Collaborative Research: A Student-Centered Personalized Learning Framework to Advance Undergraduate Robotics Education

该项目旨在通过开发以学生为中心的学习系统来支持学生攻读机器人学位，从而为国家利益服务。这项工作计划解决机器人教育中的两个重要问题。该项目的重点领域包括解决寻找合格机器人教练的困难，减少与机器人训练设备费用相关的学习和教学障碍。学习机器人的大学生有各种各样的背景、学习方式和目标。一些学生有丰富的行业经验，回到学校学习一项特定的技能，而另一些学生从未上过任何大学课程。由此产生的框架旨在让学生定制他们的教育经历，以满足他们的需求和背景。该框架还将允许学生使用低成本的硬件学习机器人技术，并且不需要具有广泛机器人专业知识的教师来讲授课程内容。该系统的部署有可能增加社区学院和四年制本科院校机器人学位课程的数量。此外，利用低成本设备和模拟有可能增加获得高质量机器人教学的机会。该项目将在两个学期的课程中实施一个学习系统，涵盖机器人主题，广泛使用低成本硬件和高真实感模拟器。以学生为中心的个性化学习框架将优先考虑学生的自主权，并用于教授学生先进的机器人技能。课程主题将根据课程内容咨询委员会的建议进行选择。学习系统开发完成后，将课程内容整合到平台中。将进行用户研究，以确定学生掌握所需学习成果的深度和他们使用系统的体验。该系统将在雷诺社区学院和内华达大学里诺分校进行部署和评估。NSF IUSE: EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过参与学生学习轨道，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建，探索和实施。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing a student-centered learning system to support students pursuing degrees in robotics. This work plans to address two significant issues in robotics education. Central focus areas of the project include addressing the difficulty of finding qualified robotics instructors and reducing learning and instructional barriers related to the expense of robotics training equipment. College students studying robotics have a variety of backgrounds, learning styles, and goals. Some students have significant industry experience and return to school to learn a specific skill, while others have never taken any college courses. The resulting framework is intended to allow students to tailor their educational experience to meet their needs and background. The framework will also allow students to learn robotics using low-cost hardware and will not require instructors with extensive robotics expertise to deliver course content. The deployment of this system has the potential to increase the number of degree programs in robotics at both community colleges and four-year undergraduate institutions. Additionally, leveraging low-cost devices and simulation has potential to increase access to high-quality robotics instruction. The project will implement a learning system in two one-semester courses covering robotics topics that make extensive use of low-cost hardware and high-realism simulators. The student-centered personalized learning framework will prioritize student autonomy and be used to teach students advanced robotics skills. Course topics will be selected based on advice from a course content advisory committee. After the learning system is developed, the course content will be integrated into the platform. User studies will be conducted to determine the depth at which students master the desired learning outcomes and their experiences using the system. The system will be deployed and evaluated at Lenoir Community College and the University of Nevada Reno. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.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.