Educational Robotics

Learning Experiences From An Interdisciplinary and Cross-Institutional Innovation Project As Part of a Robot Festival

by Lars Bojen

Controlling SCARA using Virtual Open Sourced Teach Pendant and provide a unique HMI

by Rushabh Doshi

published in IWAMA 2012, SFI Norman, Norway

Develop a unique Virtual Teach Pendant using LabVIEW for eliminating the need of a hard wired Teach Pendant genreally... more Develop a unique Virtual Teach Pendant using LabVIEW for eliminating the need of a hard wired Teach Pendant genreally present in an Industrial Manipulator System. This Teach Pendant vi has 3 modes and is open sourced and can be programmed according to the need of the application for the system, so by just changing the software on the teach pendant we can make the Robotic system perform versatile operations like pick-place, painting, welding, cutting, etc

A human robot interaction application for robotic education

by Mehmet Tekerek

The aim of the robotic education is to make the students know the elements of robot and to enhance their abilities on... more The aim of the robotic education is to make the students know the elements of robot and to enhance their abilities on planning applications by using the robot applications and more for experiencing the existing mechanic construction.

In order to studying according to a certain curriculum, they need laboratories which they can enhance them befitting to their future settings.

It's certain that practices of the computer take place as a collateral factor in every field of education. Practices of computer hold a place as an access and control factors.

In this study, the current structure of the robotic education is accentuated, and XR3 is prepared according to experimental robot as an educational material. 2D simulation is improved which has the capacity of visualization the movement with robot synchronously and provides observing the movements of robot in advance or the opportunity of watching it visually without the need of robot's move.

Rhino XR3 Robot and Mark 3 Controller which is in the constitution of Flexible Manufacturing Systems’ laboratory of Gazi University Engineering and Architecture Faculty were used for this application. Delphi 6 Personal Edition Compiler was also used for the development period of software.

Experiences of Prospective High School Teachers Using a Programming Teaching Tool

by Louis Major

Major, L., Kyriacou, T. and Brereton, O. P. (2011) Experiences of Prospective High School Teachers Using a Programming Teaching Tool. In Proceedings of the 11th Koli Calling International Conference on Computing Education Research (Koli Calling '11), Koli National Park, Finland, 17 - 20 November 2011. ACM. pp. 126-131.

During their time at school few high school students are exposed to basic computing concepts as Computer Science (CS)... more During their time at school few high school students are exposed to basic computing concepts as Computer Science (CS) is not considered to be an important part of the curriculum. As a result many high school students do not encounter programming during their studies. In the UK, despite newly qualified CS and ICT (Information and Communication Technology) teachers having specific subject knowledge, in recent years schools have steadily ‘watered down’ the content of CS courses and have aligned the subject with disciplines such as Business Studies. This has distanced Computing from the other sciences whilst adding to students’ confusion about what the subject actually entails. This paper presents the results of a study which involved 23 trainee CS/ICT teachers. The study took the form of a day-long workshop session and had the objectives of determining what perceptions and opinions the trainee teachers held in regards to programming as well as to discover the effectiveness and potential of a programming teaching tool based on the concept of a robot simulator. Analysis of data collected during the session shows how, despite the majority of trainees having some programming experience, a number of trainees had difficulty completing basic programming challenges. This displays how some CS/ICT teachers may lack fundamental programming knowledge. Moreover, whilst most of the trainees felt programming should be taught to high school students studying a CS or ICT course, fewer than half of the trainees said they had the confidence to teach the subject. An evaluation of the effectiveness of the robot simulator as a teaching tool is also presented as is a discussion on the implications which these findings may have.

Simulated Robotic Agents As Tools To Teach Programming

by Louis Major

Major, L., Kyriacou, T. and Brereton, P. (2011) Simulated Robotic Agents As Tools To Teach Introductory Programming. In International Technology, Education and Development Conference (INTED 2011), Valencia, Spain, 7 - 9 March 2011. pp. 3837-3846. ISBN 978-84-614-7423-3.

There is currently a problem attracting students to, and retaining them on, introductory programming courses. This is... more There is currently a problem attracting students to, and retaining them on, introductory programming courses. This is because traditional methods of teaching the subject fail to excite students and because programming is often perceived to be a difficult activity. Such factors are worrying considering societies reliance upon technology. After all, it is not just PCs and PDAs that need to be programmed, but also washing machines, microwaves and a range of other essential items. This dependence has resulted in an increase in demand for talented programmers. At the moment, however, Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) are unable to produce sufficient numbers of capable graduates required to meet this need.

In part this research investigates current methods of teaching programming to novices. The mapping study methodology has been used in order to gain an overview of existing literature and the content of 402 academic papers has been examined. Following this a systematic literature review (SLR) has been performed. This work to date presents a platform upon which future research activities can build. The next stage of the project will involve the testing of innovative software that utilises the concept of simulated robotic agents as teaching tools. A description of the software and how it will help novice programmers is discussed. An evaluation plan that will be used to test the effectiveness of the software is also described.

It is predicted that the implementation of such a tool will help to make programming more appealing, more accessible and more enjoyable for novice students. The software will help to foster learning as students will see their algorithms being “acted out”. Moreover, it is envisaged that the software will demonstrate to students that programming need not be a overly demanding experience. Due to the interactive and unique nature of such a teaching method current barriers that impact upon the successful learning of programming may be overcome. Students first experiences with the subject will also be enhanced. By improving this initial encounter with programming there is a better chance that student motivation and retention will be positively impacted.

Keywords: innovation, programming, teaching, novices, robots, robotics, learning, mapping study, systematic literature review, computing.

Systematic Literature Review: Teaching Novices Programming Using Robots

by Louis Major

Major, L., Kyriacou, T. and Brereton, O. P. (2011) Systematic Literature Review: Teaching Novices Programming Using Robots. In 15th International Conference on Evaluation and Assessment in Software Engineering (EASE 2011), Durham University, UK, 11 - 12 April 2011. pp. 21-30.

Background: Teaching programming to novices is a difficult task due to the complex nature of the subject, as negative... more Background: Teaching programming to novices is a difficult task due to the complex nature of the subject, as negative stereotypes are associated with programming and because introductory programming courses often fail to encourage student understanding.

Aim: This study investigates the effectiveness of using robots as tools to aid the process of teaching programming and to determine whether such technology can help to overcome the current barriers for learners in this context.

Method: The Systematic Literature Review (SLR) methodology has been selected to discover how effective the use of robotics has been in the teaching of introductory programming concepts. Nine electronic databases, the proceedings from six conferences and two journals have been searched for literature relevant to the study.

Results: After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria 34 articles have been accepted in the SLR. 74% of included literature report robots to be an effective teaching tool and one that can help novice programmers in their studies.

Conclusion: Robots can be a powerful and effective tool when used in an introductory programming course but the potential remains to further investigate methods for their implementation. Thoughts on the use of the SLR methodology from the perspective of a PhD student are also given.

Keywords - teaching; novices; programming; robots; SLR; systematic literature review; learning; robotics; innovative

Exploring Behaviors & Collaborative Mapping through Mindstorms Robots: A case study in applied social constructionism at senior-project level

by Nikolaos Mavridis

Co-authored with: Mavridis, N.; Al Rashdi, A.; Al Ketbi, M.; Al Ketbi, S.; Marar, A.;, published in Proceedings of the IEEE "Innovations in Information Technology, 2009. IIT '09. International Conference on", http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/freeabs_all.jsp?arnumber=5413630

Constructionism, a term first coined by Seymour Papert, is a learning theory based on constructivism, which however... more Constructionism, a term first coined by Seymour Papert, is a learning theory based on constructivism, which however also holds that learning can happen most effectively when people are also active in making objects in the real world. In this paper, we will present a case study of an application of constructionism at the undergraduate senior project level. More specifically, we will describe a robotics project that took place in our lab, which aimed towards providing a strong hands-on background in the basics of robotics and the fundamentals of the research process to a group of four final-year students. During this project, the students experienced basics of team working, flexible project management, and intra- as well as extra-group constructionist tuition, as well as aspects of real-world research. Furthermore, they were able to gain experience in three programming languages, build and successfully demonstrate basic behaviors and collaborative mapping using the Mindstorms robots, and create a theoretical framework incorporating and providing novel extensions to their methods.