Supporting undergraduate computer science education using educational robots

Abstract

There has been a sharp decline in undergraduate enrollment in computer science over the past decade. Reasons for the decline vary amongst computer science programs. However, upon observation it is noticeable that many students considering computer science as their undergraduate major decide to pursue other fields due to misconceptions about the discipline. Some students are even intimidated by the computer science curriculum. One way in which educators are trying to combat this issue is by introducing computer science concepts using a more hands-on and involved approach with educational robots. Robots provide an exciting platform that students might not initially think of when contemplating their choice in higher education. We present a novel approach to integrate the use of educational robots into introductory computer science courses as a learning tool in order to increase student motivation and improve the enrollment rate of computer science undergraduate students.

Improving CS1 Programming Learning with Visual Execution Environments

“…It is crucial to strike the proper balance between theoretical ideas, practical programming, and real-world applications [31]. There are a variety of methods that have been found to be effective in assisting students who are taking introductory programming classes, including making use of an adaptive virtual reality platform [32], problem solving with artificial intelligence [33], simulation games [34], serious games [35,36], games and contests [14], using robots [37], and comparisons between block and text programming [38,39]. Also, programmers must have strong debugging abilities; however, beginners may find it difficult to locate and successfully correct flaws in their code, since they might not have a methodical debugging strategy [40].…”

Improving CS1 Programming Learning with Visual Execution Environments

“…It is crucial to strike the proper balance between theoretical ideas, practical programming, and real-world applications [32]. There are a variety of methods that have been found to be effective in assisting pupils who are taking classes on computer initial experiences learning to program, including making use of an adaptive virtual reality platform [33], problem-solving in artificial intelligence [34], simulation games [35], serious games [36,37], using robots [38], and comparisons between block and text programming [39,40]. Also, programmers must have strong debugging abilities, however, beginners may find it difficult to locate and successfully correct flaws in their code.…”

A Guided Scratch Visual Execution Environment to Introduce Programming Concepts to CS1 Students

“…Many approaches have been identified to help students trying to master computer programming when they are first introduced to it, such as by using an adaptive virtual reality platform [30], as well as through solving problems in artificial intelligence [31], simulation games [32], serious games [33,34], using robots [35], or comparisons between block or text programming [36,37]. In this vane, other important contributions have been highlighted for helping to teach CT to students using robotics [38] or adaptive scaffolding for learner modeling [39].…”