Robotics-I is being offered during the Fall semesters, typically starting in the third week of August. Based on the project faculty experience, around 20-25 students enroll for this course. The registered students are generally divided into 4 to 6 teams, with each team consisting of 4-5 students. All possible combinations such as gender, ethnicity, grade-point average, different background and personal skills are utilized to achieve full diversity in and among teams.

The Robotics-I course learning objectives are that students will:

1. be  able  to  describe  stationary  and  mobile  robot  kinematics  in  mathematical frameworks
2. identify and use different types of locomotion
3. become familiar with the theoretical and practical aspects of various sensors and actuators
4. develop a timeline to design a robot for the regional competition
5. perform peer-mentoring activities at college and high school levels.

According to the IEEE Region 5 robotics competition guidelines, all required parts and components will be acquired for each team by utilizing funds from the IEEE local student chapter and Texas A&M University- Kingsville, Frank H. Dotterweich College of Engineering. The first week of the fall semester will cover the project review, overview of the competition rules, project description, and the associated tasks to be performed.

Teaching and hands-on laboratory activities will be performed simultaneously in the same room (EC 275) to maximize the true learning experience. Each team will prepare two progress reports, one around the mid-term, and the other one at the end of the fall semester.  The proposed course modules for Robotics-I are given in Table below as well as in syllabus.

Table : Robotics-I Course Contents