Using Robotics for Teaching Critical Thinking, Problems Solving, and Self-Regulated Learning for Freshmen Engineering Students

Abstract

Incoming freshmen engineering students at the university graduated from a wide variety of high schools which do not all adequately prepare these students for the rigors of an engineering course of study. One of the required courses, entitled "University Success", covers a wide variety of topics ranging from university rules and regulations to study techniques and exam preparation. Within the framework of this course topics related to critical thinking and problem solving are addressed. The work detailed in this paper, sponsored by NSF, focuses on the use of robotics to introduce freshmen to engineering principles, evaluate their problem solving skills and expand their knowledge and use of self-regulated learning concepts / techniques in a concerted effort to improve retention and graduation rates in engineering.