Robotics in Multidiscipline Multicultural Projects

Abstract

The United States Military Academy at West Point seeks to maximize the number of students that have the opportunity to participate in multidisciplinary and multicultural learning experiences. Meeting this increasing requirement while faced with budgetary constraints requires a low-cost, innovative approach. Faculty in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science built on their success of using robotics in the classroom to integrate computer science, electrical engineering and information technology students on project teams. Each project used a standard kit of equipment to design, build and test a robot that could complete a specific task. These projects, conducted at three overseas locations in foreign languages with local faculty and students, were a tremendous success. In this paper, we describe our methodology for integrating multidisciplinary and multicultural project members on undergraduate project teams and exporting this type of experience to distant locations while minimizing costs. In addition to meaningful project work, the students were able to increase their language proficiency, regional expertise and cultural awareness in their host countries.