Education 4.0: Robotics Projects to Encourage 21st Century Skills

Education 4.0 is defined as a student-centered learning model that prepares young for the challenges of the 21st Century, how to deal with emerging technological resources and processes. This case study aimed to encourage 21st Century skills and competencies seen as relevant to Education 4.0, such as teamwork, communication, autonomy, creativity, and innovation. In this study, we analyzed the feedbacks collected to identify which skills were encouraged in undergraduate and graduate students during one semester of the Mobile Robotics discipline, using Project-Based Learning (PBL). Students carried out projects and answered a self-assessment questionnaire about their skills. The qualitative analysis of the case study followed the procedures of the Grounded Theory method. The results indicated that learning based on robotics projects could encourage teamwork, communication, and organization skills

Investigating block programming tools in high school to support Education 4.0: A Systematic Mapping Study

In Education 4.0, a personalized learning process is expected, and that students are the protagonist. In this new education format, it is necessary to prepare students with the skills and competencies of the 21st-Century, such as teamwork, creativity, and autonomy. One of the ways to develop skills and competencies in students can be through block programming, which can be used with emerging technologies such as robotics and IoT and in an interdisciplinary way. Thus, block programming in High School is important because it is possible to work on aspects such as problem-solving, algorithmic thinking, among other skills (Perin et al., 2021), which are necessary in the contemporary world. Thus, our Systematic Mapping Study (SMS) aims to identify which block programming tools support of Education 4.0 in High School. Overall, 46 papers were selected, and data were extracted. Based on the results, a total of 24 identified block programming tools that can be used in high school collaboratively and playfully and with an interdisciplinary methodology. Moreover, it was possible to see that most studies address block programming with high school students, demonstrating a lack of studies that address block programming with teachers. This SMS contributed to identifying block programming tools, emerging technologies, audience (teacher or student), and learning spaces where block programming is being worked on