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From Robots to Gorillas : Computer Programming for Engineers

Dileepan Joseph, D.Phil. (Oxon), P.Eng. (AB) Associate Professor of Engineering University of Alberta. From Robots to Gorillas : Computer Programming for Engineers. Outline. Introduction Procedural C++ with Robots MATLAB with Gorillas Evaluation and Reflection Conclusion. Introduction.

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From Robots to Gorillas : Computer Programming for Engineers

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  1. Dileepan Joseph, D.Phil. (Oxon), P.Eng. (AB)Associate Professor of EngineeringUniversity of Alberta From Robots to Gorillas: Computer Programming for Engineers

  2. Outline • Introduction • Procedural C++ with Robots • MATLAB with Gorillas • Evaluation and Reflection • Conclusion ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  3. Introduction • ENCMP 100 Computer Programming for Engineers is a 1-semester 3-credit-hour course in a common 1st year program. • The course is taught by 5 lecture instructors, 1 lab instructor, and about 20 TAs and markers to about 800 engineering students per year. • From 2009 to 2012, the course underwent major changes due to student dissatisfaction, as expressed in prior 4th year exit surveys. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  4. Introduction • The paper describes strategies taken in this complex scenario to improve the course material taught to students and to improve the author’s teaching evaluations. • Focusing on the author’s contributions, the paper compares 2 versions of the course: • The first, in 2008–10, taught procedural C++ (C and C++ I/O) with a virtual robot called Karel; • The second, since 2010, taught MATLAB with a video game based on Gorillas, a 1991 classic. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  5. Introduction • As with recent literature, this work supports the teaching of introductory computer programming with MATLAB, not C/C++. • It also provides a detailed account of how the teaching of programming is facilitated by the development of a complex video game. • Moreover, the Gorillas in MATLAB approach is distinguished by the introduction of iterative and incremental development (IID) to a 1st year programming course. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  6. Procedural C++ with Robots • Karel, introduced by Pattis (1981), is a virtual robot with a simple programming language. It was created for educational purposes. • Bergin et al.’s update of Karel (1997), called Karel++, was used in ENCMP 100 for 2 years. Object-oriented aspects were hidden. • Karel continues to be used in introductory programming courses elsewhere, such as in CS106A at Stanford University. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  7. Procedural C++ with Robots • Initial (left) and final (right) situations (what the world looks like) for a Karel task (what the robot should do), from an ENCMP 100 assignment. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  8. Procedural C++ with Robots • In addition to lecturing and examining duties, the author developed and led a formal Karel programming contest, based on an informal one that was previously developed. • Its goals were to encourage creativity and offer personal interaction in what was a very structured course with large classes. • The contest, not for credit but for prizes, had “limited” and “unlimited” categories. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  9. Procedural C++ with Robots • About 3% of the class, or 20 students per year (Winter Term), took part in the contest. • Presentations were shared with the whole class afterwards. • 41% of all entries and 59% of “unlimited” entries were games. Matti Lund and Greg Gislason present their winning entry in the “unlimited” category (2010). They went on to study Mechanical and Civil Engineering, respectively. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  10. Procedural C++ with Robots • Although department-led initiatives, begun in 2009, were improving the course, faculty-led initiatives would ultimately trump them. • While there was consensus that “a common core level of programming instruction be present in our programs”, there was a lack of consensus over the procedural C++ choice. • After substantial internal debate and external consultation, the faculty chose MATLAB. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  11. MATLAB with Gorillas • In developing the MATLAB course, instructors decided to retire rather than adapt Karel. • MATLAB enabled visual examples easily enough, and the language was simpler. • Another reason was to avoid duplication, where concepts taught with one language were then re-taught with another. • This left a 2–3 week gap in the 12-week course for each instructor to fill. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  12. MATLAB with Gorillas • The author taught students to program a game, entitled Gorillas in MATLAB, using IID with 6 versions. • Each time a syllabus part was completed, the game was revisited and improved based on what was taught. The IID model puts requirements specification, implementation (coding), and verification (testing) in a circular loop. Each cycle of the loop results in a usable prototype, which evolves. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  13. MATLAB with Gorillas • In this artillery game, which requires angle and velocity inputs each turn, 2 gorillas throw bananas at each other atop a city skyline. • External resources, e.g., Nintendo images found online, are used with attribution. • In addition to code, which is re-developed in class, 30 slides were prepared to frame each version (3–4 slides) and the whole project. • The covered syllabus correlates very well with material in a popular textbook by Attaway. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  14. MATLAB with Gorillas Kong (facing east): Angle (degrees)? 53 Velocity (m/s)? 11 Prof (facing west): Angle (degrees)? 57 Velocity (m/s)? 11 Prof wins (facing west). • Command (left) and figure (right) windows for one game of Gorillas in MATLAB (V6). Kong and Prof, the “final boss”, are computer players. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  15. MATLAB with Gorillas ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  16. Evaluation and Reflection • The author’s instructor excellence rating rose from 50th to 75th percentile, comparable to his other courses, by going from procedural C++ with robots to MATLAB with Gorillas. • The impact on 4th year exit surveys will begin to be known in 2014. Nevertheless, student representatives no longer complain to the ECE Department Chair about the course. • Antagonism to the course on its 1st day has declined from 20% (2010) to 15% (2012). ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  17. Evaluation and Reflection • In 2010–11, Gorillas in MATLAB was taught only in the author’s ENCMP 100 section, while it was being developed for the first time. • Peer assessment was very positive. Other instructors decided to adopt the material, after seeing it, for their own sections. • Once further development was complete, Gorillas in MATLAB was taught to 768 students in 2012 (Winter Term). ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  18. Evaluation and Reflection • Gorillas in MATLAB unified the syllabus much better than did Karel, who was barely seen in class after the first 2 weeks, with procedural C++ (the contest was held out of class). • With the new course, important software engineering concepts, like refactoring and IID, are introduced with programming. • All students, and not just those who enter a contest, are taught how to develop a larger program over a longer period of time. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  19. Conclusion • Source code, data files, and PowerPoint slides for Gorillas in MATLAB (6 lectures) may be downloaded from the author’s website. • Comprising up to 25% of a 12-week course at the University of Alberta, it is used to teach introductory computer programming. • The syllabus is divided into 6 parts. At the end of each part, a version of Gorillas in MATLAB is taught. This unifies the course nicely. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  20. Conclusion • Unlike the state of the art, the proposed approach exploits iterative and incremental development and video game design to teach introductory computer programming. • Relative to a previous course on procedural C++ with virtual robots, students expressed their preference for the current course by giving the author a significantly higher instructor excellence rating. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

  21. Acknowledgements • ENCMP 100 is taught by a team and so the author is grateful to his colleagues, as well as to administrators and students, for their roles in course evolution. • The author also thanks MathWorks for their offer of sponsorship. Left to right: Marek Reformat, Qing Zhao, Sarah McEvoy, Dileepan Joseph, and Bruce Cockburn. Missing: Paul Iglinski, Lukasz Kurgan, and others. ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

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