Analysis Of Middle And High School Students’ Learning Of Science, Mathematics, And Engineering Concepts Through A Lego Underwater Robotics Design Challenge
Elisabeth McGrath, Susan Lowes, Pei-Yi Lin, Jason Sayres · 2020
The Build IT project is a university-school collaboration to increase precollege student interest and achievement in engineering, science, mathematics, and information technology through a novel underwater robotics project that utilizes LEGO Mindstorms kits, the NXT programmable brick, and related equipment.The project is being implemented in 36 socio-economically and academically diverse schools for students in Grades 7-12.Through a series of increasingly complex challenges, Build IT exposes students to science, mathematics, and engineering concepts such as buoyancy, Newton's Laws, momentum, density, gear ratios, torque, forces, energy, volume, mass-weight distribution and simple machines.During the first year of classroom implementation, teams of students in a variety of classroom settings used LEGO components, wire-guided switches, motors and other equipment to design, construct, and control robots to maneuver in a 3-4 foot deep pool.This paper will explore the impact of the project on the students, specifically, changes in understanding of the key science concepts embedded in the curriculum and changes in knowledge about, and attitudes toward, engineering.It will also explore gender differences in attitudes toward the engineering aspects of the curriculum and in the pedagogical strategies embedded in the curriculum, including hands-on learning and group work. Theoretical FrameworkRobotics has been demonstrated as an effective vehicle to teach STEM concepts at many levels.The theoretical foundation for using robotics in education has been put forth by Jonassen, who described cognitive tools or "mindtools" 1 that can enhance the learning process.Others have posited that robotics enables students to creatively explore computer programming, mechanical design and construction, problem solving, and collaboration, 2,3 as well as the ability to present open-ended problems that require integrative thinking.4 Robotics enables students to own their learning as they make choices and explore many paths in order to solve design challenges.Through the use of LEGO robotics technology, students learn various facets of problem solving while simultaneously mastering numerous mathematical and scientific concepts.Riskowski et al. identified three components that engineering design brings to the study of science (in middle school settings), which support our theoretical framework: (1) interaction: engagement and relationship-building among groups to design-build-test an apparatus, whereby the individual contributions to a collective product or process is paramount; (2) artifact development: developing an artifact fosters the display of the groups' communal knowledge as embodied in the artifact; and (3) critical analysis: a process of individual, small-group, and largegroup (whole class) continual learning as designs are critiqued and improvements are suggested/tested.5 More specifically, designing robots encompasses elements of the engineering design process, and particularly, iterative design.Page 14.215.2implementation, currently underway, students are learning icon-based programming using the NXT-G in order to maneuver their ROVs to complete a similar set of challenges.(See www.stevens.edu/ciese/builditfor more information about the project and www.stevens.edu/ciese/buildit/curriculum.html for lessons, curricular resources and assessments.)The culminating event of the school year was a statewide competition, held at Stevens Institute of Technology, in which teams from all partner schools competed against each other in middle and high school categories for the following prizes: Overall Winner, Most Innovative Design, and Speed.In addition to the ROV curriculum, teachers, students, and guidance counselors were exposed to engineering research, role models, and careers through summer institutes, engineering career awareness days, and presentations by faculty and practicing engineers featuring women and minorities.Previous papers have reported on the professional development model for teachers; the model's efficacy 19 ; and on classroom implementation models and effects.20 Overall, 90 percent of the teachers gave the project a grade of A or B in terms of student learning and 87 percent gave it an A or B in terms of student engagement.Both middle and high school teachers reported that they were able to use the curriculum to teach concepts covered in the standard curriculum and on the state tests, and both middle and high schools teachers listed such other benefits as the 21 stcentury skills of teamwork, problem solving, the ability to deal with failure, and the ability to deal with real world problems.This paper presents findings from our study of student impact, specifically in terms of enjoyment of science, their learning of the specific concepts embedded in the curriculum, and the practice of engineering and problem-based learning practices.