Experience With Autonomous Robots And Wireless Handheld Internet Devices In A Computer Basics Course

Beginning undergraduate engineering students need computing skills. A course was developed to support the retention of those undergraduates who were lacking in basic computing skills. This paper discusses the results of using novel technologies in an assimilation course. The technologies consisted of autonomous robots that were relatively easy to build and Pocket PCs with an integrated wireless capability in order to access the Internet. The paper includes the background information on the course, technologies, and the applicability. In addition, student experiences with the tools are also covered in the paper.