This project develops an integrated set of student projects, tutorials and code which provide undergraduate students taking an AI course with practical experience in solving real-world problems. The second goal is the development of an open-source assessment tool that allows students to journal about their design decisions, record their challenges and solutions, and reflects on their design experience. The project includes both the development of instructional material to help teachers use the accompanying software to conduct and evaluate student projects and also the deployment and maintenance of a website which allows other instructors to use, modify and extend the projects.
The project is meant to have an explicitly collaborative approach, using open-source tools and materials wherever possible. The assessment share of the project helps teachers with the usually difficult task of evaluating the effectiveness of a student project. It provides undergraduate students with a better understanding of AI algorithms, gives them exposure to the application of AI techniques in real-world settings, and provides experience in solving practical problems.
The project has a potential to develop resources that can be used and shared by instructors worldwide in teaching AI to undergraduate students. This work assists with both teaching and assessment of AI courses at a variety of educational institutions. The labs described in this project can all serve as starting points for student undergraduate research.
