This project will develop a new set of highly motivating experiences for a closed laboratory associated with CS 1, the first-year computer science course. In these labs, students will acquire data from the external world (sensors, joystick, etc.), display and otherwise process it, and control processes in the external world. Preliminary experience with a joystick lab has been quite successful; student reaction was enthusiastic. The core ideas in the labs to be developed will be relatively language independent; the labs will initially be implemented for C++ and then later for Java (the Java labs should be a straight-forward translation of the C++ ones). The labs will utilize equipment which is either already part of many computer systems (e.g., joysticks and sound cards) or is fairly inexpensive. Many of the labs will involve student teams rather than individual work. It is anticipated that these new lab experiences will significantly increase student motivation, since they will allow students to work with real world data, control external devices, and produce professional-looking graphic output.
