Rolando Barradas

About

Rolando Barradas is a leading researcher at the intersection of educational robotics, computational thinking, and STEM education. His most influential work demonstrates how tangible technologies like Arduino-based mobile robots can transform elementary school learning environments. In his landmark 2024 study, Barradas developed a comprehensive framework integrating custom robots with digital eBooks, showing through a pan-European empirical study that problem-based learning with robotics significantly enhances computational thinking and problem-solving skills in young students—a paper that has already garnered 14 citations since publication. His earlier foundational work includes usability evaluations of educational robots for STEM areas (6 citations) and innovative implementations of recursive backtracking algorithms for robotic competitions. Barradas has also been instrumental in developing projects that address the critical need to boost student interest and performance in STEM courses, particularly in Portuguese schools, while fostering essential IT career prerequisites. His research, supported by Portugal’s Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), bridges the gap between theoretical computer science concepts and hands-on educational practice, making complex algorithmic thinking accessible to elementary learners through engaging robotic platforms.

Research Focus

Key Achievements

Top Papers

1. 1
   Arduino-Based Mobile Robotics for Fostering Computational Thinking Development: An Empirical Study with Elementary School Students Using Problem-Based Learning Across Europe

   14 citations · 2024
2. 2
   Usability Evaluation of an Educational Robot for STEM Areas

   6 citations · 2019
3. 3
   ARDUINO RECURSIVE BACKTRACKING IMPLEMENTATION, FOR A ROBOTIC CONTEST

   4 citations · 2017
4. 4
   Enhancing STEM courses through a robotic innovative project

   2 citations · 2015

Key Collaborators

Contact & Links