RoboSim for Integrated Computing and STEM Education

Abstract

This paper describes the design, implementation, and application of RoboSim, a robot virtual environment, for integrated computing and STEM education in K-12 schools. Robots are being increasingly used in schools for hands-on project-based learning and motivating students to pursue careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). However high costs and hardware issues are often prohibitive for using robotics as often as desired in mathematics and science classroom teaching. Due to the tight schedule for teaching math and science subjects, hardware mishap and failure, such as battery charging, disconnection, and breaking will have serious negative impact on classroom teaching and learning. Since physical robots are necessary for hands-on learning, a well-designed robot virtual environment can provide a time and cost effective complement for the physical robots when teaching STEM subjects. Integrated computing and STEM education integrates computing with the robotics technology into STEM education to increase student interest and help them learn the STEM subjects. Mobot and Linkbot are reconfigurable modular robots, designed especially for hands-on project-based integrated learning of computing and STEM subjects. While each module is a fully functional robot, they can be easily connected with snapped connectors to form various geometric configurations for myriad applications. Both Mobot and Linkbot can be conveniently controlled with a user-friendly C/C++ interpreter Ch. They have been successfully used in classroom teaching of STEM subjects including Algebra. RoboSim is a robot virtual environment for Mobot and Linkbot. Code developed with RoboSim can also be used to control the hardware robots without any modification. It allows students to program robots without physical access to the hardware and provides idealized validation of both the hardware robot motion and materials being taught. A virtual environment without disturbance and hardware failure often allows more effective teaching and learning of subject matters. Feedback from both instructors and students about RoboSim during initial field testing is quite positive indicating that it is an effective tool for integrated learning of computing and STEM subjects.