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Design, Development, and Implementation of Educational Robotics Activities for K-12 Students

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Conference

2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

San Antonio, Texas

Publication Date

June 10, 2012

Start Date

June 10, 2012

End Date

June 13, 2012

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

The Role of Robotics in K-12 Engineering

Tagged Division

K-12 & Pre-College Engineering

Page Count

17

Page Numbers

25.404.1 - 25.404.17

DOI

10.18260/1-2--21162

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/21162

Download Count

598

Paper Authors

biography

Can Saygin University of Texas, San Antonio

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Can (John) Saygin is an Associate Professor of mechanical engineering and a research investigator in the Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Lean Systems (CAMLS) at the University of Texas, San Antonio (UTSA). He is also the Director of the Interactive Technology Experience Center (iTEC) and the Director of the Manufacturing Systems and Automation (MSA) Laboratory. He received his B.S. (1989), M.S. (1992), and Ph.D. (1997) degrees in mechanical engineering with emphasis on manufacturing engineering from the Middle East Technical University, Ankara, in Turkey. In his academic career, he worked at the University of Toledo (1997-1999) and the Missouri University of Science and Technology (formerly University of Missouri, Rolla) (1999-2006) before joining UTSA in Aug.2006. For more, please visit http://engineering.utsa.edu/~saygin/ .

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Timothy T. Yuen University of Texas, San Antonio

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Timothy T. Yuen is an Assistant Professor of instructional technology in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Texas, San Antonio. His research studies tools that mediate conceptual understanding in computer science and engineering. He is a member of IEEE, ACM, AERA, and ISTE and an affiliated faculty member of the Interactive Technology and Experience Center (iTEC) at the UTSA.

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Heather J. Shipley University of Texas, San Antonio

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Heather J. Shipley is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas, San Antonio since 2007. She holds a B.S. degree in chemistry from Baylor University, Waco, Texas, and a M.S. and Ph.D. in environmental engineering from Rice University, Houston, Texas. Her research focuses on the fate, transport, and reactivity of chemicals in natural systems along with the use of nanomaterials as contaminant sorbents and their environmental impact. This research has been supported by NSF. Shipley also has done research on arsenic adsorption with iron oxide nanoparticles as a possible water treatment technology with the Center for Biological and Environmental Nanotechnology (CBEN) at Rice University. Previously, she conducted research with the Brine Chemistry Consortium at Rice University on iron sulfides and inhibitor adsorption and with EPA Hazardous Substance Research Center South/Southwest on the resuspension of sediments to predict the amount of metals that can become available.

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Hung-da Wan University of Texas, San Antonio

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Hung-da Wan is an Assistant Professor of the Mechanical Engineering Department and the Director of the Sustainable Manufacturing Systems Lab at the University of Texas, San Antonio (UTSA). His teaching interests include Six Sigma and lean methodologies, computer integrated manufacturing systems, and manufacturing systems engineering. His research interests include sustainability of manufacturing systems and web-based applications in manufacturing. He is affiliated with the Iteractive Technology Experience Center (iTEC) at UTSA.

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David Akopian University of Texas, San Antonio

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David Akopian is an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA). He joined UTSA in 2003 where he founded Software Communication and Navigation Systems Laboratory. He received the M.Sc. degree in radio-electronics from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology in 1987 and Ph.D. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Tampere University of Technology (TUT), Finland, EU, in 1997. From 1999 to 2003 he was a Senior Engineer and Specialist with Nokia Corporation. Prior to joining Nokia in 1999 he was a member of teaching and research staff of TUT. His current research interests include digital signal processing algorithms for communication and navigation receivers, mobile applications, hands-on and remote learning.

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Abstract

ASEE 2012 – K-12 & Pre-College Engineering Division Interactive Technology Experience Center for K-12 STEM Education: From Summer Camps to Robotics Competitions 1 2 3 4 5 Can Saygin , Timothy Yuen , Heather Shipley , HungDa Wan , and David Akopian The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Interactive Technology Experience Center (iTEC) San Antonio, Texas 78249-0670 1 Corresponding Author, can.saygin@utsa.edu, Department of Mechanical Engineering 2 timothy.yuen@utsa.edu, Department of Interdisciplinary Learning and Teaching 3 heather.shipley@utsa.edu, Department of Civil and Environmental Department 4 hungda.wan@utsa.edu, Department of Mechanical Engineering 5 david.akopian@utsa.edu, Department of Electrical and Computer EngineeringABSTRACTInteractive Technology Experience Center (iTEC) is a K-12 STEM (science, technology, engineering, andmathematics) center at the University of Texas at San Antonio, which was established in 2007 with amission to motivate young people to pursue careers in engineering by demonstrating advancedtechnologies and engaging them in interactive activities that build technical skills and foster criticalthinking, self-confidence, communication, and leadership. Since 2007, the iTEC team has developed a 5-step Active Learning Cycle (ALC) model and implemented it at various K-12 events ranging from 4-hourworkshops to day camps to 5-day summer camps. The pedagogical aspects of the events have beenfounded on the 5-step ALC model with various themes, including robotics, aerospace, forensics,environment, and manufacturing, designed for different age groups.The 5-Step ALC model for effective learning is based on three constructivist principles of knowing andlearning: learning is an active process, learning is engagement, and learning is situated. This theoreticalframework built upon constructivist perspectives of knowing and learning serves as the foundation for theALC Model for effective K-12 STEM instruction.The ALC model has a step-wise structure that gradually brings students from peripheral participation inthe community of learners and the community of engineers to becoming active participants. It includes 5steps: Content, Model, Application, Problem Solving, and Design. The objective is to keep individualsengaged, active, and motivated. First step is the content, presented to describe a concept. This is thenfollowed by the second step, which is a model that demonstrates the concept. Next, an application step isintroduced in which students tweak parameters to change the outcome of the application that is foundedon the concept. Fourth step is problem solving that stimulates analysis skills. In the fifth step, an open-ended design problem, constructed on the initial concept, is presented. Students can work on the designproblem in teams. The design problem can be introduced as a competition.In this paper, we share our experiences related to the development of the 5-step ALC model, itsimplementation in various iTEC events, and detailed conclusions, which can be summarized as follows: Understanding a concept entails having a mental model that reflects the structure of the concept and its relationship to other concepts. Therefore, presenting organized knowledge through concepts that are combined to form propositions that show the relationship among concepts is essential. Learning is an active and continual process, where knowledge is constructed, continually updated, and refined as the individual gains more experiences. During knowledge construction and refinement, individuals use all their senses: hear, see, touch, etc. Interacting with a physical object or an experiment enhances and expedites learning. Effective K-12 STEM instruction requires engaging students to be active learners; presenting engineering concepts in concrete, relevant, and real-world contexts; and immersing students in authentic engineering-based activities.

Saygin, C., & Yuen, T. T., & Shipley, H. J., & Wan, H., & Akopian, D. (2012, June), Design, Development, and Implementation of Educational Robotics Activities for K-12 Students Paper presented at 2012 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, San Antonio, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--21162

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