Abstract
Seven years ago (2016), we began integrating Robotics into our Computer
Science curriculum. This paper explores the mission, initial goals and
objectives, specific choices we made along the way, and why and outcomes. Of
course, we were not the first to do so. Our contribution in this paper is to
describe a seven-year experience in the hope that others going down this road
will benefit, perhaps avoiding some missteps and dead-ends. We offer our
answers to many questions that anyone undertaking bootstrapping a new robotics
program may have to deal with. At the end of the paper, we discuss a set of
lessons learned, including striking the right balance between depth and breadth
in syllabus design and material organization, the significance of utilizing
physical robots and criteria for selecting a suitable robotics platform,
insights into the scope and design of a robotics lab, the necessity of
standardizing hardware and software configurations, along with implementation
methods, and strategies for preparing students for the steep learning curve.