3 Examples of Robotics Applications in Education

The use of robots in the classroom is on the rise, with these machines having the capabilities to educate and interact with students using human-like facial characteristics and emotion-perceiving technology.

Robots can serve as aides, individual tutors, group facilitators, and even students in various educational settings. Robots are increasingly being used in the STEM fields. However, they also have a place in the humanities, such as with language instruction. While robots can never fully replace human teachers, AI and interactive technology developments have opened up new possibilities for them in education.

Robotics in education is primed to assist the next generation of students who prefer to delegate their assignments to essay writers for hire from writing services online with everything from language classes to one-on-one tutoring.

Robotics in the Classroom: What Is It?

Robotics and programming are two subjects that can be introduced to young children through educational robotics, also known as pedagogical robotics. Educational robotics equips young learners with all the tools they need to construct and design a robot that can carry out various activities.

More sophisticated robots are used for learning among students in secondary and tertiary education. The level of difficulty is always modified according to the learners’ ages. STEM education, which emphasizes hands-on experience over theoretical knowledge, includes educational robotics as one component.

1. Robotics in STEM

When robots are employed correctly in the classroom, they provide the foundation for a cross-curricular approach. This can be used to instruct students in subjects as diverse as computer programming and design.

Robots in the classroom can also open doors for students to previously unconsidered and unexplored fields of work. Furthermore, robotics is an excellent medium for making abstract knowledge concrete. As such, robotics can be credited for convincing kids that engineering and IT can be enjoyable.

Overall, using robots in STEM:

Fosters innovative approaches to problem resolution;
Improves communication and interpersonal skills;
Helps students and teachers learn to work together and articulate complicated ideas.

2. Robotics in Special Education

Students who might otherwise be unable to attend school can participate in classroom learning with the help of robots.

Kids battling cancer or other terminal illnesses may not be able to attend school daily physically. However, that shouldn’t mean they must give up on the educational and social benefits of one-on-one learning. One possible solution is using robots to enable these students to participate in class remotely.

Students on the autism spectrum may also have difficulty understanding facial expressions and nonverbal clues, making social interactions more challenging. Robots can have human-like appearances but don’t have the same distracting facial emotions. Robots can successfully teach social cues and other academic topics to children with autism.

3. Robotics in Higher Education

Experts in sensitive procedures are in high demand in many fields, especially healthcare. Many medical students feel that robotics helps them learn more effectively. Professors are increasingly using robots as stand-ins for human subjects when teaching complex medical procedures that would otherwise require a human subject.

Fortunately, building and designing a robot to mimic every aspect of human existence, down to the minute details of breathing and heartbeat, is possible.

Implementing Robotics in the Classroom: How to Get Started

Robots have the potential to be extremely useful in the classroom, but they must be used effectively to achieve their full potential. If you’re thinking about incorporating robots into the classroom, here are four guidelines:

Set a specific goal: Determine your ultimate goal for using the robot as a learning tool, and stick to that goal exclusively.

Use robots to aid with mundane chores: Modern robots are getting rather good at mundane jobs that may be both tedious and time-consuming for humans. By having robots take care of such menial tasks, teachers will have more time to devote to really teaching the kids.

Ensure kids know the robot is just there to help them learn and not as a friend or social companion: kids need human interaction and may develop unhealthy connections to the robot if they think of it as a friend.

Ethical considerations must be given priority when utilizing robots in the classroom: The application of robotics is a prime example of how ethics are becoming more critical as technology advances.

Will Robots Take Over the Classroom?

Despite worries about automation taking over the teaching profession, the reality is that robots are more likely to work in tandem with human educators.

In higher education, robots can handle mundane jobs like replying to student emails and addressing concerns in small groups within a classroom setting. They can also make lessons more engaging for younger students who work with the best essay writing services by taking a non-judgmental approach.

Because of these advantages, you may want to consider using robots in the classroom. Students with disabilities and students who miss class or struggle with a specific topic can now benefit from the individualized attention that was previously unavailable, thanks to the widespread adoption of robots and other assistive technologies in the classroom.

Teachers and administrators should work together to determine the best time and method for incorporating robotics into the classroom. Ultimately, finding useful roles for robots in the classroom reduces teachers’ burdens. They can subsequently put more effort into challenging topics and encourage individual students’ development.

Conclusion

Robots have impacted the classroom and will likely continue to do so in the future. However, the success or failure of robots in the classroom will depend less on the technology itself and more on the choices made by educators and students.