<slide_break></slide_break> ### Housekeeping <img src="/content/topics/images/hbr4.jpg" class="img-thumbnail d-block mx-auto" class="float-right" style="margin-right: 30px; height:200px"/> * Using my course materials as a place to write my presentation! * Yes, I will remove this before the class starts * Forgive typos! * Ok with me to record this * Happy to be interrupted with questions at any time <div style="clear:both; height:20px;"></div> <slide_break></slide_break> ### About Me * Computer Science B.S. from Brandeis University * Actually was pre-med but switched to computers early * Back in those days (80's) getting a programming job wsa pretty easy <slide_break></slide_break> ### Worked * DEC (Digital) * long-forgotten-database-company "Software House" (before relational was a thing!) * Lotus Development (Jazz, Improv, Notes, ccMail) * Founded eRoom Technology * Consuted in tech strategy * Brandeis (around 10 years ago) <slide_break></slide_break> ### What I know and don't know * "Software Engineer" not an academic * Although I've dabbled in research and have a handful of published papers * I've been a programmer for xx years! Many. * Age *does* change what you are good at and less good at <slide_break></slide_break> ### How I got into teaching * Around 2010 I was done with consulting * Always liked explaining * Had built up a massive knowledge base in my head * How to share it? Sure, become a college professor! * How hard can it be? * No PhD. In my 50's. * Hard to break into academia <slide_break></slide_break> ### Brandeis <img src="/content/topics/images/hbr3.jpg" class="img-thumbnail d-block mx-auto" class="float-right" style="margin-right: 30px; height:200px"/> * Multiple universities approached * Developed a few different ideas for courses * Initially co-taught a summer course. $0 * Eventually full time "Professor of the Practice" * Yes, my alma mater but that was not the deciding factor * Brandeis, traditionally is a liberal arts college <div style="clear:both; height:20px;"></div> <slide_break></slide_break> ### Computer Science at Brandeis * My one data point so YMMV * I was actually in the very first Comp Sci cohort at Brandeis (1976) * Relatively small department, ~15 faculty * About 300-400 Computer Science majors at any moment in time * Traditionally it was focused more on theory and research * Lately bringing in more "applied" people but still a minority <slide_break></slide_break> ### Computer Science Curriculum * Courses offered [this semester](https://registrar-prod.unet.brandeis.edu/registrar/schedule/classes/2024/fall/1400/all) * Bretty broad coverage of the "basics" of computer science (a few gaps closed recently) * Very strong representation of AI, Machine Learning, Neural Nets, Computational Linguistics * Almost all the courses have a significant "programmning" component * Java, Python and then various other languages * Until the Robotics course there was no course that involved actual hardware <slide_break></slide_break> ### My Courses * It does vary depending on the semester * Electives * Software Entrepreneurship (this semesster)[http://cosi102r.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com] * Autonomous Robotics (this semester)[http://cosi119r.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com] * Software Engineering Capstone (last year)[http://cosi166r.s3-website-us-east-1.amazonaws.com] * Software Engineering for Scalability (last year)[http://cosi105b.s3-website-us-west-2.amazonaws.com] * Required Courses * Introduction to Java Programming * Operating Systems <slide_break></slide_break> ### Students * I teach both undergraduate and graduate students * There's no rhyme or reason * Most of my courses are elective so I have to market them and make them engaging * Students are very intelligent and fearless * But, they focus far too much on grades and GPAs * They are willing to try whatever activity you invent * But of course they are inexperienced * You need to be careful about assuming what you would consider obvious or common sense * Also you are often the first one to tell them an oldie-but-goodie joke or war story <slide_break></slide_break> ### Classroom Facility * Classrooms come in all shapes and sizes * You have almost no control over what room or what time your class is going to be held * All classes have projectors and computer interfaces but also black boards (or white boards) * Problem is, can the board be seen from the back of the class? * Instructors can decide whether laptops are open or closed, whether attendance is taken, whether students can attend remotely. <slide_break></slide_break> ### Student expectations * You need to keep them "entertained" * Just like some of you are on your phones right now * They almost always are there because they want to learn * They have a lot of demands on their time * So they are always triaging their time * They want to know "why" they are being given an assignment or other <slide_break></slide_break> ### The genesis of the Robotics Course * I wanted to create something that would give students a taste of a real world large software project * Idea: Campus Rover * I thought it was a "solved" problem * As usual I didn't know what I didn't know (still don't) * That might be a strength :) <slide_break></slide_break> ### The Robotics course in context * What is it like to be the only Robotics course * It too much to fit into one course * None of my students have any electronics engineering knowledge * Initially had no special budget for this * Used my tiny personal faculty budget * Initially a "special" independent study with 6 students <slide_break></slide_break> ### General: Designing a course <img src="/content/topics/images/hbr8.jpg" class="img-thumbnail d-block mx-auto" class="float-right" style="margin-right: 30px; height:200px"/> * Brandeis gives us a lot of freedom * 13 Week semesters, either 3 50 minute or two 80 minute classes per week * Number of students expected will affect the design (scaling) * Assessment and grading can be fraught * Many alternative grading schemes are discussed (e.g. specifications grading) * how to design a course, learning objectives, homework assignments, assessment and grading <div style="clear:both; height:20px;"></div> <slide_break></slide_break> ### Pick your poison * Again, I didn't realize how complicated ROS is * "It's just another API, how hard can it be"? * Actually it's taken years (as you know) * Started with RObotis TB3. An excellent choice * Still not 100% sure that ROS was the right choice * WHy ROS1 and not ROS2? <slide_break></slide_break> ### About the course * It had to be hands on * It had to use python * It has to work with relatively cheap robots * Initially built it around the chapters in the [PRR](https://www.amazon.com/Programming-Robots-ROS-Practical-Introduction/dp/1449323898) book * After looking at every single book about ROS and Robots I could find * Brandeis has a subscription to all OReilly Publishing books <slide_break></slide_break> ### Building blocks * Learning objectices ("skills") * Homework assignments * Grading rubrics * Schedule of lectures <slide_break></slide_break> ### ROS in practice * Running ROS is a nightmare * Most students are not running Linux * And their computers are in widely varying conditions * Usually the first weeks of the course were spent getting students running * Then we built our cluster <slide_break></slide_break> ### About the Cluster * Kubernetes - K3S * Docker Images * Two pods per student, one for Linux Desktop and one for VS Code * Docker Images * Setup created by an excellent TA a few years ago * I had to learn it! <slide_break></slide_break> ### About the lab <img src="/content/topics/images/hbr7.jpg" class="img-thumbnail d-block mx-auto" class="float-right" style="margin-right: 30px; height:200px"/> <img src="/content/topics/images/hbr6.jpg" class="img-thumbnail d-block mx-auto" class="float-right" style="margin-right: 30px; height:200px"/> * Safety * LIPO batteries * Capacity of the lab * Space is at a premium so I've been in many different spaces <div style="clear:both; height:20px;"></div> <slide_break></slide_break> ### About the "Branbot" <img src="/content/topics/images/hbr1.jpg" class="img-thumbnail d-block mx-auto" class="float-right" style="margin-right: 30px; height:200px"/> * Large wheels: Wanted it to be able to go outside (remember original vision) * Cheaper: Taking advantage of maker lab and free labor <div style="clear:both; height:20px;"></div> <slide_break></slide_break> ### Tradeoff: Build your own robot? <img src="/content/topics/images/hbr5.jpg" class="img-thumbnail d-block mx-auto" class="float-right" style="margin-right: 30px; height:200px"/> * Learning: Turtlebot3 is manufactured professionally * I have to keep a "fleet" of about 10 robots running for students * We have gotten better at careful robust construction but it's still not as good <div style="clear:both; height:20px;"></div> <slide_break></slide_break> ### Team projects * Benefits * Risks * Choosing team members * Team dynamics * Projects need to be interesting and engaging * But plausible and doable. <slide_break></slide_break> ### Evolution * Over the first few years the evolution matched my learning curve * We now have home grown robots too (why) * Class sizes have steadily grown (reaching or passed a reasonable limit) <slide_break></slide_break> ### Continuity * Tried really hard to have each cohort build on the last one * Worked well when we thought we were jointly building "campus rover" * Now students contribute to Lab Notebook <slide_break></slide_break> ### Lab Notebook * [Lab Notebook](https://campusrover.github.io/labnotebook2/) * Useful for building "institutional memory" * Useful for assessment * Problems: * Students may put in invalid info * Or information becomes obsolete * Or info is valid but there is a much better way to do it <slide_break></slide_break> ### What about AI? <img src="/content/topics/images/hbr9.jpg" class="img-thumbnail d-block mx-auto" class="float-right" style="margin-right: 30px; height:200px"/> * Has upset many academic applecarts * Everyone is deciding what their AI policy will be <div style="clear:both; height:20px;"></div> <slide_break></slide_break> ### Self Assessment: What can be improved * Student wasted time trouble shooting "dumb stuff * Too much packed into one course * Because of that some of the learning is superficial <slide_break></slide_break> ### Self Assessment: What I am happy with * I am proud of the course * Students work very hard and learn a lot of the hard knocks of engineering * They certainly learn the basics of how autonomous robots work * Only a few of them go out for Robotics jobs (which is totally fine)