Abstract:

The teaching of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a fundamental part of a studies in computer science, for its widespread use in everyday life; in this way, an introductory course should include different topics and techniques in an integral way, which allows students to know the theoretical basis and its application in solving real problems. Traditionally, for each subject a practice is developed that allows to apply the theory or technique studied in a small scenario, what can produce that the students perceive that the subjects are isolated or it is more difficult to understand their relation.

In this document, it is proposed to use the project-based learning approach, the construction of four projects is proposed along an introductory course on Artificial Intelligence, each project covers the application of two or three units of the course program.

In this work we describe and analyze project one, which proposes the design of a Roomba type vacuum cleaner. For the resolution of this project, the topics were considered: Artificial intelligence and the approaches of its study, autonomous intelligent agents and search agents. For the construction of the automatic vacuum cleaner, a simulated 3D environment was used where the vacuum cleaner must clean all the reachable spaces and return to its charging station before the battery is finished.

Along with the construction of the agent-vacuum cleaner the students must elaborate an article, in which the design of their agent is described using the covered topics, the behavior of their agent is analyzed according to the proposed design and the established goals.
To guide the construction of the article, the evaluation rubric is presented to the students, which helps them to know all the aspects that should be described and discussed in their work.

This project has been used for five courses, with a total of approximately 200 students who have completed the project. Throughout the project specifications have been adjusted as well as the rubrics used.

Appropriate results have been obtained, since the students consistently use the topics of the three units chosen, they are able to put concepts into practice in solving a real problem and have shown greater interest in the topics of the AI.

Keywords:

Project-based Learning, Artificial Intelligence, autonomous intelligent agent.