Cultivating Robotic Professionals: A Learning-Practice-Service Educational Framework
- Conference
- Location
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Portland, Oregon
- Publication Date
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June 23, 2024
- Start Date
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June 23, 2024
- End Date
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July 12, 2024
- Conference Session
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Student Division Technical Session 4: Project-based Learning
- Tagged Division
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Student Division (STDT)
- Tagged Topic
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Diversity
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/47098
Paper Authors
James Chengda Lu BASIS Shavano
James Chengda Lu is currently a junior at BASIS San Antonio Shavano. He has been an active member of the FIRST Tech Challenge community for 4 years. His interests include mechatronics and robotics. Through interning with the NASA SEES (STEM Enhancement in Earth Science) Program, he has recently completed a CubeSAT project under the support of the Twiggs Space Labs. He has advocated for STEM education through organizing international outreaches, attending national conferences, and creating and implementing regional conferences, webinars, podcasts, and demos, with a special focus on robotics.
Vincent Liu Brandeis High School
Vincent Liu is currently a student attending Louis D. Brandeis High School. He has been an active member of FIRST Lego League and Tech Challenge community for 9 years. His interests are in robotics and aerospace.
Justin Jin
Justin Jin is currently a student with the Louis D. Brandeis High School. He has been an active member of FIRST Lego League and FIRST Tech Challenge community for 9 years. His interest focus on business, computer science, and game development.
Parker Olkowski
Parker Olkowski is currently a student at Louis D. Brandeis High School. He has been an active member of the FIRST Lego League and Tech Challenge community for 6 years. His interests focus on robotics, electrical engineering, and 3D modeling.
Yu-Fang Jin
The University of Texas at San Antonio
orcid.org/0000-0002-7421-527X
Dr. Yufang Jin got her Ph.D from University of Central Florida in 2004. After her graduation, she joined the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). Currently, she is a Professor with the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UTSA. Her research interest focus on applications of artificial intelligence, interpretation of deep learning models, and engineering education.
Abstract
Robotics, an interdisciplinary field spanning various science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, is recognized as a transformative force shaping our daily lives. With its broad popularity among children and teenagers, robotics serves as a fertile ground for cultivating future professionals in science and engineering. Introducing structured robotics education to young learners at an early age can attract highly promising students to STEM fields. However, formal robotics education typically begins in college, by which time many students have already chosen their majors. To bridge this gap, robotic competitions have emerged as crucial incubators for nurturing future scientists and engineers.
This study proposes a novel Learning-Practice-Service (LPS) framework for robotics education tailored to 7th-12th graders, with three independent and complementary components: Learning, Practice, and Service. The LPS framework encompasses comprehensive learning and practice activities, combining academic challenges with hands-on experiences, and covering the entire robotics education process from problem statement to real world operation of robots in competitions. It fosters skills across various STEM disciplines, integrates technical and non-technical training, and cultivates leadership and community engagement skills. Implemented through participation in internationally recognized team-based robotics competitions over three years (2020-2023), the LPS framework has been further extended to include training sessions in three summer camps for 2nd - 8th graders and two extracurricular clubs for 6th-8th graders in regular school semesters.
The framework has been assessed using data collected from more than 1,900 learning-practice-service hours, in which students solved varied real world engineering problems and tested their robots at competitions, presented their learning outcomes in judge rooms and conferences, and conducted a range of service projects involving local, national, and international partners. The collected data encompasses team achievements in robotic competitions over three years, individual student accomplishments, and the effects of services delivered via the LPS framework. The assessment of the LPS framework's impact relied on service hours, outreach scales, and feedback collected during the summer camps.
The analysis confirmed the framework's effectiveness in enhancing students' technical and soft skills, sustaining their interest in STEM, improving team performances, and fostering an inclusive community for collaboration. The LPS framework offers students flexibility in developing their skill sets and has been proven to be sustainable, transformable, and scalable for integration into K-12th engineering curriculum and extracurricular programs.
Lu, J. C., & Liu, V., & Jin, J., & Olkowski, P., & Jin, Y. (2024, June), Cultivating Robotic Professionals: A Learning-Practice-Service Educational Framework Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47098
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