Collaborative Research: A Social Programmable Robot: Fostering Rapport to Improve Computer Science Skills and Attitudes

这个创新发展项目是由推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）计划，旨在推进新的方法，并以证据为基础的理解，在非正式环境中的STEM学习的设计和开发资助。这包括提供多种途径，以扩大获得和参与STEM学习经验，推进非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估，以及发展参与者对深入学习的理解。该项目将研究社交机器人在非正式学习环境中的教育影响，并应用于社交机器人如何提高资源不足的农村和城市地区中学女生对校外计算机科学课程的参与和参与。使用机器人来改善STEM成果的重点是让学习者将机器人编程为完成任务的工具（例如，踢足球）。另一种方法将机器人视为可以智能地响应用户的社会行为者。通过设计一个具有社会特征的可编程机器人，该项目旨在为拉丁裔，非洲裔美国人和美国土著女孩创建一个文化响应课程，这些女孩被排除在技术技能和社会互动之外。该项目产生的知识与社交可编程机器人的使用和好处有关，有可能影响许多课后和周末计划，这些计划试图使用可编程机器人课程让学习者参与STEM想法。该项目机器人名为Cozmo，将使用可视化编程语言进行编程，并将通过面部表情，声音和动作传达情感。中学女生将参与编程活动，合作反思，并与受过培训的大学女导师互动，以促进课程。该项目将调查是否社会表达的Cozmo提高计算机科学成果，如态度，自我效能和知识的中学女性参与者之间的不同，比非社会版本。该项目还将调查在Cozmo上增加建立融洽关系的对话是否会增强这些成果（例如，当一个学习者成功地让Cozmo动起来时，Cozmo可以庆祝，说“我可以动了！你太棒了！").这些问题将在亚利桑那州女童子军部队协助的多节课后课程的参与者中进行研究。该项目将通过在教育和学习科学期刊上分享研究成果，广泛传播项目研究和资源;创建一个具有开源代码的网站，用于编程社交机器人;以及为女童子军和其他教育项目提供项目课程和相关指导方针。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。

This Innovations in Development project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences, advancing innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments, and developing understandings of deeper learning by participants. The project will research the educational impact of social robots in informal learning environments, with applications to how social robots can improve participation and engagement of middle-school girls in out-of-school computer science programs in under-resourced rural and urban areas. The use of robots to improve STEM outcomes has focused on having learners program robots as tools to accomplish tasks (e.g., play soccer). An alternate approach views robots as social actors that can respond intelligently to users. By designing a programmable robot with social characteristics, the project aims to create a culturally-responsive curriculum for Latina, African American, and Native American girls who have been excluded by approaches that separate technical skill and social interaction. The knowledge produced by this project related to the use and benefits of social programmable robots has the potential to impact the many after-school and weekend programs that attempt to engage learners in STEM ideas using programmable robot curricula.The project robot, named Cozmo, will be programmed using a visual programming language and will convey emotion with facial expressions, sounds, and movements. Middle school girls will engage in programming activities, collaborative reflection, and interact with college women mentors trained to facilitate the course. The project will investigate whether the socially expressive Cozmo improves computer science outcomes such as attitudes, self-efficacy, and knowledge among the middle school female participants differently than the non-social version. The project will also investigate whether adding rapport-building dialogue to Cozmo enhances these outcomes (e.g., when a learner succeeds in getting Cozmo to move, Cozmo can celebrate, saying "I can move! You're amazing!"). These questions will be examined research conducted with participants in multi-session after-school courses facilitated by Girl Scout troops in Arizona. The project will disseminate project research and resources widely by sharing research findings in educational and learning science journals; creating a website with open source code for programming social robots; and making project curriculum and related guidelines available to Girl Scouts and other educational programs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.