Research

21 pages, 1381 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Accessible Educational Resources for Teaching and Learning Robotics

by Maria Pozzi, Domenico Prattichizzo and Monica Malvezzi

Robotics 2021, 10(1), 38; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/robotics10010038 - 23 Feb 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 6382

Robotics is now facing the challenge of deploying newly developed devices into human environments, and for this process to be successful, societal acceptance and uptake of robots are crucial. Education is already playing a key role in raising awareness and spreading knowledge about [...] Read more.

Robotics is now facing the challenge of deploying newly developed devices into human environments, and for this process to be successful, societal acceptance and uptake of robots are crucial. Education is already playing a key role in raising awareness and spreading knowledge about robotic systems, and there is a growing need to create highly accessible resources to teach and learn robotics. In this paper, we revise online available educational material, including videos, podcasts, and coding tools, aimed at facilitating the learning of robotics related topics at different levels. The offer of such resources was recently boosted by the higher demand of distance learning tools due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential of e-learning for robotics is still under-exploited, and here we provide an updated list of resources that could help instructors and students to better navigate the large amount of information available online. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Educational Robotics)

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21 pages, 1150 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Attitudes towards Social Robots in Education: Enthusiast, Practical, Troubled, Sceptic, and Mindfully Positive

by Matthijs H. J. Smakman, Elly A. Konijn, Paul Vogt and Paulina Pankowska

Robotics 2021, 10(1), 24; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/robotics10010024 - 26 Jan 2021

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6806

Abstract

While social robots bring new opportunities for education, they also come with moral challenges. Therefore, there is a need for moral guidelines for the responsible implementation of these robots. When developing such guidelines, it is important to include different stakeholder perspectives. Existing (qualitative) [...] Read more.

While social robots bring new opportunities for education, they also come with moral challenges. Therefore, there is a need for moral guidelines for the responsible implementation of these robots. When developing such guidelines, it is important to include different stakeholder perspectives. Existing (qualitative) studies regarding these perspectives however mainly focus on single stakeholders. In this exploratory study, we examine and compare the attitudes of multiple stakeholders on the use of social robots in primary education, using a novel questionnaire that covers various aspects of moral issues mentioned in earlier studies. Furthermore, we also group the stakeholders based on similarities in attitudes and examine which socio-demographic characteristics influence these attitude types. Based on the results, we identify five distinct attitude profiles and show that the probability of belonging to a specific profile is affected by such characteristics as stakeholder type, age, education and income. Our results also indicate that social robots have the potential to be implemented in education in a morally responsible way that takes into account the attitudes of various stakeholders, although there are multiple moral issues that need to be addressed first. Finally, we present seven (practical) implications for a responsible application of social robots in education following from our results. These implications provide valuable insights into how social robots should be implemented. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Educational Robotics)

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24 pages, 3215 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Robot Tutoring of Multiplication: Over One-Third Learning Gain for Most, Learning Loss for Some

by Johan F. Hoorn, Ivy S. Huang, Elly A. Konijn and Lars van Buuren

Robotics 2021, 10(1), 16; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/robotics10010016 - 14 Jan 2021

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 5395

Abstract

In the design of educational robots, it appears to be undecided as to whether robots should show social behaviors and look human-like or whether such cues are insignificant for learning. We conducted an experiment with different designs of social robots built from the [...] Read more.

In the design of educational robots, it appears to be undecided as to whether robots should show social behaviors and look human-like or whether such cues are insignificant for learning. We conducted an experiment with different designs of social robots built from the same materials, which is unique in robotics research. The robots rehearsed multiplication tables with primary school children in Hong Kong, which is a user group not easily or often accessed. The results show that affective bonding tendencies may occur but did not significantly contribute to the learning progress of these children, which was perhaps due to the short interaction period. Nonetheless, 5 min of robot tutoring improved their scores by about 30%, while performance dropped only for a few challenged children. We discuss topics, such as teaching language skills, which may be fostered by human likeness in appearance and behaviors; however, for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM)-related subjects, the social aspects of robots hardly seem to matter. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Educational Robotics)

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19 pages, 3190 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring Robot Connectivity and Collaborative Sensing in a High-School Enrichment Program

by Igor M. Verner, Dan Cuperman and Michael Reitman

Robotics 2021, 10(1), 13; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/robotics10010013 - 07 Jan 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 4237

Abstract

Education is facing challenges to keep pace with the widespread introduction of robots and digital technologies in industry and everyday life. These challenges necessitate new approaches to impart students at all levels of education with the knowledge of smart connected robot systems. This [...] Read more.

Education is facing challenges to keep pace with the widespread introduction of robots and digital technologies in industry and everyday life. These challenges necessitate new approaches to impart students at all levels of education with the knowledge of smart connected robot systems. This paper presents the high-school enrichment program Intelligent Robotics and Smart Transportation, which implements an approach to teaching the concepts and skills of robot connectivity, collaborative sensing, and artificial intelligence, through practice with multi-robot systems. The students used a simple control language to program Bioloid wheeled robots and utilized Phyton and Robot Operating System (ROS) to program Tello drones and TurtleBots in a Linux environment. In their projects, the students implemented multi-robot tasks in which the robots exchanged sensory data via the internet. Our educational study evaluated the contribution of the program to students’ learning of connectivity and collaborative sensing of robot systems and their interest in modern robotics. The students’ responses indicated that the program had a high positive contribution to their knowledge and skills and fostered their interest in the learned subjects. The study revealed the value of learning of internet of things and collaborative sensing for enhancing this contribution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Educational Robotics)

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22 pages, 1163 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Robotics Course during COVID-19: Lessons Learned and Best Practices for Online Teaching beyond the Pandemic

by Andreas Birk, Evelina Dineva, Francesco Maurelli and Andreas Nabor

Robotics 2021, 10(1), 5; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/robotics10010005 - 30 Dec 2020

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 4627

Abstract

The article describes observations from the online teaching of a robotics class during the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, also known as the coronavirus. The changes in the course structure and in the provided material lead to an unexpected increase in the grade [...] Read more.

The article describes observations from the online teaching of a robotics class during the COVID-19 pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2, also known as the coronavirus. The changes in the course structure and in the provided material lead to an unexpected increase in the grade performance of the students. The article provides a description and an analysis of the effects and their possible causes. In addition to a grade-performance analysis, further data from a university-wide and from a course-specific survey are used. The analysis of the effects and their possible causes is furthermore discussed in relation to the educational research literature. Some evidence for the general findings is provided, which are of interest for online teaching or blended learning in general, respectively, for teaching in robotics and related areas. These include some evidence for the benefits of asynchronous online teaching and for the role of social interaction, which may happen in self-organized, smaller peer groups, even without the intervention of the instructor. The findings and the extensive pointers to the literature can also provide useful guidelines for instructors of robotics courses when considering the use of online or blended teaching in the future beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Educational Robotics)

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17 pages, 1880 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of the FIRST Robotics Program on Its Graduates

by Shahaf Rocker Yoel, Daphna Shwartz Asher, Maayan Schohet and Yehudit Judy Dori

Robotics 2020, 9(4), 84; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/robotics9040084 - 09 Oct 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 6963

Abstract

The program For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) for young students incorporates project-based learning (PBL) with designing and building wireless-controlled robots. The students are guided by experts, mostly engineers. The FIRST organization determines the theme of the robot annual competition. [...] Read more.

The program For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) for young students incorporates project-based learning (PBL) with designing and building wireless-controlled robots. The students are guided by experts, mostly engineers. The FIRST organization determines the theme of the robot annual competition. The goal of this research is to characterize and evaluate the effect of the FIRST program on graduates’ self-efficacy, interpersonal skills, and career choices in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The research participants included 297 FIRST graduates, mostly high schoolers, who responded to questionnaires, and five of them were interviewed. Analysis of the data showed that the FIRST program improved graduates’ interpersonal skills such as time management, teamwork skills, and self-efficacy, as well as had an impact on the graduates’ STEM career choices. The main factors impacting the graduates’ career choice was their exposure to robotics and to experts from the industry. The theoretical contribution is to the social cognitive theory (SCT) in the context of the FIRST program. Our study explains students’ career choice through correlations among students’ aspirations for choosing a career, their self-efficacy, their interpersonal skills, and their actual choice. The practical contribution lies in better understanding the robotic PBL program and expanding the STEM work force. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Educational Robotics)

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16 pages, 1010 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Teachers’ Opinions towards Educational Robotics for Special Needs Students: An Exploratory Italian Study

by Silvia Di Battista, Monica Pivetti, Michele Moro and Emanuele Menegatti

Robotics 2020, 9(3), 72; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/robotics9030072 - 16 Sep 2020

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 4687

Abstract

Research reveals that robotics can be a valuable tool for school students with special needs (SNs). However, to our knowledge, empirical studies on teachers’ attitudes towards educational robotics for SNs students have been very limited and, in general, do not account for the [...] Read more.

Research reveals that robotics can be a valuable tool for school students with special needs (SNs). However, to our knowledge, empirical studies on teachers’ attitudes towards educational robotics for SNs students have been very limited and, in general, do not account for the great variability in the existent difficulties of school-aged children. Our aim is to fill this research gap. This post-test empirical study assessed Italian pre-service and in-service learning support teachers’ attitudes towards the application of Educational Robotics—ER with their students with SNs at the end of a 12-h training course. The results generally showed that most teachers perceived ER as a powerful tool for children with numerous SNs, particularly for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder—ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder—ASD, and Dyspraxia. Looking at the differences depending on the school level, kindergarten teachers perceived that ER is mostly helpful for ASD, ADHD, Down Syndrome—DS as well as with psychological or emotional distress or the needs of foreign students. For primary school teachers, ER was mostly helpful with ADHD, Dyspraxia and ASD. For both junior secondary school teachers and high school teachers, ER was mostly helpful with ASD, Dyspraxia, and ADHD. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Educational Robotics)

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19 pages, 5660 KiB

Open AccessCommunication

Computational Design Thinking and Physical Computing: Preliminary Observations of a Pilot Study

by Dochshanov Alden and Michela Tramonti

Robotics 2020, 9(3), 71; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/robotics9030071 - 10 Sep 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3673

Abstract

Today’s technological development inevitably defies educational approaches in terms of future demand for skills to be imparted. Among other skills, the capacity to operate and communicate effectively within multidisciplinary realms is duly considered as the fundamental one. Educational robotics (ER) and STEM do [...] Read more.

Today’s technological development inevitably defies educational approaches in terms of future demand for skills to be imparted. Among other skills, the capacity to operate and communicate effectively within multidisciplinary realms is duly considered as the fundamental one. Educational robotics (ER) and STEM do constitute a suitable framework for the development of these specific skills. Moreover, competences such as computational (CT) and design thinking (DT) have already been nominated as necessary to adapt to the future and relevant for innovation. The years of independent development and evidence of practical implementation justify the maturity of the related methodological approaches and emerging gradual shift towards their combination. In this regard, the actual work presents a pilot experience of the combined application of computational design thinking and educational robotics in the case of a 9-to-11-year-old target audience. The approach utilizes a novel platform developed under the project Coding4Girls combining design thinking and game-based learning and introduces physical computing through consecutive assembling and programming an IR-controlled robot-car. The core of the learning path consists in the development of primary programming skills and their gradual transfer into the physical realm. The method, as the study demonstrates, is capable of helping keep students both motivated and result-oriented throughout the duration of the course. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances and Challenges in Educational Robotics)

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