Gordon Fraser
Papers
11
Total Citations
73
H-Index
6
About
Gordon Fraser is a leading researcher in two distinct yet impactful areas: autonomous robotic planning and computing education for young learners. His early work established foundational contributions to plan execution in dynamic, partially observable environments, developing robust control systems for mobile robots. Notably, his research on applying qualitative reasoning to robotic soccer demonstrated how to extract and use qualitative knowledge from numerical world models for effective plan computation, with his key papers in this domain accumulating over 30 citations. In recent years, Fraser has become a prominent voice in primary school computing education, particularly through his extensive work with Ozobot robots. His highly cited studies (over 25 combined citations) investigate how feedback mechanisms affect children's motivation, self-efficacy, and learning when programming these block-based robots. He has identified common patterns and problems in student-created robot programs, and developed practical resources like "hint cards" to help teachers provide effective, non-demotivating feedback. His 2024 paper on the differential effects of "help me solve it" versus "solve it for me" feedback is particularly notable for its nuanced contribution to pedagogical design. Fraser's work bridges the gap between advanced robotics and accessible, engaging computational thinking instruction for elementary school students.
Research Focus
Key Achievements
Top Papers
- 1Plan execution in dynamic environments10 citations · 2005
- 2
- 3Application of Qualitative Reasoning to Robotic Soccer10 citations · 2004
- 4
- 5A Modular Architecture for a Multi-purpose Mobile Robot8 citations · 2004
- 6Common Patterns in Block-Based Robot Programs6 citations · 2022
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- 9Plan Execution in Dynamic Environments5 citations · 2005
- 10