Robotics technologies are a significant tool in many industries. This paper presents a historical analysis of educational robots and how they apply to K-12 education from the past and potential in the future; focusing on the time period before and after the year 2000. The article concludes with future directions for curriculum and robotics in…

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) curriculum and learning activities may help students learn social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies needed to support independence and community living, as well as 21st-century career development skills. Including robotics and coding curriculum in elementary classrooms can offer all…

Today's society is facing new challenges and opportunities that demand professional profiles specialized in problem solving, with the ability to innovate and exploit the possibilities offered by information and communication technologies (ICTs). Far from being a novelty, the term STEM was coined in the mid-1990s. From then until now, there are a…

University laboratories deliver unique hands-on experimentation opportunities for STEM students, but often lack state-of-the-art equipment and provide limited access to their equipment. The University of Texas Cloud Laboratory (CLAB) provides remote access to cutting-edge series elastic actuators for student experimentation regarding…

One Extension Specialist implemented a STEM pilot robotics program across three middle school settings. A program evaluation to provide guidance and recommendations for future development, implementation, and continued evaluation was conducted as part of a larger study. This process led to the development of a condensed STEM survey that can be…

Coping with a virtual and abstract reality has become part of everyday life. Therefore, perceptions of what will constitute everyday life experiences for future generations are next to impossible to predict. One way of preparing young children for such a future is the implementation of teaching towards digital competence in curricula around the…

Amanda is in her fifteenth year at Mashpee Middle High School where she teaches Technology, Engineering, Robotics, and Intro to Computer Science at the secondary level. She has been recognized for her innovative efforts in STEM Education including in 2020 as an ITEEA Teacher Excellence recipient and in 2019 as the Massachusetts STEM Teacher of the…

When thinking of early childhood STEM, images of active, play-based design challenges, experiences with robotics/coding, or hands-on experiences with open-ended materials (e.g., balls, ramps, loose parts) often come to mind. While these are certainly images that align with developmentally appropriate early childhood STEM practices, some of the…

The author introduces the Passive Dynamic Walker robot, which is constructed with LEGOs and operates without any electronics. Building this robot offers an excellent platform for investigating center of mass and other important physics and engineering concepts.

Robot toys can be used to promote STEM subjects, particularly coding and mathematics. The lesson described in this article illustrates how a robot toy was used with a number line to explore equality and missing addends in Year 1. The lesson progression models how activities can be sequenced to build on developing understandings while supporting…

This design case presents a detailed account of how we navigated various ethical issues observed in a robotics program that aimed to engage underrepresented students in robotics and STEM experience. The ethical challenges we encountered revolved around uneven participant engagement and interpersonal tensions. We tackled these challenges by…

STEM literacy is identified as a necessary skill for participation in the future workforce. 4-H has responded to this need to develop STEM-ready youth by expanding access to project areas like Robotics. It has been acknowledged that recruiting and training STEM competent staff and volunteers is a limitation in expanding these types of programs. At…

Educational Robotics is rapidly gaining attention as an effective methodology to develop skills and engage students preserving their peculiar style of learning. It is often tied together with two other methodologies, Coding and Tinkering, characterized by a similar hands-on approach. In order to fully exploit their inclusive features, teachers…

This paper presents a competition-based active learning approach that prepares undergraduate students for careers in the drone industry. The competition-based learning (CBL) approach focuses on preparing students for three key drone industry requirements (1) drone assembly, testing, and validation using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) parts, (2)…

Robots and robot technology have been used widely across disciplines at the postsecondary level, but have not gained traction at the secondary (K-12) level. In higher education, for example, mechanical engineers design the kinematics of a robot, the electrical engineers determine electrical needs, and the industrial and systems engineers determine…