Designing Engaging Learning Experiences in Programming

In this paper we describe work to investigate the creation of engaging programming learning experiences. Background research informed the design of four fieldwork studies to explore how programming tasks could be framed to motivate learners. Our empirical findings from these four field studies are summarized here, with a particular focus upon one – Whack a Mole – which compared the use of a physical interface with the use of a screen-based equivalent interface to obtain insights into what made for an engaging learning experience. Emotions reported by two sets of participant undergraduate students were analyzed, identifying the links between the emotions experienced during programming and their origin. Evidence was collected of the very positive emotions experienced by learners programming with a physical interface (Arduino) in comparison with a similar program developed using a screen-based equivalent interface. A follow-up study provided further evidence of the motivation of personalized design of programming tangible physical artefacts. Collating all the evidence led to the design of a set of ‘Learning Dimensions’ which may provide educators with insights to support key design decisions for the creation of engaging programming learning experiences

Middle School Student Attitudes Towards Robotics, Science and Technology

In 2000, the National Science Foundation (NSF) conducted a biennial study on the status of women and minorities in science and engineering. It was revealed that the numbers of women receiving bachelor\u27s degrees in computer science are on the decline. This fact calls for innovative changes in the traditional science curriculum. Science instruction with the implementation of robotics could provide female students the needed motivation. Therefore, the examination of female middle school student attitudes towards robotic enhanced science instruction is needed. Descriptive research was conducted to assess middle school student attitudes towards robots, technology and science. Gender differences were studied. The subjects were two classrooms of sixth grade students (N=53) and eighth grade students (N=74) from Charleston, Illinois. Observational checklists were completed to examine student behavior in the science classroom. A Likert-type questionnaire consisting of 20 items was administered to the male and female students to obtain their perceptions towards robotics and technology and to explore if gender differences existed in their responses. A Cronbach\u27s [alpha] analysis was applied to the data to measure reliability and Pearson chi-square and independent sample t-test analyses were used to compare genders. Finally, interviews were conducted with female middle school students (N= 8) to obtain in-depth information on their perceptions and attitudes towards robots, technology and the science. Results showed that middle school students exhibited positive attitudes towards robots, careers in robotics, science and technology. In many respects, female student attitudes were more positive than their male counter parts. Due to the motivation robotics enhanced instruction provides as well as the subtle way robotic implementation teaches computer programming, mathematics and creative problem solving, it is recommended that activities incorporating robotics be a part of every science curriculum

Middle School Student Attitudes Towards Robotics, Science and Technology

In 2000, the National Science Foundation (NSF) conducted a biennial study on the status of women and minorities in science and engineering. It was revealed that the numbers of women receiving bachelor\u27s degrees in computer science are on the decline. This fact calls for innovative changes in the traditional science curriculum. Science instruction with the implementation of robotics could provide female students the needed motivation. Therefore, the examination of female middle school student attitudes towards robotic enhanced science instruction is needed. Descriptive research was conducted to assess middle school student attitudes towards robots, technology and science. Gender differences were studied. The subjects were two classrooms of sixth grade students (N=53) and eighth grade students (N=74) from Charleston, Illinois. Observational checklists were completed to examine student behavior in the science classroom. A Likert-type questionnaire consisting of 20 items was administered to the male and female students to obtain their perceptions towards robotics and technology and to explore if gender differences existed in their responses. A Cronbach\u27s [alpha] analysis was applied to the data to measure reliability and Pearson chi-square and independent sample t-test analyses were used to compare genders. Finally, interviews were conducted with female middle school students (N= 8) to obtain in-depth information on their perceptions and attitudes towards robots, technology and the science. Results showed that middle school students exhibited positive attitudes towards robots, careers in robotics, science and technology. In many respects, female student attitudes were more positive than their male counter parts. Due to the motivation robotics enhanced instruction provides as well as the subtle way robotic implementation teaches computer programming, mathematics and creative problem solving, it is recommended that activities incorporating robotics be a part of every science curriculum

Challenging the Computational Metaphor: Implications for How We Think

This paper explores the role of the traditional computational metaphor in our thinking as computer scientists, its influence on epistemological styles, and its implications for our understanding of cognition. It proposes to replace the conventional metaphor--a sequence of steps--with the notion of a community of interacting entities, and examines the ramifications of such a shift on these various ways in which we think

Robotics as a Means of Increasing Student Achievement in Middle School Science

This study reports on the effectiveness of a Robotics engineering curriculum in increasing the middle school students‘ achievement in science and math. Specifically, it aimed to find out if the students taking the robotics class performed significantly higher in science and math than a control group. The research examined and compared the scores in a pre and posttest and the normalized learning gains of students taking robotics in addition to their regular science and math versus those who are taking science and math only. Although this study showed that there is no significant difference in the science achievement scores of students between the experimental and control group, gender was identified an as important factor that affects the learning outcomes in a Robotics class. Further analyses also showed that despite the fact that students used general math ideas as they engage in the problem solving process during robotics-driven activities, their knowledge of math is no different from those who are not taking robotics

Improving student attitudes towards STEM education by building self-efficacy through robotics education

The United States must grow its science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) trained workforce in order to fill the jobs projected to be in demand. One of the ways in which this can be done is to tap into the vast population of minorities and women who are underrepresented in the STEM fields. The United States has been looking for ways to improve STEM participation in these groups for many years now, through outreach, legislation and innovative academic programs. The purpose of this research was to examine the impact that a robotics education enrichment program had on elementary, predominantly Latinx students in an inner-city public school in Orange County, California. The study was framed using self-efficacy theory to build approach behaviors towards STEM fields within these students. Student attitudes were measured using the S-STEM survey. In addition, field notes about the students, as well as notes from community of practice meetings amongst the co-sponsors were analyzed to see the impact of the enrichment program on students. The S-STEM survey had no statistical change between pre- and post-treatment survey results. In addition, the subgroups of GATE students, EL students and female students were too small to analyze individually. However, the qualitative data showed some positive outcomes for most students