Microsoft, it seems, is on something of a robotics kick: Just days after releasing software that it hopes will become standard for robot builders (The Chronicle, July 6), the company has unveiled a plan to use robots to lure students to computer-science courses.
Under the plan, Microsoft will give researchers from Bryn Mawr College and the Georgia Institute of Technology $1-million to design “personal robots” for introductory computing courses. Students in those courses would purchase the robots along with their textbooks and use the devices in a variety of programming and debugging exercises.
Bryn Mawr and Georgia Tech will match Microsoft’s $1-million gift to found the Institute for Personal Robotics in Education, a project that aims to improve the quality of campus research—and to use robotics projects to energize students’ interest in computing. —Brock Read
Developing online and blended learning programs requires research and collaboration. Learn how top technology companies are partnering with campuses across the country to advance online learning as it becomes an increasingly important aspect of higher education.