Arts & Bots: Application and outcomes of a secondary school robotics program

Abstract

Arts & Bots combines intrinsically creative craft materials, common robotics components, a custom programming environment and teacher professional development to create a flexible robotics intervention for secondary school classrooms. In order to engage students underserved by other robotics programs, Arts & Bots is oriented to support the creation of collaborative expression-focused robots, as opposed to more commonly implemented competitive task-focused robot activities. Specifically, Arts & Bots targets integration into traditional nontechnical classes, such as literature and history, to reach a broader base of students than would be enrolled in elective technology programs. This paper describes three classroom implementations, including a secondary school poetry project. By including Arts & Bots in these core courses, we expose diverse students to engineering education activities such as hands-on experiences with computer programming, prototyping, and the engineering design process. We present our outcomes grouped within two primary themes: first, in Technological Fluency, we present students' self-reporting of concepts learned, confidence with technology, and breaking of technology stereotypes; second, in Complementary Non-Technical Skills, we present other skills students learned by participating in the Arts & Bots program.