Introducing Robotics to an English for Academic Purposes Curriculum in Higher Education: The Student Experience

摘要

Content Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) refers to the combined teaching of a foreign language and a scientific topic. In this study, forty-nine, non-native speakers of English, first-year Chemistry students in Higher Education without prior experience in STREAM (Science, Technology, Reading, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) education were recruited. Students were requested to deal with scenarios involving robot programming in the context of an English for Academic/Scientific Purposes (EAP/EScP) course. More specifically, a lesson plan was devised that involved an introduction to the basic principles of programming through the Hour of Code protocol. Then, students were required to program the Edison robots to execute specific actions as described in the scenarios they received. Also, students were handed-in papers to practice on their understanding of the scientific concepts that were introduced in this exercise. Appropriate questionnaires were devised and used to assess students’ linguistic and scientific background and to describe the students’ experience. Results underline the students’ enthusiasm and their wish for the inclusion of further STREAM exercises in their curriculum of studies.