Public course syllabus

ROS 2: For Students

A self-paced beginner ROS 2 course for students working on Ubuntu 24.04 with ROS 2 Jazzy. Across 78 lessons, learners install and source ROS 2, run Turtlesim, inspect nodes and the ROS graph, work with topics, services, parameters and actions, create a workspace and Python package, build with colcon, write a small publisher/subscriber system, use launch files, and diagnose common setup and runtime failures. The course intentionally stops before advanced navigation, SLAM, MoveIt, control theory, DDS tuning, or robot-specific stacks.

Audience: 9-12
Structure: 9 units
Delivery: Self-paced

Course overview

This self-paced beginner ROS 2 course uses Ubuntu 24.04 and ROS 2 Jazzy to move from installation and environment sourcing through Turtlesim, nodes, graph inspection, topics, services, parameters, actions, workspaces, Python packages, launch files, and controlled troubleshooting. It stops before advanced navigation, SLAM, MoveIt, control theory, DDS tuning, and robot-specific stacks.

Audience and pace

Grades 9–12. Nine evidence-gated Units have no calendar deadlines; move forward when setup, command evidence, or system checkpoint is complete.

What you will learn

Install, source, run, inspect, and recover a beginner ROS 2 environment.
Explain nodes, topics, messages, services, parameters, actions, workspaces, packages, and launch behavior.
Build a small Python publisher/subscriber system and diagnose a controlled failure using runtime evidence.

Course structure

Units cover ROS purpose, Ubuntu/Jazzy setup, Turtlesim/graph, topics/messages, services/parameters/actions, workspaces/colcon, packages/Python nodes, launch/reproducible startup, and final inspection/troubleshooting.

Learning evidence and assessment

Learners create environment, command, graph, interface, workspace, package, launch, and troubleshooting evidence. Assessment values a reproducible system and explanation rather than command memorization.

Expectations and boundaries

Use Ubuntu 24.04 and Jazzy only in approved environments. Do not use the course to operate physical robots, change shared middleware/network settings, or claim runtime behavior without terminal/graph evidence.

Capstone

The ROS 2 System Readiness Check starts from a clean terminal, sources the correct environment, runs/launches a small system, inspects communication, diagnoses one controlled failure, and explains the evidence.

Access and support

The reader includes setup and recovery guidance. Instructor-supported or documented analysis options are available when a local Ubuntu environment is unavailable.