Human-Swarm Interaction Robotics as Context for Training Diverse Undergraduate Researchers

Reagan Curtis; Evana Nusrat Dooty; Sumaia Ali Raisa; Jason Gross; Yu Gu

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Conference: 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
Location: Minneapolis, MN
Publication Date: August 23, 2022
Start Date: June 26, 2022
End Date: June 29, 2022
Conference Session: ERM: ERM Medley Session!
Page Count: 15
DOI: 10.18260/1-2--40432
Permanent URL: https://peer.asee.org/40432
Download Count: 275

Paper Authors

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Reagan Curtis West Virginia University

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Chester E. & Helen B. Derrick Endowed Professor of Educational Psychology, WVU

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biography

Jason Gross West Virginia University

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Associate Professor

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Dr. Yu Gu’s main research interest is in improving robots’ ability to function in increasingly complex environments and situations. Gu is a three-time NASA Centennial Challenge winner, a NASA NIAC Fellow, and an NSF REU site director. He has led the design of autonomous robots from one degree of freedom (DOF) to 55 DOF, from 50mg to 200kg. The Interactive Robotics Laboratory (IRL) that Gu is directing is currently working on precision robotic pollinators, autonomous planetary rovers, teams of robots for exploring underground environments, and swarms of ground and space robots. The outcomes of IRL research have been featured in 150 media stories. Gu also led the initiation and development of the WVU Robotics program.

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Abstract

We seek to help undergraduate students develop into independent researchers through challenging them with real-world problems utilizing human-swarm interactions as both research context and pedagogical model for how to engage students in undergraduate research. We describe our program and the sequential mixed methods evaluation informing quality improvement and summative evidence of impact on participants. Our undergraduate researchers explore innovative ways of interacting with collectively emergent systems behavior without directly controlling individual building blocks of swarms, and we utilize our understanding of human-swarm interaction as a model for organizing their research experience. Students gain first-hand knowledge of the nonlinearity and robustness of robot swarm behaviors through observations and interactions during hands-on experiments. We give students ownership of engineering problems formulated as challenges their “swarm” must solve. With this active learning approach, students’ creativities are stimulated, and they become more confident, comfortable, and competent in solving complex robotics problems.

We utilized a sequential mixed methods evaluation design for triangulation, complementarity, and development. This allowed us to leverage analysis of collected data to inform development of later data sources (i.e., development), as well as to examine the degree of overlap (i.e., triangulation) and independent contribution (i.e., complementarity) across quantitative and qualitative data sources. Data sources included a pre-post survey and focus groups during week 4 and week 8 of our 10-week program. These data sources allowed quantitative pre-post change analysis to be triangulated with participant self-assessment of impact and complemented with participant description of activities and perspectives that facilitated such impact as well as suggestions for improvement.

Participants described positive impacts of the autonomy-supportive structure and authentic nature of the program in all areas and most strongly in Research Skills development. Participant recommendations centered on better communication, increased direct support from mentors, and focus on leadership, careers/graduate school, and scientist identity development. We recommend consideration of literature on cognitive apprenticeship in communities of practice organized around research groups to inform projects such as this.

Keywords: Robotics, Research Experience for Undergraduates, Program Evaluation

Citation
Format

Curtis, R., & Gross, J., & Dooty, E. N., & Raisa, S. A., & Gu, Y. (2022, August), Human-Swarm Interaction Robotics as Context for Training Diverse Undergraduate Researchers Paper presented at 2022 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Minneapolis, MN. 10.18260/1-2--40432

TY  - CPAPER
AB  - We seek to help undergraduate students develop into independent researchers through challenging them with real-world problems utilizing human-swarm interactions as both research context and pedagogical model for how to engage students in undergraduate research. We describe our program and the sequential mixed methods evaluation informing quality improvement and summative evidence of impact on participants. Our undergraduate researchers explore innovative ways of interacting with collectively emergent systems behavior without directly controlling individual building blocks of swarms, and we utilize our understanding of human-swarm interaction as a model for organizing their research experience. Students gain first-hand knowledge of the nonlinearity and robustness of robot swarm behaviors through observations and interactions during hands-on experiments. We give students ownership of engineering problems formulated as challenges their “swarm” must solve. With this active learning approach, students’ creativities are stimulated, and they become more confident, comfortable, and competent in solving complex robotics problems.

We utilized a sequential mixed methods evaluation design for triangulation, complementarity, and development. This allowed us to leverage analysis of collected data to inform development of later data sources (i.e., development), as well as to examine the degree of overlap (i.e., triangulation) and independent contribution (i.e., complementarity) across quantitative and qualitative data sources. Data sources included a pre-post survey and focus groups during week 4 and week 8 of our 10-week program. These data sources allowed quantitative pre-post change analysis to be triangulated with participant self-assessment of impact and complemented with participant description of activities and perspectives that facilitated such impact as well as suggestions for improvement.

Participants described positive impacts of the autonomy-supportive structure and authentic nature of the program in all areas and most strongly in Research Skills development. Participant recommendations centered on better communication, increased direct support from mentors, and focus on leadership, careers/graduate school, and scientist identity development. We recommend consideration of literature on cognitive apprenticeship in communities of practice organized around research groups to inform projects such as this.

Keywords: Robotics, Research Experience for Undergraduates, Program Evaluation
AU  - Reagan Curtis
AU  - Jason Gross
AU  - Evana Nusrat Dooty
AU  - Sumaia Ali Raisa
AU  - Yu Gu
CY  - Minneapolis, MN
DA  - 2022/08/23
PB  - ASEE Conferences
TI  - Human-Swarm Interaction Robotics as Context for Training Diverse Undergraduate Researchers
UR  - https://peer.asee.org/40432
DO  - 10.18260/1-2--40432
ER  -