Donald Kline, Jr.; Emily Redmond; Kaitlyn Ruhl, Vikram Patwardhan
Overview:
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Part 1
 Objective
 Motivation
 Data
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Part 2
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Objective
Background
Motivation
Statement of Work
Data
Justified Budget
Summary
Part 1
Objective:

Design exhibit as representatives of
University of Pittsburgh
 Display at Carnegie Science Center for
“Engineer the Future”
 Consist of interactive Lego Mindstorm robots
 Engage students & encourage interest in
engineering
Motivation:
Inspire students to consider computing,
robotics, & engineering
 Project a positive image of the
University of Pittsburgh
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 Future students
 Employers
Data
Data Cont’d (Monster Robot)
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Two personalities
 Line Following Mode
 Monster Mode
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Robot design
 Sensors
 Structure
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Coding
 Calls 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:
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 Engage, instruct, and challenge incoming 9th
graders
 Allow 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.
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Background Cont’d
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This year is different from past years
 Previous years: Each group of students get
one week with each engineering course
 This 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
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Statement of Work
1.
2.
3.
Become acquainted with coding,
structure, and capabilities of the Lego
Mindstorm robots
Develop a detailed curriculum that fits
with the changes in the Investing NOW
program
Submit the teacher manuals,
instructional documents, and final
challenge board to Investing NOW
WBS
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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 2
Gantt Chart: Team 6, Lego Mindstorms Part 2: Curriculum
9-Feb
1
1.1
1.1.1
1.2
2
2.1
2.1.1
2.2
2.2.1
2.2.2
2.2.3
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
16-Feb
23-Feb
1-Mar
Donald Kline, Jr, Emily Redmond, Vikram Patwardhan, and Kaitlyn Ruhl
8-Mar
15-Mar
22-Mar
29-Mar
5-Apr
12-Apr
19-Apr
Data (Documents):
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Day 1:
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Day 2:
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Course Overview (ppt)
Flashy Demos/Robot Potential
(online/ppt)
Ice Breakers (doc)
Intro to NXT Brick (ppt)
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)
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Importance of Planning Designs
(ppt)
Mechanical Engineering (ppt)
Common Building Options (doc)
Electrical Engineering (ppt)
Sensor PowerPoint (ppt)
Examples for Practicing Building
(doc)
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Complicated Coding from Video
Trainer (online)
Complicated Coding Techniques (ppt)
Individual Worksheets (doc)
Group Exercises (doc)
Day 7
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Intro to Pseudocode (ppt)
Description of Mindstorm Code (ppt)
Individual Psuedocode (doc)
Intro to Computer Engineering (ppt)
Group work on coding (doc)
Day 6
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Competition Explanation (doc)
Industrial Engineering (ppt)
Team Building (ppt)
Assorted Videos (online)
Day 5:
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Day 3:
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Day 4:
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
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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
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Part 2:
 Investing NOW will take care of it
Summary
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Part 1:
 Created an exhibit which was enjoyed by
students
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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?even
tID=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_Febr
uary_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?press
ID=273&pageID=237
D. Budny. (2012, Jan. 12). [Conversation]