Robotics as Means to IncreaseAchievement Scores in an Informal

Learning Environment

Bradley S. Barker and John AnsorgeUniversity of Nebraska-Lincoln

JOURNAL OF RESEARCH ON TECHNOLOGY IN EDUCATION, 39(3), 229–243

Purpose

• Effects of after school program on science, engineering, and technology (SET)

Summary• Age group: 9-11• After school program• Control group didn’t participate in any after school

program• Experimental group twice a week, 1 hour per

session, 6 weeks• 32 students total (median age was 9.00).– Experimental group: 14 students (65% male, 35% female) – Control group: 18 additional students (63% male, 38%

female)

Activities

• LEGO Mindstorm robot with motors attached to two tank-like treads

• Programmed via RoBoLAB software • Tasks:– Turn– Calibration, how long it takes the robot to turn 90

degrees– Maze with several left and right 90-degree turns– Race around a square racetrack three times (loops)– Touch and light sensors and programmed the robots

Results

• Before and after testing• Control group had no change• Experimental group had 128% improvement

over control group

Sample Test Questions• A robot must be ____ in order to move • A programming loop does which of the following • What enables a robot to interact with its environment? • What icons are needed in every RoBoLAB program? • What is a computer program? • how does the RCX communicate with your computer? • If you did not know what an icon did within RoBoLAB how would you find

out?• What does a robot have that a machine does not? • When programming your robot a fork is used to _____ . • What does the math symbol < mean? • If you had a light sensor reading of 30 for dark and 50 for light what

should the threshold value be?

Comparison• Measuring the effectiveness of robots in teaching computer science

– Fagin and Merkle (2003)– 800 students– “Our results are negative: test scores were lower in the robotics sections

than in the non-robotics ones, nor did the use of robots have any measurable effect on students choice of discipline. We believe the most significant factor that accounts for this is the lack of a simulator for our robotics programming system. Students in robotics sections must run and debug their programs on robots during assigned lab times, and are therefore deprived of both reflective time and the rapid compile-run-debug cycle outside of class that is an important part of the learning process. ”

• Hoped to answer:– What is the impact of the robotics instruction in promoting student learning

in science, engineering, and technology (SET) for youth ages nine to eleven at an after school program?

• Was it the robots in particular, or just the after school program?