NRI: Instructional Materials for Soft Co-Robot Design to Improve Motivation and Learning in STEM Classrooms

这项由哈佛大学怀斯生物启发工程学院工程与应用科学学院开展的国家机器人计划(NRI)项目将开发一套教学材料和相关设计竞赛，重点是软机器人设备的设计，并通过大规模数据收集的在线工具来评估它们对学生对工程和科学学科的态度和理解的影响。机器人入门教学和推广通常侧重于基于任务的应用程序，在这些应用程序中，机器人与人类隔离，而不是与人类密切合作。将软机器人技术与涉及人类交互的应用程序以及社会和以人为中心的应用程序相结合，预计将吸引更多不同的人群学习STEM(科学、技术、数学和工程)学科。拟议的研究纳入了大量的机械设计部分，目的是吸引对这一主题感兴趣的学生，这些学生没有得到通常强调机器人设计的软件和电子方面的教育和推广计划的服务。这个项目将使学习者接触到在机器人设计入门经验中通常被忽视的主题，如材料选择和制造，并鼓励具有更广泛兴趣和能力的学生参与。为了评估拟议的教材和设计竞赛的影响，这项研究将重点放在数据收集和评估的工具上，方法是借鉴评估的最佳实践，并将文献中开发、测试和验证的工具结合到一个单一的在线平台上，该平台将与教育工作者和研究人员公开共享。这项研究将有助于更好地了解影响高中生和本科生从事STEM职业的动机的因素，特别是应用领域对学生科学技术感知的影响。汇编一套数据收集和评价工具将为量化这项研究的影响以及机器人学教育和外联的其他方法提供一个平台。

This National Robotics Initiative (NRI) project conducted at the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, Harvard University will develop a set of instructional materials and related design competitions focused on the design of soft, co-robotic devices, and to evaluate their impact upon students' attitudes towards and understanding of engineering and science subjects through online instruments for large-scale data collection. Introductory robotics teaching and outreach typically focuses on task-based applications in which robots are isolated from humans, rather than closely cooperating with them. Combining soft robotic technology with applications involving human interaction and the use of social and people-centric applications is expected to attract a more diverse population to the study of STEM (science, technology, mathematics, and engineering) subjects. The proposed research incorporates a substantial mechanical design component with the aim of engaging students interested in this topic, who are not served by education and outreach programs that typically emphasize the software and electronic aspects of robotics design. This project will expose learners to subjects typically neglected in introductory robotic design experiences, such as material selection and manufacturing, and encourage participation by students with a broader range of interests and aptitudes. To evaluate the impact of the proposed instructional materials and design competitions, this research will include an emphasis on instruments for data collection and evaluation by drawing on best practice in evaluation and combining tools that have been developed, tested, and validated in the literature into a single online platform that will be shared publicly with educators and researchers. The proposed research will contribute to an improved understanding of the factors influencing high school and undergraduate students' motivation to pursue STEM careers, and in particular the influence of application areas on students' perception of science and technology. The compilation of a set of data collection and evaluation instruments will result in a platform for quantifying the impact of this research as well as other approaches to robotics education and outreach.