Abstract:

The Robotikum is a three-day practical training in which high school students (8th to 13th grade) and their teachers, supported by humanoid robots, have the opportunity to experience artificial intelligence hands-on. In the Robotikum, students can discover the possibilities and limitations of humanoid robots. Robot applications including dialogs, movements, image recognition and display of humanlike emotions are developed and programmed by the students using the block programing software Choregraphe. Of particular importance for the success of this workshop is the ample room for our students’ creativity during the three-day span as well as a safe space for experimenting, so that they gain first-hand experience which promotes their algorithmic thinking as well as their problem-solving strategies and develops these skills further.

The Robotikum aims at the promotion of STEM education form an early age on. A deepened understanding of programing and technology should be gained. In the context of society’s digitization, the Robotikum is supposed to help reduce fears for the future and its developments. Due to the practical and project-based structure, the students acquire skills in the area of independent learning and working in addition to subject-specific competencies.

The Robotikum lasts three days and takes place in a classroom of a school in Marburg. It is designed for a maximum size of 18 students at a time, ensuring that as many students as possible can work on a humanoid robot at the same time. But the software also offers the possibility of working with virtual robots through the laptops, so that each and everyone always has the opportunity to do a dry run of their applications. In addition, an introductory MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) called RoboBase is available, hosted on the online platform oncampus.de making this workshop an inverted blended-learning scenario.

References:
[1] F. B. V. Benitti, “Exploring the Educational Potential of Robotics in Schools: A Systematic Review,” in Computers & Education, 58(3). pp. 978–988, 2012. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2011.10.006.
[2] M. Merdan, W. Lepuschitz, G. Koppensteiner, R. Balogh, R. (eds.), Robotics in Education: Research and Practices for Robotics in STEM Education, Switzerland: Springer Verlag, 2017.
[3] M. Cooper, D. Keating, W. Harwin, and K. Dautenhahn, “Robots in the classroom - tools for accessible education,” in Assistive Technology on the Threshold of the New Millennium, Assistive Technology Research Series, 6, pp. 448-452, Düsseldorf: IOS Press, 1999.

Keywords:

Educational robotics, humanoid robots, NAO, STEM education.