Abstract:

This article describes the development of a “flipped classroom” for mobile robotics teaching at the mechatronics degree program in the UAC Autonoma del Caribe University (Barranquilla - Colombia). The Mobile Robotics Flipped Classroom is a form of blended learning in which students learn the content about robotics online, by watching video lectures at home, and is in class where concepts are strengthened with the teacher’s help and activities in the mobile robotics laboratory. The syllabus of this course starts with a video about an introduction to mobile robotics, followed by video lectures about sensors and perception, behavior oriented programming, kinematic and dynamic models in robotics, sensors and localization, deliberative navigation and finishing with sensor fusion in robotic. At begin of each class few minutes are dedicated to discuss the material revised at home before, after questions are answered, students have the tasks for the day, it might be a laboratory, research activity or an activity of solving problems with instructions. The main idea is what used to be homework is going to be done in class in the mobile robotics lab, using Lego NXT robots and specialized software in order to support the video lectures, all this is made with lab guides and a teacher offering more personalized guidance through the algorithms programming task. This is how the role of the teacher in the classroom has changed dramatically. He’s no longer the presenters of information, but assume a more important role of tutor, so he spends his time in room helping students with concepts that are stuck. It’s important that at the begging of the course the students be educated about a note-taking system, in this case the Cornell method is used to provide a systematic format for condensing and organizing notes, in order to make the students to achieve watch videos effectively. All the lectures are provided to the students by the UAC’s Myrta (Medios y recursos tecnologicos academicos, Media and academic technology resources) platform.

Keywords:

Flipped classroom, mobile robotics, teaching, lab guides, lego NXT.