Project Summary:
In this GLE project, students from UNESP, Brazil, and DePaul University collaborated to work on a hands-on robotics project. The course aimed at exposing the students to intercultural and interdisciplinary interactions. Both institutes had a similar course on teaching the fundamentals of robotics with a focus on hands-on experimental components. The students from UNESP, belonged to an electrical engineering background, and those in DePaul were from computer science. The course was composed of three assignments designed to allow both student groups to display their strengths in developing the solution. In five synchronous sessions, activities such as ice-breaking, faculty lectures and discussion on the submitted work were conducted.
The learning objectives in the robot challenges covered both intercultural exposure and technical knowledge about the field. The students were grouped in such a way that at least two students from each university were included. The students engaged in discussions using third-party applications like WhatsApp and Discord. In every synchronous session, the solutions from the previous assignment were discussed and played on the robots in class. From each group, one student from either school were tasked to explain their proposed solution. The submitted solutions were followed by reports detailing the work and answering reflection questions.
Project Length:
Technology Tools Used:
Interaction Mode:
Learning Outcomes:
- Students gained insights about the robotics course content from a multi-disciplinary viewpoint, complementing each other's strengths in completing the assignments. (given that DePaul students were from computer science and UNESP students were from electrical engineering)
Students gained knowledge of global interconnectedness, becoming
appreciative of the similar interest in the field of robotics, same tools for learning the material, and same programming language to implement a
solution.
Faculty Feedback:
"I was amazed at how similar the teaching experience was across the borders. In the course we co-taught, we share the same language of mathematics and engineering to model a robot and program it to achieve a given task."
~ Dr. Muhammad Umer Huzaifa
"During the project, I would like to highlight the overcoming of some students who do not have command of the English language in looking for ways to interact with DePaul students and the support of DePaul students so that together they could accomplish the proposed tasks within the given deadlines."
~ Dr. Daniel Julien Barros da Silva Sampaio
Muhammad Umer Huzaifa
Institution: DePaul University
Discipline: Cyber-physical Systems Engineering
Course name: Introduction to Robotics
Daniel Julien Barros da Silva Sampaio
Institution:Sao Paulo State University – UNESP – Guaratinguetá Campus
Discipline: Faculty of Engineering Guaratinguetá – Electrical Engineering Department
Course name: Introduction to Robotics