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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (Dec. 12, 2012) — It’s final exams week at Milligan College, and a group of students in the computer information systems (CIS) area had “ringside” seats for a fun, hands-on final that put into motion what they learned in class—literally.
Professor Teresa Carter’s logic class spent the last three weeks creating SumoBots for an exam week competition. The assignment consisted of putting together a small board and programming it with a simple application that uses light sensors on the bottom of the robot.
Students programmed the SumoBots to turn around when they sensed a lighter color. This allowed the robots to be contained on a mat that consisted of a black circle surrounded by a white rim barrier.
For their final competition, the class divided into groups to program their SumoBots. Then they placed their robots in the competition ring — two at a time — to see which robot knocks the other out of the ring first. The winner of the first round moved on to compete on the next level until a champion was determined. The winners of this year’s competition were Joshua Buckles, Joshua Church, Ryan Mahoney and Brandon Malone.
“This assignment is an excellent way for students to see the concepts they study in a book during the semester come alive for them in the classroom,” Carter said.
This isn’t the only hands-on learning the CIS students take part in during their studies at Milligan. In the fall, the hardware class refurbishes computers for area churches and non-profit organizations such as Interfaith Hospitality Network and The Salvation Army. The web design class does a similar service project in the spring, assisting non-profits with website design.
“Milligan emphasizes servant-leadership, and students in every area, including CIS, find many opportunities to put service learning into practice,” Carter said.