In this paper a new teaching-learning-method including
the LEGO Mindstorms EV3 is presented. This computer
sciences course is part of the studies of mechatronics in the first
two semesters. The programming language being mediated is
ANSI-C. Computer science is not the most popular subject in
the interdisciplinary engineering field of mechatronics, therefore
the EV3 should be included to increase motivation. For the new
approach the former course – without the usage of EV3s – was
evaluated and a competency profile was identified. On this basis
a new didactical method was designed and implemented.
The EV3 is programmed with the IDE Eclipse and with a self
programmed plug-in.
Ein neues Lehr-/Lernarrangement als Einstieg in die C-Programmierung mittels LEGO Mindstorms EV3
(2015)
Ziel ist es, die Qualitätsverbesserung des Lehr-/Lernprozesses in der C-Programmierung
durch die Integration eines Roboters darzustellen. Dieses neue Konzept wurde bereits
teilweise in der Informatikveranstaltung (Studiengang Mechatronik – erstes und zweites
Semester mit 180 Minuten pro Woche) umgesetzt.
Conception of a LEGO Mindstorms EV3 Simulation for Programming in C in computer science courses
(2018)
LEGO's new robot, the Mindstorms EV3, offers a range of new possibilities for education. Its most important innovation is building upon the Linux kernel for the programmable unit. LEGO has also open sourced the firmware, allowing an easy extension. Programming for a robot can give engineering students much more practical experience with technical problems and improve the learning motivation. This was the reason to include the EV3 at the university's computer science course in the studies for Mechatronics, which utilises ANSI C as the programming language. As there was - until now - no possibility to program the robot in ANSI C, an Application Programming Interface, an Eclipse plug-in and an uploader were developed. Main criteria was an easy handling of these tools. In this paper the plug-in and its integration into the computer science course is presented.
In the practical Computer Science lessons at our University of Applied Sciences the students (Bachelor of Engineering in Mechatronics as well as Electrical Engineering and Information Technology) learn the programming language ANSI-C during the curriculum. 2015 the LEGO MindStorms EV3 robots were integrated into this lessons. Looking at this teaching & learning arrangement, the evaluations showed, a higher level of undergraduates’ motivation, more fun, and more practical relevance, but also some challenges; for instance the problem that the robots are only available in the lab during opening hours. Therefore, a transformer was developed to run an existing EV3 simulation. The plan is now to use a plugin for integrating this option into the Integrated Development Environment Eclipse as an intermediate stage. In the long term, several developments shall be combined to build a browser-based development environment for programming EV3 robots as well as the self-developed EV3 simulation. Therefore, this paper covers the holistic concept of integration.