Teaching design and project management with lego RCX robots

In traditional CS 1 classes students may not develop an appreciation for the planning process in software development. Current IDEs provide such immediate feedback that students can complete courses without an appreciation for the need to plan in advance and design thoughtfully. The course unit described here took time out from a Java-based CS 1 course to give students practical experience in programming a small robot in a highly restricted setting. Outcomes are described in detail. They are based on instructor's notes, and on analysis of both videotaped student demonstrations and student summative essays.