Technology inspires when you discover it together!

Every two weeks, 25 tenth-grade students from the Joliot-Curie Gymnasium in Görlitz spend 90 minutes immersing themselves in the world of robotics as part of their modular specialized courses. The course takes place at the Zittau/Görlitz University of Applied Sciences in the computer science department and offers students the opportunity to get a taste of college life and learn more about computer science. This is achieved through a combination of lectures and hands-on exercises.

Last October presented the course with some very special challenges: holidays and school breaks resulted in longer gaps between in-person sessions. However, the students did not let this slow them down. With remarkable initiative, they worked independently on the provided Jupyter notebooks, used the interactive learning environment to review and reinforce their knowledge, and thus continuously expanded their understanding even outside of class.

The school year began for the course participants with a thorough introduction to programming with Python. In addition to basic language concepts, the students also dealt with a central principle of robot programming: state machines. Using illustrative examples, they learned how complex behavior can be modeled using clearly defined states and transitions. This concept formed the basis for all subsequent practical projects.

Instead of relying on the usual block-based programming, the students worked with the widely used programming language Python from the very beginning. To make it easier to get started, the university team developed a virtual Calliope environment for Jupyter notebooks. In this secure environment, students could write, test, and understand their first programs before transferring them to the actual microcontroller.

The Calliope mini 3 subsequently became the central learning tool. With its sensors, LED matrix, and speaker—which was particularly popular among all the students—it offered numerous opportunities to bring program code to life.

Once the basics had been learned, the next step followed last December: expanding the Calliope mini with the Motion Kit. First on the program was the mechanical assembly, in which the students assembled their robots independently and developed a better understanding of the hardware. A course was then designed, the course of which was determined by a self-programmed random generator.

The course was mapped directly on the work tables using sticky dots. In order to implement the routes correctly, a set square, a sense of proportion and spatial imagination were required. The robots were programmed to cover certain distances as accurately as possible. At the end of the degree, the robots had to complete the entire course autonomously and optimize the programs step by step.

The students worked in small groups, supporting each other, analyzing mistakes and discussing solution strategies. Two teachers from the faculty accompanied the course and provided expert advice. There was great enthusiasm when the robots successfully mastered their first course. Laughter, cheers and proud faces included.

A special highlight awaited the participants in January: the use of robot dogs. The aim is for the students to develop a deeper understanding of sensor-based control and learn how complex systems perceive and react to their environment. Course tasks are used to illustrate how sensors, actuators and software interact and the challenges that arise when programming autonomous systems.

The modular profile lessons impressively demonstrate that programming is much more than just writing code. Teamwork, creativity and perseverance are just as important as technical understanding. The combination of Python, Jupyter notebooks and practical robotics projects inspires pupils. It also provides a solid foundation for future academic and professional paths in the STEM field.