Educational robotics to promote 21st century skills and technological understanding among underprivileged undergraduate students

Abstract

This paper presents a case of a liberal art college serving predominantly African American and Hispanic populations. Many of those students are non-traditional and working students from nearby socio-economically disadvantaged communities. It introduces the difficulties that they face because of the lack of skills that the students come in with. The general education course provides learning experience aiming to foster critical thinking, problem-solving, and collaboration skills as well as creativity and innovation through the integration of robotics as a learning tool and trans-disciplinary approach in a learner-centered, collaborative, project-based learning environment. The results show that the students have achieved the learning outcomes that the course set.