Projects:2016s1-128 Evaluating Programming Languages for Educational Robotics Kits

Project Title

Evaluating Programming Languages for Educational Robotics Kits.

Project Members

- Patrick Cobiac

- Elizabeth Tait

Supervisor

- Braden Phillips

Aim

The project aims to determine the effectiveness of teaching programming language concepts to students with and without the use of robotics.

Motivation

It is estimated that 75% of Australia’s fastest growing occupations will require STEM skills [2]. However, recent studies have shown that there has been a decrease in the number of secondary school students studying STEM related studies [3]. Research has suggested that the increased use of robotics and programming languages in school curriculums can improve student participation in STEM [4]. Therefore, further research is needed to better understand the potential role that robotics can play.

References

1] A. Khanlari, "Effects of educational robots on learning STEM and on students’ attitude toward STEM," in 2013 IEEE 5th Conference on Engineering Education (ICEED), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), 2013, pp. 62–66.

[3] K. Becker and K. Park, "Effects of integrative approaches among science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects on students’ learning: A preliminary meta-analysis," Journal of STEM Education: Innovations & Research, vol. 12, no. 5 & 6, pp. 23–37, 2011.

[2] J. Kennedy, T. Lyons, and F. Quinn, "The Continuous Decline of Science and Mathematics Enrolments in Australian High Schools," Teaching Science: The Journal of the Australian Science Teachers Association, vol. 60, no. 2, pp. 34–46, Jun. 2014.

[4] R. Ronald, D. S. Bloom, J. Carpinelli, L. Burr-Alexander, L. S. Hirsch, and H. Kimmel, "Advancing the ‘E’ in K-12 STEM education," The Journal of Technology Studies, vol. 36, no. 1, pp. 53–64, 2010.