Devayani Tirthali

John Brown University, Institute for Learning Innovation

Papers

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About

Devayani Tirthali is a researcher dedicated to advancing STEM education through innovative, hands-on learning approaches. Her primary research areas center on robotics curriculum design and the assessment of student learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Tirthali’s major contribution lies in demonstrating how challenge-based robotics curricula can effectively teach complex STEM concepts to middle and high school students. Her most cited work, "Student Learning of STEM Concepts Using a Challenge-based Robotics Curriculum" (2015, 11 citations), provides compelling evidence that tightly integrated, design-based robotics challenges significantly improve pre- and post-instruction understanding of science, programming, and engineering. This study highlights the power of having student teams design, build, program, test, and redesign robots through increasingly sophisticated challenges. Her subsequent work, "Transforming a Middle and High School Robotics Curriculum" (2020), continues this trajectory, exploring how to evolve and scale these effective pedagogical approaches. Tirthali’s research offers practical, evidence-based pathways for educators seeking to inspire the next generation of innovators and problem-solvers, making her a valuable voice in the conversation on modern STEM education.