Agency in educational robotics settings: a new design approach

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Agency in educational robotics settings a new
design approach

• Ilkka Jormanainen
• ilkka.jormanainen_at_cs.joensuu.fi
• Department of Computer Science
• University of Joensuu, Finland
• 30.3.2006

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In this presentation

• Background
• Introduction to educational robotics
• A new design approach for educational robotics
  settings
• Agency in the domain
• Empirical Modelling (EM)
• EM approach for designing learning settings

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Educational robotics

• Small-scale robotic kits
• Interactive, autonomous artefacts for learning
  and teaching
• Relatively cheap price
• Example Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention
  System
• Developed at mid-1980s at MIT
• Widely used in different educational contexts

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Educational robotics

• Pedagogical background
• Constructionism
• Learning by doing (and playing)
• Project-based working
• Group-oriented working methods
• Examples of usage
• Kids Club, special education
• Distributed systems, networking, embedded systems

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Educational robotics

• Teaching with educational robotics
• Groups of 3-4 student
• A given topic or project
• Project-based working
• Iterative cycle of planning, building,
  programming, testing and evaluating

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Problems

• Several problems can be indicated
• Settings do not fit to curricula very well
• Teacher might have difficulties to follow all
  groups
• Teachers have to have special knowledge
• Technical skills
• Engineering and programming

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Empirical Modelling

• Characteristics of a model is described with
  three key concepts
• Observable
• Dependency
• Agent
• Model is a pattern of these
• Usage of the models by set of definitions
• state-as-experience
• Analogy to spreadsheet

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Our approach

• Pedagogical agents embodied to the educational
  robotics
• Empirical Modelling
• Pedagogical and technical design environments
  with EM tools
• Result agent-enhanced simulation of the learning
  setting

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Our approach
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Conclusions

• Efficient usage of educational robotics requires
  new kind of teaching settings
• EM could help to model and follow the process
  when using robotics
• The work is in the initial phase
• Frameworks for the work
• Collaboration between universities at Joensuu,
  Massey and Warwick (UK)

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Thank you!

• Questions?
• Comments?