together sensors, effectors, building blocks, and a programmable control unit for a wide variety of projects. It can be programmed in a variety of languages, including Java, C++, and Common Lisp

Organization and Sponsorship

Under the auspices of NSF Education Innovation grant #0306096, Frank Klassner (Villanova University, PA), Pamela Lawhead (University of Mississippi, MS), and Myles McNally (Alma College, MI) are the workshop series organizers. They have extensive experience using MindStorms in a variety of computing courses, developing the required supporting curricular materials and MindStorms programming environments.

General Information

This workshop is being held at the University of Mississippi on June 5 - 8, 2007. The primary presenters will be Pam Lawhead and Myles McNally, with additional guest presenters. The workshop's curriculum will introduce the MindStorms hardware and the Java and Lisp environments for programming it. Workshop attendees will also gain experience in using the platform in a set of laboratory modules that span the CC2001 Body of Knowledge. A special session on using robotics themes in the undergraduate curriculum is planed as well. Prior experience with MindStorms is NOT required, but experienced MindStorms users are also welcome. Each participant will have the option of purchasing the MindStorms kit (with some additional sensors) they will practice on during the workshop for approximately $125, a 50% discount off the regular price. The workshop is scheduled to start on the morning of Tuesday, June 5, and end at noon on Friday, June 8. Attendees should plan to arrive in the late afternoon of June 4.

Accommodations and Travel

Participants' lodging and meals will be arranged for and covered by the workshop. Participants are responsible for their own travel costs. Those flying in should plan to arrive at the Memphis airport (MEM). Shuttle service will be provided between the airport and the campus. Housing will be on-campus at the Inn at Ole Miss.

Registration

Interested participants are encouraged to contact Pam Lawhead (lawhead AT cs DOT olemiss DOT edu) as soon as possible, as space is limited. There is no registration fee.

Schedule

The workshop schedule at this point is extremely sketchy and tentative. You can see example schedules at the pages for our previous workshops, e.g. the previous one at Alma College.