The effectiveness of simulated robots for supporting the learning of introductory programming: a multi-case case study

This work investigates the effectiveness of simulated robots as tools to support the learning of programming. After the completion of a Systematic Review and exploratory research a multi-case case study was undertaken. A simulator, named Kebot, was developed and used to run four ten-hour programming workshops. Twenty-three student participants (aged sixteen to eighteen) in addition to twenty-three pre-service, and three in-service, teachers took part. The effectiveness of this intervention was determined by considering opinions, attitudes and motivation as well as by analysing students’ programming performance. Pre- and post-questionnaires, in- and post-workshop exercises and interviews were used. Participants enjoyed learning using the simulator and believed the approach to be valuable and engaging. The performance of students indicates that the simulator aids learning as most completed tasks to a satisfactory standard. Evidence suggests robot simulators can offer an effective means of introducing programming. Recommendations to support the development of other simulators are provided.This is the accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/08993408.2014.963362#.VGH9boXziEo

University language instructors programming robotic learning applications: Design and implementation of encouraging workshop experiences

People use technology in every aspect of their lives, and educational settings are no exception. Different devices, such as computers, tablets, smart screens, and even robots, have occurred for years in schools and universities. In recent years, educational robots have been used for different purposes, including supporting the learning of second languages, improving the social skills of students with autism, and developing communication skills, among others. Although educational robots have been utilized for some time, for the most part, the programming and implementation of activities on top of them are done by technology specialists. Additionally, educational professionals with no programming knowledge have been involved in programming robotic applications in fewer studies than educators with programming knowledge. Nevertheless, educators would be the ideal learning activity designers since they better know the pedagogical content and their students’ needs and possibilities. This thesis project aimed to design and implement a series of encouraging programming workshops, where two language instructors from Tampere University learned to program the social robot NAO. University language instructors designed and implemented robotic applications that students could use to practice their speaking skills. The research questions were related to the expectations and needs of university language instructors towards programming a social robot for teaching languages, their perceptions of the benefits and challenges of programming by themselves, and their experiences of the programming workshops. Learning journal, focus group interview, and questionnaires were implemented as data collection methods aiming to respond to these questions. Initially, language instructors participated in a co-design workshop to collaborate in designing the series of programming workshops. After being created, language instructors evaluated the programming workshops, assessed their benefits and challenges, and suggested possible improvements. During the workshops, language instructors designed and implemented robotic activities, which were tested by 35 students of Finnish I and Finnish II language courses. The main findings of this project show that hands-on programming workshops, where participants can implement the activities by themselves, are a fast and easy way to learn to program a social robot. Additionally, some aspects that help maintain motivation during the sessions include having concrete and clear goals, observing progress, learning something new, and having a precise schedule. On the other hand, some of the challenges experienced by the language instructors are related to NAO not responding as expected, the overwhelming feeling when visualizing programming software for the first time, and previous knowledge regarding text-based programming languages. In the future, language instructors would like to use NAO with beginner students if the activities presented respond to a clear objective. Moreover, activities should be delivered within a context, providing students with a meaningful learning experience. However, language instructors expressed concerns about how NAO could influence students’ speaking skills. The robot’s speech recognition still needs further development, and currently, the robot can not recognize diversity in accents, the stress of words, intonations, speech speed, and complex sentences. The results of this research project contribute to the previous literature about the role of educational professionals in programming social robots. Moreover, the research project aims to provide further knowledge on using robots for language learning with adult learners, which is currently limited. In addition, the research concludes with 12 implications for designing and implementing encouraging programming robotic learning application workshops for educators, including conducting a co-design workshop, establishing clear and concrete objectives for the participants, and generating hands-on and collaborative opportunities with a purpose

A consolidação de conceitos de programação utilizando a robótica educativa

Relatório da prática de ensino supervisionada, Ensino de Informática, Universidade de Lisboa, 2012A dificuldade em compreender e aplicar conceitos abstratos de programação pelos alunos, foi identificada como um problema no aprendizagem da programação. O presente relatório descreve uma prática de ensino supervisionada, com o objetivo de consolidar alguns conceitos de programação numa turma do 12º do curso profissional de Técnico de Gestão de Informática. Foram lecionadas cinco aulas do módulo 17 da disciplina de Linguagens de Programação a um grupo de sete alunos. Como estratégia de ensino, foi apresentado um problema aos alunos sobre o estacionamento automático de veículos. Os alunos trabalharam em grupo com o objetivo de encontrar soluções e programá-las nos robôs da Lego® Mindstorms® NXT, para três tipos de estacionamento: em espinha, em paralelo e em linha. A Robótica Educativa constituiu o instrumento principal para o ensino dos conceitos de programação, juntamente com um conjunto de princípios e estratégias pedagógicas. A avaliação das aprendizagens incidiu principalmente na realização de um questionário de autodiagnóstico e de um teste de diagnóstico no início da intervenção, e na realização de um questionário de autoavaliação e de um teste de avaliação no final da intervenção. Após a intervenção foi realizada uma discussão de grupo para avaliar a perceção da turma em relação à intervenção. Verificou-se que a Robótica Educativa, em associação com um conjunto de princípios e estratégias pedagógicas, poderá ter contribuído para a consolidação de conceitos de programação.The difficulty in understanding and applying abstract concepts of computer programming by students was identified as a problem in learning programming. This report describes a practice of supervised teaching in order to allow the consolidation of some programming concepts in a 12th grade class of a professional course of Management of Information Technology Technician. Five lessons were given to a group of seven students in the Unit 17 of the subject Programming Languages As a teaching strategy, a problem was presented to the students about the automatic parking of vehicles. The students worked in groups with the purpose of finding solutions and programming them in Lego® Mindstorms® NXT robots, for three types of parking: angle, perpendicular and parallel. Educational Robotics using the Lego robots was the main tool for teaching programming concepts, along with a set of principles and teaching strategies. The evaluation focused on a self-diagnostic questionnaire and a diagnostic test at the beginning of the intervention, as well as a self-assessment questionnaire and an evaluation test at the end of the intervention. A focus group was conducted after the intervention, to assess the perception of the class about the intervention. It was found that Educational Robotics, in association with a set of principles and teaching strategies, might have contributed to the consolidation of programming concepts

An empirical investigation into the effectiveness of a robot simulator as a tool to support the learning of introductory programming

Background: Robots have been used in the past as tools to aid the teaching of programming. Thereis limited evidence, however, about the effectiveness of simulated robots for this purpose.Aim: To investigate the effectiveness of a robot simulator, as a tool to support the learning ofintroductory programming, by undertaking empirical research involving a range of participants.Method: After the completion of a Systematic Literature Review, and exploratory researchinvolving 33 participants, a multi-case case study was undertaken. A robot simulator wasdeveloped and it was subsequently used to run four 10-hour programming workshops. Participantsincluded students aged 16 to 18 years old (n. 23) and trainee teachers (n. 23). Three in-serviceteachers (n. 3) also took part. Effectiveness was determined by considering participants’ opinions,attitudes and motivation using the simulator in addition to an analysis of the students’ programmingperformance. Pre- and post-questionnaires, in- and post-workshop programming exercises,interviews and observations were used to collect data.Results: Participants enjoyed learning using the simulator and believed the approach to be valuableand engaging. Whilst several factors must be taken into consideration, the programmingperformance of students indicates that the simulator aids learning as most completed tasks to asatisfactory standard. The majority of trainee teachers, who had learned programming beforehand,believed that the simulator offered a more effective means of introducing the subject compared totheir previous experience. In-service teachers were of the opinion that a simulator offers a valuablemeans for supporting the teaching of programming.Conclusion: Evidence suggests that a robot simulator can offer an effective means of introducingprogramming concepts to novices. Recommendations and suggestions for future research arepresented based on the lessons learned. It is intended that these will help to guide the developmentand use of robot simulators in order to teach programming