Developing an Interdisciplinary Curriculum for Educational Robotics: Programming, STEM, and Art

Abstract

Educational robotics provides an interdisciplinary approach to STEM, computer science, and 21 <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">st</sup> century skill acquisition for students of all ages. Robotics can increase student perceptions of STEM subjects as well as foundational skills through an engaging and authentic learning environment. However, the many benefits of robotics for students and teachers are dependent on the curriculum. In this paper we describe how using the Understanding by Design pedagogical framework supports the development of truly integrated and interdisciplinary educational robotics curriculum. Two examples are provided for a virtual robot that showcase this pedagogical approach for combining STEM, art, and programming in an authentic manner.