Papers
4
Total Citations
57
H-Index
3
About
Rabia Ibtasar is a human-computer interaction researcher whose work sits at the dynamic intersection of social robotics, child development, and educational technology. Her research focuses on understanding how social robots can serve as meaningful learning companions for children, particularly through long-term, real-world deployments that move beyond controlled laboratory settings. Ibtasar's most influential contribution, "Understanding Factors that Shape Children's Long Term Engagement with an In-Home Learning Companion Robot" (2022, 30 citations), offers rare insight into how children sustain interest in robotic companions over extended periods within authentic home environments — a critical gap in the field. Building on this, her 2023 paper "Off Script" (22 citations) reveals how unsupervised, in-the-wild family-robot interactions generate unexpected and valuable design opportunities, challenging researchers and designers to think beyond scripted interaction models. Her work also extends into computing education, where she investigates how open-ended social robotics programs can scaffold middle schoolers' computational thinking and broaden participation in computer science. Collectively, Ibtasar's research makes a compelling case for deploying social robots in naturalistic settings, offering both theoretical insights and practical design guidance for researchers, educators, and technologists working to make robotics more accessible and impactful for young learners.
Research Focus
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