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

这一发展创新项目由推进非正式STEM学习(AISL)计划资助，该计划旨在促进对非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和发展的新方法和基于证据的理解。这包括为扩大获得和参与STEM学习经验提供多种途径，推进对非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估，以及加深参与者对更深层次学习的理解。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在资源不足的农村和城市地区提高中学生对校外计算机科学项目的参与度和参与度。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作为完成任务(例如，踢足球)的工具。另一种方法将机器人视为能够智能地回应用户的社交行为者。通过设计一种具有社交特征的可编程机器人，该项目旨在为拉丁裔、非裔美国人和美洲原住民女孩创建一门文化响应型课程，这些女孩被技术技能和社交互动分开的方法所排斥。这个项目产生的与社会可编程机器人的使用和好处相关的知识可能会影响许多课后和周末项目，这些项目试图利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，将使用可视编程语言进行编程，并将通过面部表情、声音和动作来传达情感。中学女生将参与编程活动、协作性反思，并与为促进课程而接受培训的大学女性导师互动。该项目将调查具有社会表现力的Cozmo是否会以不同于非社交版本的方式改善中学女性参与者的计算机科学成绩，如态度、自我效能和知识。该项目还将调查在Cozmo中添加建立融洽关系的对话是否会增强这些结果(例如，当学习者成功地让Cozmo移动时，Cozmo可以庆祝说：“我可以移动！你真棒！”)。这些问题将由亚利桑那州女童子军协助的多节课外课程的参与者进行研究。该项目将通过在教育和学习科学期刊上分享研究成果，创建一个开放源代码的社交机器人编程网站，并向女童子军和其他教育项目提供项目课程和相关指南，来广泛传播项目研究和资源。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

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.