Robotics Camps, Clubs, and Competitions: Results from a U.S. Robotics Project
Description
Funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln has spent the last eight years developing and implementing a comprehensive educational robotics program for youth ages 9-14. The program is delivered in informal (out-of-school) learning environments through robotics camps, clubs, and competitions and has provided robotics experiences to over 5,000 youth and 400 educators. The goal of the project is to positively impact the youths’ science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) knowledge and attitudes–and to foster an interest in STEM careers. This paper summarizes the project’s evaluation and research results, focusing on the youth outcomes that have consistently emerged across the years. We also present survey results on youths’ perceptions of the STEM skills they learned in relation to camp, school, their personal life, and society.
Gwen Nugent, Bradley Barker, Neal Grandgenett, and Greg Welch: presentation at the 4th International Workshop Teaching Robotics, Teaching with Robotics & 5th International Conference Robotics in Education, Padova, Italy, July 2014.
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