Learning Geospatial Concepts as Part of a Non-Formal Education Robotics Experience

In the increasingly modern and technological world, it has become common to use global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as Global Positioning System (GPS), receivers, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in everyday life. GPS-equipped mobile devices and various Web services help users worldwide to determine their locations in real-time and to explore unfamiliar land areas using virtual tools. From the beginning, geospatial technologies have been driven by the need to make efficient use of natural resources. More recently, GPS-equipped autonomous vehicles and aircraft have been under development to facilitate technological processes, such as agricultural operations, transportation, or scouting, with limited or virtual human control. As outdoor robotics relies upon a number of principles related to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), using such an instructional context for non-formal education has been promising. As a result, the Geospatial and Robotics Technologies for the 21st Century program discussed in this chapter integrates educational robotics and GPS/GIS technologies to provide educational experiences through summer camps, 4-H clubs, and afterschool programs. The project’s impact was assessed in terms of: a) youth learning of computer programming, mathematics, geospatial and engineering/robotics concepts as well as b) youth attitudes and motivation towards STEM-related disciplines. An increase in robotics, GPS, and GIS learning questionnaire scores and a stronger self-efficacy in relevant STEM areas have been found through a set of project-related assessment instruments.

Building Technical Knowledge and Engagement in Robotics

In this chapter the authors focus on the opportunities for youth to engage in technical design through participation in two different afterschool robotics programs - the Digital Youth Network (DYN) and Robot Diaries (RD). The programs each take a different approach to motivating and engaging participants with robotic technology and design. Through an analytic comparison of these two programs, the authors offer insight on the relationship between programmatic goals and participant experiences. Specifically, they describe how programmatic goals influenced the opportunities available for participants to engage with technology, increase their comfort level with technology, and build skills in adapting technology to facilitate individual and group–centered design goals. The chapter concludes by offering recommendations regarding programmatic structure (e.g., the role of audience, the importance of materials selection, instructor’s roles, and instructor knowledge-based resources) based on the desired participant outcomes.

Robots Underwater! Learning Science, Engineering and 21st Century Skills

The underwater environment presents novel challenges that can facilitate unique learning experiences for students engaged in robotics programs. Although the number of underwater educational robotics programs is small by comparison to other forms of K-12 robotics initiatives, several do exist, which have varying learning goals, implementation approaches, and tools. This chapter describes an underwater robotics program using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® components and related materials for middle and high school students. The program, known as WaterBotics™, has undergone an extensive, four-year research and development phase and curriculum redesign effort. This chapter describes the theoretical framework of the curriculum design, the components and resources available in the challenge-based curriculum, and lessons learned about teacher practices and their relationship to student learning outcomes in physical science, Information Technology skills, engineering design, and engineering career interest. “Core elements of success” of the program and curricular adaptations are described in the context of a scale-up initiative that is adapting the curriculum for use in informal education settings.

Generating Transferable Skills in STEM through Educational Robotics

This chapter aims to present guidelines, suggestions, and ideas for designing educational robotics programs, which help participants generate skills useful in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) as well as in other career paths. A list of skills areas is presented, categorized either as highly STEM-relevant or more universal, and each skills area is discussed in the context of the content and delivery methods of robotics programs. Examples are provided from several existing curricula to demonstrate how robotics can be leveraged for generating these useful skills. A set of suggestions is then presented for guiding future robotics curriculum development, in formal or informal settings.

The Mediating Role of Context in an Urban After-School Robotics Program

The purpose of this chapter is to illustrate the usefulness of cultural-historical activity theory in understanding how context mediates youth activity in a successful urban after-school robotics program. Youth activity is analyzed using activity systems, uncovering the role of tools, rules, community, and division of labor in youth engagement with a set of open-ended engineering tasks. The program supported the youth in making sense of the engineering tasks using their own intuitive methods, and it also helped them to see a purpose for disciplinary practices. The author illustrates that the social context, made up of elements from in and out of school, supported youth in drawing on knowledge from across different settings. A use of activity systems is proposed for practitioners in the design of out-of-school-time educational programs.

Medical Robotics in K-12 Education

Medibotics, the merging of medicine, robotics, and Information Technology, is a program that uses LEGO™ Mindstorms for school kits with NXT software to introduce students and teachers to engineering and Information Technology through the use of robotics. The curriculum, developed for the Medibotics program, was a collaboration of university faculty and secondary school teachers, incorporating Information Technology, engineering, and robotics into classroom lessons by teaching students to design and build robots to solve biomedical engineering problems. Teachers receive intensive professional development in the integration of the Medibotics curriculum and the robotics kits into their classroom instruction and in methods to develop standards-based lesson plans as the curricula are aligned with the New Jersey Core Curriculum Content Standards (NJCCCS) and national standards in science and mathematics. A workbook of lessons for building robots to perform simulated computer-assisted surgeries, with elements of actual medical procedures, has been developed. This chapter describes the rationale behind this program, its structure, and evaluation.

STEM Outreach with the Boe-Bot®

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education has come to the forefront as national and state leaders look for ways to foster innovation in the United States. Innovation is the key to maintaining economic and national security, and it is through the application of math and science concepts that scientific and technological innovations are developed. By increasing student interest and motivation to pursue studies in STEM fields, the odds of developing and sustaining a workforce capable of creating the innovations of tomorrow increase. Students need opportunities to explore STEM concepts in contexts that demonstrate the relevance of those concepts in the world around them. This chapter describes the rationale, development, implementation, and outcomes of a STEM outreach robotics activity that uses the Parallax Inc. Boe-Bot® kit as a platform. It is intended to provide an example of how robotics and STEM concepts can be integrated into a project that engages students in problem solving and teamwork, while addressing content standards through student-centered learning. Systems engineering principles were used both in the development and the implementation of this robotics STEM outreach activity.

Robotics and Problem-Based Learning in STEM Formal Educational Environments

Some of the best learning may occur in the context of a problem, whether in life or in the formal educational classroom. This chapter focuses on the use of educational robotics as a rich context for real-life applications and problems that can encourage the teaching and learning of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) in formal K-12 educational environments. The chapter presents research related to the compatibility of educational robotics with problem-based learning, as well as two years of field test results from a National Science Foundation (NSF) project that is developing, testing, and refining an educational robotics curriculum. This curriculum has a foundation of problem-based learning strategies. The national curriculum effort uses an open-source programmable, robot platform and a Web-based cyber-infrastructure delivery system that provides teachers with a flexible lesson structure, compatible with national standards and engaging students in problem-based learning.

In and out of the School Activities Implementing IBSE and Constructionist Learning Methodologies by Means of Robotics

In this chapter, the authors describe an inquiry-based science education (IBSE) theoretical framework as it was applied to robotics activities carried out in European K-12 classrooms during the last six years. Interactions between IBSE, problem-based learning, constructivist/constructionist learning theories, and technology are discussed. Example activities demonstrate that educational robotics capitalizes on the digital curiosity of young people. This leads to concrete experiences in STEM content areas and spreads computational thinking to all school types and levels. Cooperation among different stakeholders (students, teachers, scientific and disseminating institutions, families) is emphasized in order to exploit in and out of the classroom school resources, competencies, and achievements and for implementing peer-to-peer education among students and teachers in the same class/school or from different schools.

Promoting Diversity and Public School Success in Robotics Competitions

The objective of robotics competitions, such as FIRST LEGO® League (FLL®), is to create a tournament that promotes high-level engineering and academic engagement in students by providing the most rewarding experience possible for the largest group of students. To increase the number of students age 9-14 successfully participating in FLL® from public schools, and to concurrently increase the diversity of the pool of student participants, the Georgia FLL® organizers have implemented a number of interventions. These interventions can be grouped into A) Centralized policy decisions that impact how the program is run at the state level; B) Outreach activities that provide low-income teams with training and supplies; C) Promotion of LEGO® Mindstorm use within the actual school curriculum; and D) Partnerships with school systems to promote after-school FLL® robotics clubs. This chapter reviews these efforts and their effect on tournament diversity.