Preservice Teachers Designing Assistive Educational Robots Using Computational Thinking

This study examined how an online instructional module that included an unplugged robot design activity integrated computational thinking (CT), assistive technology (AT), and universal design principles into a preservice teacher education class. The research focused on how this module shaped understanding, attitudes, and comfort levels about integrating these concepts into their future classrooms. The population of this study consisted of 59 students enrolled in an upper-division online undergraduate instructional technology course over three semesters. The module was developed collaboratively by education and computer science faculty members by infusing activities adapted from an unplugged robot design lesson created for introductory computer science students (Imberman et al., 2017). The module culminated with an assignment in which students used paper and pencil to design a robot that solved an educational problem that a teacher may face in a classroom that also contained features to make it accessible to students with special needs. The module increased knowledge of CT and comfort with teaching the topic in their future classroom. Participants gained knowledge about AT but said they were not comfortable using AT in future classrooms.