Educational Robotics and Inquiry Learning: A Pilot Study in a Web-Based Learning Environment

Abstract

Recent studies show that pupils are very enthusiastic when using robotic systems and robots in schools. However, these are mainly used only in extracurricular activities to learn about the robots, take part in different contests or for research purposes. The research and practice of integrating web-enhanced learning environments and inquiry learning with robots is almost absent. The purpose of this paper is to present preliminary results of such a pilot study conducted in Estonia. Pupils used web-based worksheets, robots and a programming environment to conduct an inquiry experiment in physics. These worksheets consisted of two principal parts that followed the hypothesis and the experiment space of inquiry cycle. First results indicated that pupils manage fine in such an environment and acquire more knowledge through practical tests and inquiry learning with the use of robots.