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We report a new learning approach in science and technology through the Qui-Bot H 2 O project: a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary project developed with the main objective of inclusively increasing interest in computer science engineering among children and young people, breaking stereotypes and invisible social and gender barriers. The project highlights the social aspect of robotics applied to chemistry, at early ages. We successfully tested the project activities on girls between 3 to 13 years old. After taking part in the project, the users rated their interest in science and technology to be higher than before. Data collected during experiences included background information on students, measurements of the project's impact and students' interest in it, and an evaluation of student satisfaction of this STEM activity. The Qui-Bot H 2 O project is supported by the actions of territorial public administrations towards gender equality and the contributions of humanistic and technological universities and entities which specialize in education and business.

Contribution: This article presents an engineering outreach activity that aims to teach K-12 students how to develop a tendon-based soft robotic finger. The primary objectives of this STEM activity are to introduce students to the fundamentals of soft robotics, its interdisciplinary nature, and to offer them a hands-on and engaging learning experience using the project-based- learning approach. Background: Soft robotics, an interdisciplinary field combining chemistry, materials science, and robotics, has the potential to revolutionize the design and development of robots. However, introducing the fundamental concepts of soft robotics to K-12 students can be challenging since traditional robotic activities often require complex programming, technical expertise and expensive equipment and software. Intended Outcomes: Increasing the students' understanding of soft robotics principles, materials, and polymer processing. Positively impacting students' perception of engineering as a potential career path by enhancing their attitudes toward STEM. Application Design: Students could develop manually actuated soft robotic fingers within a 45-min workshop by utilizing 3-D printed molds, rapidly curing elastomeric materials, and the basic mold casting method. The outreach activity is intentionally designed to simplify the technology used by eliminating the need for complex programming, and to focus on utilizing novel materials and basic concepts to construct actuating soft robots, providing an effective and engaging STEM activity for K-12 students. Findings: The success/effectiveness of the activity was evaluated in three ways: 1) through direct inspection on the performance of the student-fabricated soft finger during the workshop; 2) through the pre- and post-tests to evaluate the learning outcomes; and 3) by conducting a STEM outreach survey to gather student feedback on the quality of the outreach activity and their attitudes toward STEM. During the workshop activities, the students were able to effectively follow the instructions, construct a tendon-based soft robotic finger, and manually actuate the finger using the tendon. According to the results of pre- and post-tests, the students increased their understanding regarding the principles of soft robotics, materials and polymer processing. Furthermore, the STEM outreach survey of IEEE powered "TryEngineering Portal" revealed that the developed outreach activity enhanced the achievement of pedagogical and quality outcome goals and measures, as well as program targets and objectives.

Background: The number of artificial intelligence (AI) literacy studies in K-12 education has recently increased, with most research focusing on primary and secondary education contexts. Little research focuses on AI literacy programs in early childhood education. Objectives: The aim of this mixed-methods study is to examine the feasibility of an AI literacy program called "AI4KG" and explore how it might affect kindergarteners' perceptions of robots and attitudes towards engineering and science. Methods: A total of 26 child-parent dyads recruited from a Hong Kong kindergarten were involved in this study, consisting of 26 children (M[subscript age] = 4 years, SD = 0.28) and their parents. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through surveys and interviews designed to explore children's perceptions of robots and attitudes towards engineering and science, and parents' perceptions of the AI4KG intervention. Results: It is found that children have increased their perceptions of robots after the AI literacy program, but the AI4KG curriculum had no significant effects on kindergarten children's engineering and science attitudes. Most parents (22 out of 26) agreed that their children's AI knowledge, AI skills, and AI attitudes have been enhanced after learning through the AI4KG curriculum. Conclusions: This study suggests that the AI4KG curriculum is potentially effective in promoting early AI literacy and favourable attitudes towards the technology, but further research is needed to develop age-appropriate measures and assess its long-term impact on children's education and career paths.

Transdisciplinary learning--where students develop and apply knowledge from multiple disciplines to solve open-ended problems--is necessary to prepare students for the most pressing real-world problems. Because transdisciplinary education often requires reimagining the content and design of undergraduate science courses, it can be a challenge for instructors to envision how such work might take place. In this article, we share an example of an undergraduate course developed at the intersection of animal sensory biology and robotics engineering. Students in the course developed knowledge from both disciplines to design a robot that could mimic the sensory behaviors of some animals to achieve a predetermined task. We share examples of students' work in the course and evidence of how students' perceptions of science and engineering changed throughout their participation in the course. Additionally, we describe how we adapted a hybrid model of collaboration that made it feasible for students to work together on an open-ended project requiring access to robotics equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. This course can serve as a model for instructors working to incorporate more interdisciplinary or transdisciplinary perspectives into existing science courses.

While both non-destructive evaluation (NDE) and structural health monitoring (SHM) share the objective of damage detection and identification in structures, they are distinct in many respects. This paper will discuss the differences and commonalities and consider ultrasonic/guided-wave inspection as a technology at the interface of the two methodologies. It will discuss how data-based/machine learning analysis provides a powerful approach to ultrasonic NDE/SHM in terms of the available algorithms, and more generally, how different techniques can accommodate the very substantial quantities of data that are provided by modern monitoring campaigns. Several machine learning methods will be illustrated using case studies of composite structure monitoring and will consider the challenges of high-dimensional feature data available from sensing technologies like autonomous robotic ultrasonic inspection. This article is part of the theme issue 'Advanced electromagnetic non-destructive evaluation and smart monitoring'.

Atomically thin nanomaterials represent a unique paradigm for interfacing with biological systems due to their mechanical flexibility, exceptional interfacial area, and ease of chemical functionalization. In particular, these two-dimensional (2D) materials are able to bend, curve, and fold in response to biologically-generated forces or other external stimuli. Such origami-like folding of 2D materials into wrinkled or crumpled topographies allows them to withstand large deformations by accordion-like unfolding, with implications for stretchable and shape-changing devices. Here, we review how mechanically manipulated 2D materials can interact with biological systems across a multitude of length scales. We focus on recent work where wrinkling, crumpling, or bending of 2D materials permits new chemical and material properties, with four case studies: (i) programming biomolecular reactivity and enhanced sensing, (ii) directed adhesion and encapsulation of bacteria or mammalian cells, (iii) stimuli-responsive actuators and soft robotics, and (iv) stretchable barrier technologies and wearable human-scale sensors. Finally, we consider future directions for manufacturing, materials and systems integration, as well as biocompatibility. Taken together, these 2D materials may enable new avenues for ultrasensitive molecular detection, biomaterial scaffolds, soft machines, and wearable technologies.

Environmental scientists and engineers have been exploring research and monitoring applications of robotics, as well as exploring ways of integrating robotics into ecosystems to aid in responses to accelerating environmental, climatic, and biodiversity changes. These emerging applications of robots and other autonomous technologies present novel ethical and practical challenges. Yet, the critical applications of robots for environmental research, engineering, protection and remediation have received next to no attention in the ethics of robotics literature to date. This paper seeks to fill that void, and promote the study of environmental robotics. It provides key resources for further critical examination of the issues environmental robots present by explaining and differentiating the sorts of environmental robotics that exist to date and identifying unique conceptual, ethical, and practical issues they present.

The underwater robot (UR) is an embodiment of interdisciplinary technologies, integrating underwater communication, machinery, marine science, computer science, and robotics. Although URs enable a highly engaging and exploratory construction that can foster children's engineering education and ocean literacy, little work has explored UR design and education for children. In this paper, we present a study using URs to engage children in exploring engineering, robotics, environmental science, and marine sustainability. We introduce ModBot, a modular UR-making toolkit for children that uses hardware blocks and software applications for UR creation. We describe a study with 31 children (ages 5-8; 16 girls and 15 boys) and report how they learned UR concepts such as buoyancy and balance through playing with the ModBot kit and creating their own URs. This study is intended to investigate how URs can be used to spark children's interest in water environments and make a connection to robotics by the creation of their own URs.

The use of Intelligent Assistive Technology (IAT) in dementia care opens the prospects of reducing the global burden of dementia and enabling novel opportunities to improve the lives of dementia patients. However, with current adoption rates being reportedly low, the potential of IATs might remain under-expressed as long as the reasons for suboptimal adoption remain unaddressed. Among these, ethical and social considerations are critical. This article reviews the spectrum of IATs for dementia and investigates the prevalence of ethical considerations in the design of current IATs. Our screening shows that a significant portion of current IATs is designed in the absence of explicit ethical considerations. These results suggest that the lack of ethical consideration might be a codeterminant of current structural limitations in the translation of IATs from designing labs to bedside. Based on these data, we call for a coordinated effort to proactively incorporate ethical considerations early in the design and development of new products.

In order to survive and reproduce, living organisms must be robust, tolerate injuries and undergo repair. Robustness in living organisms compares to robustness in human inventions, such as buildings and machines, which have to withstand occasional damage to avoid critical dysfunctions. However, the nature of robustness is fundamentally different in biology and in engineering. In living organisms, robustness is provided by homeostatic mechanisms, whereas in buildings and machines, it is provided by the redundancy of key elements. In this short essay, I discuss the nature of robustness in living organisms, and argue that redundancy, while important in engineering, is rare in biology., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Research studies support caregivers' involvement in children's mathematical journeys, as foundational to their cognitive development and academic success as mathematical learners. The purpose of this intrinsic case study was to understand how a caregiver initiated and/or continually engaged their child in spontaneous mathematical moments during a family engineering project. Through the analysis of approximately 13.5 hours of video data, we identified three ways in which a caregiver guided, supported, and challenged their child through a shared endeavor of designing a remote-controlled delivery robot--discussing mathematical concepts and engaging in mathematical practices; encouraging use of physical objects, tools, and materials for mathematical application and visualization; questioning that invited mathematical exploration, contribution of ideas, and reasonableness of responses. These findings highlight caregivers' potential to engage their children in mathematics through guided participation in an out-of-school learning context not designed to elicit mathematical moments. Implications for how early childhood practitioners can develop opportunities and supports for caregivers and children to engage in mathematics in a variety of learning environments is included in the discussion.

This study examined the effects of virtual and physical robots (VPR) using in different learning stages (simple session/complex session) in a robotics programming course. A quasi-experimental design was implemented with 84 junior high school students from two classes. One class with 44 students used combination of VPR strategy for learning, whereas the other class with 42 students used only physical robots (the PR strategy) to learn the same content materials. Results showed that no significant difference was found in the students' learning attitude, programming skills, and learning engagement between VPR and PR, while significant difference existed in engineering design ability and cognitive load, no matter in simple or complex learning sessions. Although the VPR strategy is not always better than the PR one, it has unique advantages on facilitating students' higher-order thinking in solving complex problem, as well as reducing their cognitive load. These findings highlight that VPR is more valuable to the engineering design tasks than PR, and indicate a potential direction in the future to integrate Virtual Reality/Augment Reality into robotics education.

"Future Girls of STEM" is a university-sponsored, summer camp outreach program that was designed and implemented by an all-female faculty group to increase young girls' interest in pursuing future careers in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This paper discusses the logistics and results of the pilot Future Girls of STEM camp, which was held in the summer of 2019 for seven to twelve-year-old girls. The four-day summer camp featured female engineers from local industry, who shared personal stories of their careers and helped campers work through engineering and leadership activities. Researchers assessed whether completing the activities increased participants' understanding of, interest in, and self-efficacy in engineering topics, majors, and careers. Results showed an increased interest and self-reported understanding of engineering topics after participants completed the camp, as well as high self-efficacy throughout the camp experience. The Future Girls of STEM program, and its hands-on, interactive activities, can be transferred to other locations or universities with varying resources available.

This exploratory case study reports findings on 20 middle-level science and mathematics teachers' perceptions of the effectiveness of a one-year project in which teachers engaged in using robotics and engineering design inquiries in their classrooms. Principled by Bandura's Social Learning Theory (SLT) and using mixed methods approaches, the study measured teachers' efficacy through the Mathematics Teaching Efficacy Belief Instrument (MTEBI) and observation logs before and after the program. The results of this study showed statistically significant differences between PRE MTEBI and POST MTEBI scores. Furthermore, five themes emerged that illuminated potential affordances and constraints that teachers perceive as opportunities and barriers to employing robotics and design thinking in the mathematics/science classrooms. The reported themes are creating collaborative spaces underpinned by design thinking affords transformative learning; problem-solving through shared inquiry elevates confidence; building connections between mathematical concepts and real-life phenomenon supports a willingness to learn new ideas; system support, resources, and funding are prerequisites to engage in modeling design; and designated curriculum restrains teachers from engaging in extra activities that focus on design thinking.

This paper presents findings from an on-going international study of Early Childhood (EC) teachers' and children's use of Internet of Toys (IoToys) to understand possibilities for developing children's cognitive capacities (e.g., creativity, inquiry, engineering design thinking). The study employed a Design Based Research (DBR) method, where teachers intentionally plan and deliver technologically constructed Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) experiences for preschoolers. Using Australia as a case study, data collection involved participant observation of three teachers' and 17 children's technology constructed play experiences with robotic toys, littleBits electronic magnetic blocks, alongside pre and post semi-structured interviews with teachers and children's photo voice sessions were video recorded. Analysing the findings using embodied cognition theory showed that the teachers, although novice in their own technological pedagogical knowledge engaged children's play with the robotic toys, and co-learn with the children. Integration of STEM-focused playful experiences supported children's scientific inquiry, design thinking and creativity as well as vocabulary targeted at interdisciplinary STEM concepts. With the ever increasing focus on developing children's 21st century skills, this study recommends engineering habits of mind, creativity and inquiry dispositions should now be taken into account in teaching and learning situations with young children and to develop STEM engagement.

Context: The article contributes to a discussion of how patterns of employment and qualifications are modified by the ongoing industrial transformation, called Industry 4.0. Although this transformation is said to be a global phenomenon, scholars increasingly discuss the national differences in the wake of Industry 4.0. Our article aims to intervene in this debate by analysing the industrial transformation of a small island situated at the West coast of Norway. We notably investigate the technological renewal by means of Computerised Numeric Control (CNC) and robotics in a network of mechanical firms. Approach: Nine small mechanical engineering firms are analysed by drawing on theories on business networks and clustering of firms. This allows for a discussion of how automation, employment, staff training and profitability are interconnected. The main research question is how the firms are locally embedded in a way that sheds light on the social dimension of vocational training, which is considered a form of Corporate Social Responsibility. Findings: It is informative to use the heuristic concept 'pre-cluster agglomeration' to characterise how the nine firms under scrutiny are interacting, while being assisted by a forwardlooking industrial association and supported by an active local community. The municipality and the county to which this agglomeration belongs, provide training services and other infrastructures that support the firms when they recruit new employees and upskill their staff, - notably by setting up a CNC training centre attached to an upper secondary school. Conclusion: Our case does not support off-the-shelf narratives of robotisation implies job cuts. In the same way as previous technological transformations were not solely driven by their inherent technical opportunities, the ongoing robotisation is nuanced by the social shaping of technology. There is room for strategic choices when new technology is integrated in work organisations. The extent to which the workforce should be (re-)trained is subject to decisions and negotiations.

This paper describes a study of students' meaningful learning of the engineering design process during their participation in robotics activities. The population consisted of middle-school students (ages 13-15 years) who participated in the FIRST® LEGO® League competition. The methodology used was qualitative, including observations and interviews. The analysis was based on the Revised Bloom Taxonomy. Almost all the groups demonstrated meaningful learning, although some reached higher levels than others. Most of the groups demonstrated the understanding/applying level during each of the design process phases (searching and decision making, construction and testing, diagnosing and debugging), some demonstrated the analyzing/evaluating level, but only a few demonstrated the higher level of creating. Factors that seemed to play a role in the students' learning include: (a) the teaching or mentoring style; (b) the absence of a robotics textbook; (c) the extra-curricular competition-oriented nature of the activities; and (d) the unstable nature of the design of the robot.

In this article, we draw on sociocultural perspectives on literacy to explore the ways in which pre-engineering students took up and made sense of engineering notebooks implemented as part of a robotics project in a first-semester university study course at a large, public Hispanic-Serving Institution. Through ethnographic methods, we uncovered two primary sets of uses for the notebooks: (1) recording and remembering and (2) problem solving and decision-making. The study illustrates the ways in which entering college students, especially those from underrepresented groups who seek to become engineers, may take up opportunities to "try out" disciplinary literacies through meaningful engagement with the practices of the discipline.

Previous studies on the topic of "Problem solving" indicate it's one of the skills of students in the 21st century that educational robots can effectively support. Additionally, there are gender differences in the problem-solving process. Understanding the problem-solving process and using knowledge to solve problems is key to improving one's problem-solving ability. We therefore conducted a study with 69 fifth graders aimed at exploring whether educational robots can help students improve their understanding of problem-solving process in the context of life sciences. The Intervention was carried out as five learning modules on "Human systems," and each module corresponded to different stages of engineering design practice. Our data analysis investigated the changes of problem-solving process with two independent variables: different genders and robot learning basis. The results showed educational robots can help students more effectively comprehend life science knowledge and understand the problem-solving process. By contrast, there are differences in the problem-solving process between females and males, and the robot learning basis can help students better articulate the problem-solving process. Although this study provided empirical evidence that educational robots can enhance the learning and problem solving skills for primary school children, future studies need to further explore the differences in problem-solving process from multiple perspectives to improve teaching and curriculum design practices.

A surprising feature of animal locomotion is that organisms typically produce substantial forces in directions other than what is necessary to move the animal through its environment, such as perpendicular to, or counter to, the direction of travel. The effect of these forces has been difficult to observe because they are often mutually opposing and therefore cancel out. Indeed, it is likely that these forces do not contribute directly to movement but may serve an equally important role: to simplify and enhance the control of locomotion. To test this hypothesis, we examined a well-suited model system, the glass knifefish Eigenmannia virescens, which produces mutually opposing forces during a hovering behavior that is analogous to a hummingbird feeding from a moving flower. Our results and analyses, which include kinematic data from the fish, a mathematical model of its swimming dynamics, and experiments with a biomimetic robot, demonstrate that the production and differential control of mutually opposing forces is a strategy that generates passive stabilization while simultaneously enhancing maneuverability. Mutually opposing forces during locomotion are widespread across animal taxa, and these results indicate that such forces can eliminate the tradeoff between stability and maneuverability, thereby simplifying neural control.

The research is devoted to the actual problem of upgrading the existing model of robotics training in connection with the urgent need for implementing a strategy for training highly qualified specialists in the most demanded and promising sectors of the future, taking into account the requirements of business, society, and the State. The aim of the study is to theoretically justify and experimentally test the effectiveness of the task approach in teaching robotics to form the required cross-professional competencies of the future. The methodology of the study is based on the analysis of psychological, pedagogical, methodological scientific literature, Rapid Foresight methodology, system analysis, generalization of teaching experience, pedagogical experiment. Results: First, the didactic and interdisciplinary potential of the robotics course is studied. Secondly, specific content for key cross-professional competences in the field of robotics and engineering is proposed. Thirdly, the basic ideas of the methodology for improving the existing system with a focus on the formation of key cross-professional competencies, the core of which is the system of tasks, are formulated. Fourthly, the effectiveness of the changed methodology of the training course to improve the quality of the educational process is confirmed. In conclusion, findings that confirm that the improvement of the course of robotics will provide to obtain a useful skill -- to be able to learn, to be prepared for the professions of the future are drawn.

A prototype system was developed for use as a teaching tool, allowing students to link EMG monitoring, data smoothing, robotic control, and neural network training within a rapid prototyping virtual environment (VE). The VE software allowed for the rapid development of scenarios and, when linked with EMG data input to a neural network, allowed the user to control an artificial world containing a virtual arm. Student teams then attempted to control the arm in the VE while performing the tasks by use of a neural network system they had specifically developed and trained using their own EMG signals. The results from their system were then translated into a form that enabled the control of a real robot. Students enjoyed the challenge and uniqueness of the module, and were enthusiastic about extending the concept to other areas of interest.

In an ever-increasing technological society, teachers have now, more than ever, a vast offering of educational technologies made available for classroom use. However, the time necessary for vetting and developing rigorous lessons with the usage of such technologies can be overwhelming for a classroom teacher. Still, teachers need the opportunity to facilitate valuable inquiry-based and project-based learning (PBL) environments in classrooms through educational technology for effective STEM education (Pedaste et al. 2015; Hannon et al. 2012; Hall and Miro 2016). Technology, and specifically video games, may be a new-age method to accomplish this goal. Learning gamification is the process of incorporating gaming aspects into a lesson plan in order to foster student motivation and creativity (Kapp 2012). This articles examines how a third-grade teacher and a fifth-grade teacher, engaged their students in the three dimensions of science learning, specifically through the use of the Nintendo Labo Variety Kit. Nintendo Labo is a particularly versatile game system aimed at a younger age demographic than most video game consoles. The Labo extension provides a buildable, engineering task for children to follow along using included materials to construct all sorts of "Toy-Con" creations that interact with game software: mini-pianos, remote control cars, virtual reality blasters, steering wheels, robot gloves, fishing rods, motorcycles, etc. Nintendo designed Labo with the intent to foster principles of engineering, physics, and basic programming to younger students

Space exploration is intrinsically interesting to young learners. Children gaze at the stars and marvel at what it might be like to live "out there!" With the July 2020 launch of the Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover mission, and its landing in 2021, there is no better time to capitalize on engineering and science in the news. This mission is particularly historic with NASA's announcement that the Mars 2020 Rover is designed to be the initial stage of multiple missions that will return the first Martian rock samples back to Earth for analysis. Further, this mission will pave the way for human-occupied missions to Mars slated for the 2030s. NASA missions involve discrete engineering challenges like developing objects and tools that withstand space travel, but they also involve deep consideration of the processes and systems needed to complete the entire mission. The authors designed an engaging learning environment focused on developing the processes and systems needed for a successful mission to Mars. This article describes a long-term voyage undertaken by intrepid fifth-grade Mars explorers. The aim was not a single engineering challenge; instead it was to promote engineering-based systems thinking.

It is common to use anthropomorphic labels when talking about technology, for example describing some robots and phones as smart, thinking and talking. This article describes a workshop in which students considered ways that words such as 'hearing', 'smart' and 'intelligence' might change in meaning when they are used in the context of robotics and machines. The aim was to help students to recognise that thinking, talking and other human capabilities have multifaceted meanings and to be cautious about the risk of uncritically reducing their meaning to a simpler, functional level. This workshop fits into a series that juxtaposes ideas and questions in biology with ideas and questions in engineering. Biology encourages us to be curious about what is 'inside' a robot or organism as a way to understand the behaviours we see from the outside. Biological knowledge and terms can help lawyers and politicians to create definitions and criteria for new situations and problems arising from technological advances.

With the release of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), assessing K-12 science teachers' self-efficacy in Computational Thinking (CT) is an important research gap to study. Bandura defines self-efficacy as awareness of the individual's potential and capabilities to accomplish a goal. Teaching efficacy beliefs is a significant identifier of teachers' performance and motivation in teaching the specific content successfully; however, K-12 science teachers' CT teaching efficacy beliefs are rarely discussed. Participating preservice elementary teachers (PSET) were enrolled in an undergraduate elementary science teaching methods course during the spring and summer 2018 semesters in a southwestern state university. We administered a CT teaching efficacy beliefs survey at the beginning and end of the related unit (i.e., the intervention). During the intervention, the PSET followed the CT practices by building educational robots, coding visual block-based programs, and solving puzzles in the video game "Zoombinis." In this paper, we report the impact of the intervention on teaching efficacy beliefs of PSET. We used SPSS software to analyze our quantitative results. We performed paired samples t-test for the two teaching efficacy beliefs subscales, Personal Computational Thinking Teaching Efficacy (PCTTE) and Computational Thinking Teaching Outcome Expectancy (CTTOE), to measure if there is a significant difference in teaching efficacy beliefs. Our research findings suggest that introducing CT increases PSET CT teaching efficacy beliefs. Furthermore, based on the results of our exploratory research with PSET, we propose implications of the study for K-12 CT teaching efficacy beliefs and CT education research.

Men continue to outnumber women in many Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics fields, particularly technical fields such as engineering and computer science. Educational interventions aimed at addressing the gender disparity between men and women have generally focused on increasing the interest of girls and women during high school and college. There is limited research on interventions that take place during the formative early childhood years. This study addresses this gap by working with young children (ages 5-7) and exploring their newly forming attitudes and interest in technology and engineering. The study asked the following research questions: (1) What are children's initial attitudes and ideas about technology and engineering? (2) Do boys and girls differ in their initial attitudes about technology and engineering? (3) Does participation in a 7-week KIBO robotics curriculum have an impact on children's attitudes and ideas about technology and engineering? (4) Do boys and girls perform differently on robotics and programming tasks in early childhood? To answer these questions, public school children in Kindergarten through second grade (N = 105) participated in an introductory KIBO robotics curriculum. Data was collected on their attitudes toward technology and engineering before and after participation in the curriculum as well as their mastery of programming concepts taught. Results provide preliminary evidence that a developmentally appropriate robotics curriculum can increase girls' interest in engineering.

"Beyond Blackboards" is an inquiry-centered, after-school program designed to enhance middle school students' engagement with engineering through design-based experiences focused on the 21st Century Engineering Challenges. Set within a predominantly lowincome, majority-minority community, our study aims to investigate the impact of "Beyond Blackboards" on students' interest in and understanding of engineering, as well as their ability to align their educational and career plans. We compare participants' and nonparticipants' questionnaire responses before the implementation and at the end of the program's first academic year. Statistically significant findings indicate a school-wide increase in students' interest in engineering careers, supporting a shift in school culture. However, only program participants showed increased enjoyment of design-based strategies, understanding of what engineers do, and awareness of the steps for preparing for an engineering career. These quantitative findings are supported by qualitative evidence from participant focus groups highlighting the importance of mentors in shaping students' awareness of opportunities within engineering.

Engineering design provides students with an authentic context to apply science and mathematics to solving problems and motivates them to learn science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects. Thus, teachers need to experience and become familiar with engineering design. However, little is known about how preservice teachers learn to do engineering design work. This study examined the engineering design practices of preservice teachers as they worked on a technology-enhanced design activity. The authors video-recorded a group activity in which preservice teachers designed, built, and programmed robots and then analyzed their discourse using verbal protocol analysis. The authors examined what design activities were practiced and how they were practiced and analyzed design-related conversational moves, which yielded an understanding of how preservice teachers collaboratively constructed knowledge during their engineering design process. The findings showed that preservice teachers frequently generated ideas to solve problems and evaluated their ideas. Their least frequent activities were judging the feasibility of solutions and modeling. Furthermore, they seldom disagreed with their partners after an idea was generated. Suggestions for preparing preservice teachers to incorporate engineering design into K-12 classrooms include providing engineering design opportunities, exposing preservice teachers to design examples, and creating design tasks that require the application of science and mathematics knowledge.

In this work, we describe youth outreach activities carried out under the Chair for Women in Science and Engineering for Ontario (CWSE-ON) program. Specifically, we outline our design and implementation of robotics workshops to introduce and engage middle and secondary school students in engineering and computer science. Toward the goal of increasing the participation of women in science and engineering, our workshop design incorporates strategies presented in work by Rusk et al. (2008) on broadening participation in robotics: focusing on themes, not just challenges; combining art and engineering; encouraging story-telling; and organizing exhibitions, rather than competitions (Rusk et al., 2008, page 1) We discuss three workshop themes designed to highlight creativity and provide choices to participants. Our "Wild in the Rainforest" workshops make use of the PicoCrickets robotics kits and software used and described by Rusk et al. (2008). We also present Lego Mindstorms workshops themed "So You Think Your Robot Can Dance" and "A Day at the Park". Our workshops are presented by female role models with academic backgrounds in science and engineering. Although workshop periods are fairly short (60-90 minutes), participants learn that robots have perception, cognition, and action--and are tasked with designing and programming to highlight these abilities. We present the results of our workshops through images and videos of the teams' creations. Workshop evaluation data provided by participants demonstrate that our approach results in rich connections to engineering and technology for participants of both genders.

With the evolution of the surrounding world market, engineers have to propose innovations in products and processes. Industrial innovation frequently results from an improved understanding of basic physics. In this paper, an approach to accelerate inventive preliminary design is presented. This method combines the main advantages of CBR (Case Based Reasoning) and TRIZ (Russian acronym for Theory of Solving Inventive Problem) to transfer physics to industrial technology. Based on this synergy, interactive web-based environments are developed. These systems are intended not only to enhance students to become familiar with basic physics, but also to support students in building meaningful links between basic physics and industrial technologies. The evaluation was conducted in a "Special Project Design" course requiring students to design a robot that could carry out several functions. Robotics, an interdisciplinary engineering subject, has been a recurring theme in engineering education. Project-based learning provides opportunities for interdisciplinary learning. With project-based learning approaches, planning activities and investigations play a critical role in the project process. Through the web-based environments, students can explore the essence of basic physics, design technologies, and the integration of mechatronics. Further, web-based reasoning and meaningful learning modules are developed to scaffold creative design and to enhance student participation, motivation, and learning effectiveness. Quantitative and qualitative methods such as questionnaires and interviews were used to evaluate the effects of the developed system. Findings showed that inquiry modules were able to facilitate investigation and planning activities in product design stages. The responses obtained were very encouraging. Students in the course were appreciative of these on-going changes and indicated that these were indeed helping them to develop their engineering thinking and design skills, increasing their motivation to study. (Contains 3 tables and 3 figures.)

Technological fields, like engineering, are in desperate need of more qualified workers, yet not enough students are pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) that would prepare them for technical careers. Unfortunately, many students have no interest in STEM careers, particularly engineering, because they are not exposed to topics in these fields during their K-12 studies. Most K-12 teachers have not been trained to integrate relevant STEM topics into their classroom teaching and curriculum materials. This article explores best practices for bringing engineering into the science and mathematics curriculum of secondary school classrooms by describing a project that utilizes concepts representing the merger of medicine, robotics, and information technology. Specific examples demonstrating the integration into the teaching of physics, biology, and chemistry are provided. Also considered are the critical issues of professional development for classroom teachers, improved preparation of future teachers of STEM, and the development of curriculum materials that address state and national content standards. (Contains 1 table.)

This article describes the TangibleK robotics program for young children. Based on over a decade of research, this program is grounded on the belief that teaching children about the human-made world, the realm of technology and engineering, is as important as teaching them about the natural world, numbers, and letters. The TangibleK program uses robotics as a tool to engage children in developing computational thinking and learning about the engineering design process. It includes a research-based, developmentally appropriate robotics kit that children can use to make robots and program their behaviors. The curriculum has been piloted in kindergarten classrooms and in summer camps and lab settings. The author presents the theoretical framework that informs TangibleK and the "powerful ideas" from computer science and robotics on which the curriculum is based, linking them to other disciplinary areas and developmental characteristics of early childhood. The article concludes with a description of classroom pedagogy and activities, along with assessment tools used to evaluate learning outcomes. (Contains 5 figures and 4 tables.)

In this paper, we summarize our experiences from teaching a course in humanoid robotics at Chalmers University of Technology in Goteborg, Sweden. We describe the robotic platform used in the course and we propose the use of a custom-built robot consisting of standard electronic and mechanical components. In our experience, by using standard components, the students obtain a deeper understanding of robotics hardware than would be possible with the use of (some) commercially available robot kits such as e.g. Boe-Bot or Lego Mindstorms. Furthermore, we propose a division between time spent on teaching the theoretical background and time spent on robot assembly and programming, which, in our view, provides the optimal balance between theory and practical work. Summarizing briefly, for a seven-week course, we propose two weeks of theoretical background lectures, followed by five weeks of practical work, in which each practical session starts with a brief theory demonstration. (Contains 1 table and 2 figures.)

The writer's strategy to combine the exposition of factual information with personal judgement and interaction with the reader has been analysed in a number of studies (Hunston, 1994; Hyland, 1998a, 1998b; Latour and Woolgar, 1979; Skelton, 1997). Myers' studies (1989, 1992) on the pragmatics of politeness in scientific articles analyse politeness strategies in regularities of scientific style that are usually explained in terms of conventions. In the context of scientific communication, the researcher performs two basic tasks: presenting a claim and contradicting former theories or beliefs. Both actions could be interpreted as impolite behaviours and constitute what Brown and Levinson (1987) call "face threatening acts" ("FTAs"). In this study we explore the presence of face-redressive politeness strategies in the discussion sections of engineering research articles. The data are drawn from a corpus of 46 discussion sections in the fields of computing, telecommunications, nanotechnology and robotics.

This article examines teacher preparation and teacher change in engineering and computer science education. We examined culturally responsive teaching self-efficacy (CRTSE), culturally responsive teaching outcome expectancy (CRTOE) beliefs, and attitudes toward computational thinking (CT) as teachers participated in one of three treatment groups: robotics only, game design only, or blended robotics/game design. Descriptive data revealed that CRTSE gain scores were higher in the robotics only and blended contexts than in the game design only context. However, CRTOE beliefs were consistent across all treatment groups. In regard to CT attitudes, teachers' gain scores were higher in the game design only and blended contexts than in the robotics only context. In addition, there were differences by treatment group related to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) practices, while cultural artifacts were evident in each learning environment. The results of this study reveal some variability by treatment type and inform future research on equitable practices in engineering and computer science education.

Pre-college student participation in science fairs, robotics competitions, computing contests and other science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) competitions increases every year in the United States. This is despite the fact that little is known about the relationship between STEM competition participation and career interest in STEM. Through logistic regressions, this study addresses three main research questions: Controlling for student background variables and prior STEM career interest, does participating in a STEM competition increase the likelihood of STEM career interest at the end of high school? Does the field of competition (robotics, engineering, science fair, information technology) a student participates in influence the sub-discipline of STEM career interest? And, what is the relationship between the number of competitions participated in and the probability of interest in a STEM career? The study uses data from the 'Outreach Programs and Science Career Intentions' survey (N = 15,847), a large-scale sample of university students enrolled in mandatory English courses. Our data reveal three results of interest. First, students who participate in STEM competitions are more likely to express interest in a STEM-related career at the end of high school than are students who do not participate, even when students' prior career interest in STEM is controlled for. Second, the relationship between competition participation and interest in a STEM career appears to be domain specific. Third, the impact of competition participation on pursuit of a STEM career is three times stronger when students compete in more than one competition. These findings suggest that competitions are an effective way to foster career interest in specific STEM careers.

In a kindergarten classroom, exclamations like "Oh no!" may be causes for concern. However, when the students in Mrs. Grabia's classroom shouted "Oh no!" and "Uh oh!" during an engineering-infused 5E lesson, it meant that a persistent little robot had pushed its way out of the fences they had created. It also meant that students had an opportunity to learn by discussing the problem, recreating their fence, and gaining a deeper understanding of big ideas in kindergarten physics. In this article, the authors describe this engineering-infused lesson for kindergarten learners that follows a 5E format (Bybee 1997). The 70-minute lesson, which was aligned with the science and engineering practices, crosscutting concepts, and disciplinary core ideas within the "Next Generation Science Standards" (NGSS Lead States 2013), consisted of a read-aloud engagement, a student-centered physics investigation, an engineering design extension (Lottero-Perdue et al. 2015), and multiple evaluation measures. Prior to this lesson, students had learned how different strengths of pushes affect the motion of objects; for example, a stronger push on a hockey puck made it slide further. They also observed how the direction of an object can change when it collides with something else.

Documentation of ideas and the engineering design process is a critical, daily component of a professional engineer's job. While patent protection is often cited as the primary rationale for documentation, it can also benefit the engineer, the team, company, and stakeholders through creating a more rigorously designed and purposeful solution. Through the process of documentation, reflection, redesign, and new innovation can occur. Communication with other team members allows for a more coherent design process. Designs and schematics allow CAD and other designers to develop better prototypes and designs. Finally, communication of solutions and ideas to stakeholders is critical for project continuation and funding. These are just a few reasons why there is such an emphasis on the engineering design process and its documentation in technology and engineering curriculum as well as extracurricular programs like competition robotics.

Background: Working effectively in teams is an important 21st century skill as well as a fundamental component of the ABET professional competencies. However, successful teamwork is challenging, and empirical studies with adolescents concerning how the collaboration quality of team members is related to team performance are limited. Purpose/Hypothesis: This study investigated the relationship between team collaboration quality and team performance in a robotics competition using multiple measures of team performance, including both objective task performance and expert judge evaluations, on a diverse set of supporting performance dimensions. Design/Method: Data included Table Score, Robot Design, Research Project, Core Values, and Collaboration Quality scores for 366 youths on 61 K-8 robotics teams that participated in a FIRST LEGO League Championship. Regression and mediation analyses were conducted to explore the relation between effective team collaboration and team performance. Furthermore, analysis of variance was conducted to explore the relationship between Collaboration Quality and team experience. Results: Collaboration Quality was a good predictor of robotics team performance across all measures (with R[superscript 2] = 0.50 and p < 0.001). Mediation analysis revealed that the Robot Design acted as a full mediator for the predictive effect of Collaboration Quality on the Table Score. In addition, the cumulative amount of team experience was significantly related to Collaboration Quality. Conclusions: Overall, this study using collaboration performance assessments and actual competition data with a large number of teams confirms the importance of high-quality teamwork in producing superior products with students engaged in authentic engineering tasks.

This paper reports on a pilot study that examined the use of a science and technology curriculum based on robotics to increase the achievement scores of youth ages 9-11 in an after school program. The study examined and compared the pretest and posttest scores of youth in the robotics intervention with youth in a control group. The results revealed that youth in the robotics intervention had a significant increase in mean scores on the posttest and that the control group had no significant change in scores from the pretest to the posttest. In addition, the results of the study indicated that the evaluation instrument used to measure achievement was valid and reliable for this study. (Contains 3 tables and 1 figure.)

In the past, computer programming was perceived as a task only carried out by computer scientists; in the 21st century, however, computer programming is viewed as a critical and necessary skill that everyone should learn. In order to improve teaching of problem-solving abilities in a computing environment, extensive research is being done on teaching-learning methods, types of teaching software, the educational environment, and related tools. This paper, based on diverse experimental results, proposes an environment where elementary students can easily learn and practice computer programming. The proposed robot game environment used a tangible programming tool with which students can easily create robot programs, without learning syntax, and then validate their programming results; it can also provide various game activities to incite students' interest. Observation of elementary school students placed in the robot game environment confirmed the tool's usability and entertainment aspects, and students' attitudes toward programming and their understanding of programming concepts improved.

This article features an after-school FIRST Lego League (FLL) program at Chaminade Middle School in Chatsworth, California, USA. The after-school FLL program feeds into the high school FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) program wherein aspiring young engineers come to the high school team with several years of FLL experience. Through the FLL program, lego robotics students take their STEM knowledge and passion to the competition arena. The Chaminade FLL program has grown over the past eight years and now serves 40 students in grades 6-8.

Exposing engineering students during their education to real-world problems and giving them the chance to apply what they learn in the classroom is a vital element of engineering education. The Embedded Systems course at Princess Sumaya University for Technology (PSUT) is one of the main courses that bridge the gap between theoretical electrical engineering education and the real-world. This paper presents the experience of applying project-based learning to enhance teaching the Embedded Systems course at PSUT. The feedback from students illustrated the effectiveness of this method in enhancing the understanding and the ability of students in applying embedded systems design concepts to solve real-world engineering problems.

In recent years there has been an increasing focus on the missing "T" of technology and "E" of engineering in early childhood STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) curricula. Robotics offers a playful and tangible way for children to engage with both T and E concepts during their foundational early childhood years. This study looks at N = 60 children in pre-kindergarten through second grade who completed an 8-week robotics curriculum in their classrooms using the KIWI robotics kit combined with a tangible programming language. Children were assessed on their knowledge of foundational robotics and programming concepts upon completion of the curriculum. Results show that beginning in pre-kindergarten, children were able to master basic robotics and programming skills, while the older children were able to master increasingly complex concepts using the same robotics kit in the same amount of time. Implications for developmentally appropriate design of technology, as well as structure and pace of robotics curricula for young children are addressed.

This article presents a systematic review of research related to the use of robotics construction kits (RCKs) in P-12 learning in the STEM disciplines for typically developing children. The purpose of this review is to configure primarily qualitative and mixed methods findings from studies meeting our selection and quality criterion to answer the review question: How do robotic construction kits function as computational manipulatives in P-12 STEM education? Our synthesis of the literature has resulted in four key insights that are new to the field. First, RCKs have a unique double application: They may be used for direct instruction in robotics (first-order uses) or as analogical tools for learning in other domains (second-order uses). Second, RCKs make possible additional routes to learning through the provision of immediate feedback and the dual modes of representation unique to RCKs. Third, RCKs support a computational thinking learning progression beginning with a lower anchor of sequencing and finishing with a high anchor of systems thinking. And fourth, RCKs support evolving problem-solving abilities along a continuum, ranging from trial and error to heuristic methods associated with robotics study. Furthermore, our synthesis provides insight into the second-order (analogical) uses of RCKs as computational manipulatives in the disciplines of physics and biology. Implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.