A Case Study with the University of Sheffield

Who we are…

The University of Sheffield is a world-famous institution located in the north of England, a member of the elite Russell Group and ranked in the world's top 100 universities by the QS World University Rankings. The University of Sheffield currently has 28,000 students enrolled from over 120 countries and boasts numerous Nobel Prize winners. Known for its strength in engineering, the University of Sheffield holds strong links with industry with companies such as Boeing and Rolls-Royce being key investors.

The University of Sheffield with the esteemed Sheffield Robotics Centre and the newly built The Diamond (a hub for the Faculty of Engineering) were looking to engage students with MiRo in First Year teaching modules and to centre an abundance of under- and post-graduate research projects.

Alex Lucas, Teaching Associate in Robotics shares in his own words, the Universitys’ experience of teaching using MiRo-E and MiRoCLOUD below.

How we are using MiRo…

Alex Lucas, Teaching Associate in Robotics

The University of Sheffield purchased 40 MiRos just before the start of the 2019—2020 academic year.

We at the Department of Computer Science trialed the fleet in the Autumn in Y1 "Introduction to Programming'' module, where students got a chance to program MiRos using MiRoCode. This first version of MiRoCODE was a Beta version that required a download and wasn’t available online. This software was somewhat tricky to set up, but once that was done the whole experience proved to be very new and exciting for the students.

In Spring 2020, the plan was to use MiRos for the more advanced Y3 module with the help of the MDK, but just as we were having our first sessions the pandemic hit and the University had to go into the first lockdown.

Fortunately, right at that time, an early version of the new MiRoCLOUD software was released, which enabled us to move our teaching online and salvage the rest of the module. Having this early experience of online delivery was brilliant, and a game-changer in planning for the future.

The Outcome…

For the 2020—2021 academic year, the whole structure of practical sessions was built around MiRoCloud with the focus on a `blended learning` approach.

This academic year, the majority of "Introduction to Programming'' sessions were done online, but every so often the students were able to visit the Diamond and play with the real MiRos, using the very same codes they developed in MiRoCloud while working in simulation. These sessions were well received by the students, who particularly appreciated the flexibility of this approach and learning the differences between programming in simulation and in reality.

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