Charge the battery. After charging, you should connect it to the motherboard and turn it on when running the motor. The USB interface on your computer might be able to power the motor, but that much current may destroy your USB interface. Don't try it. Use the battery when you use the motor.
Install the Arduino IDE (Integrated Development Environment).
Turn the robot upside down so the wheels don't touch the ground. Run the test program test_encoder2. If you can't make the numbers both go up and down, let the professor know.
Turn the robot upside down so the wheels don't touch the ground. Connect the battery and run the program test_servo.
Gradually increase the gain(s) in the program test-servo until the control loop goes unstable. Now you know what "going unstable" looks and sounds like. Don't let it be unstable for too long, that might cause damage to the robot. Unplug the USB cable connector from your computer and then turn off the battery to cut power to the robot.