Educational Robotics at Schools Online with Augmented Reality - eROBSON project
9-14 July 2023
The COVID19 showed that laboratory-dependent courses, such as engineering and robotics, suffer the most as the risk of spreading the virus increases significantly, due to the necessity of face to face (f2f) collaboration at a close distance with in a lab and students’ physical/haptic interaction with equipment devices. Educational Robotics is a term to describe educational approaches that use platforms such as Arduino, LittleBits and Mindstorms for STEM education, especially robotics, electronics, and programming. Educational Robotics has been greatly affected by COVID19-restrictions as most of the methods require equipment and access to a lab.
In the eROBSON project, we explore a new possibility of delivering laboratory-dependent courses for the topic of Educational Robotics, which is of low implementation cost, easy to adopt and of zero risk of transmitting COVID19 or other viruses. The proposed educational approach, aims to amend the above described roadblocks, as it employs a risk free of COVID19 transmission, easy to use, and low cost use of technologies, available for free to all the students and the instructors participating in the consortium. Our proposal is based on using Augmented Reality to simulate the necessary lab equipment and the interaction with it, while keeping the educational experience hands-on and tangible. Augmented Reality is a technology that enhances human perception with additional, computer-generated sensorial input to create a new user experience.
The eROBSON project has received funding from the European Union’s Erasmus Plus programme, grant agreement 2020-1-NO01-KA226-SCH-094120.
The Summer School is to familiarize participants with the eROBSON concept, methodology and applications that enable educational robotics approaches to work online using augmented reality.
Overall, this event will be an opportunity to explore an innovative teaching approach, working with a team of experts and other participants. We will have plenty of opportunities to share our experiences and learn from each other.
At the summer school, we will begin by introducing Educational Robotics. We will explore several Educational Robotics kits hands-on, learn about the theory behind them, and best practices.
We will also introduce Augmented Reality technology. We will explore the basic principles of the technology and how it is used for education. We will work hands-on with two open Augmented Reality learning platforms AR Tutor and MirageXR. We will learn how to create educational resources using these platforms for face-to-face and for online education.
We will continue with more practical work. The participants will explore Educational Robotics resources created with already familiar Augmented Reality platforms and discuss their use in different learning contexts. Building on the knowledge, experience and examples, the participants will start working on their own projects, guided by the organizers.
Who should participate?
In-service school teachers: The summer school is designed primarily for school teachers interested in applying new technologies in teaching both in classroom and online. The summer school is especially relevant for teachers of all STEM subjects, technology, informatics, and robotics. The program of the summer school contains short theoretical and methodological introductions, while most of the time is dedicated to developing practical skills and learning how to use concrete tools that can be directly applied in the teaching process.
Pedagogy students: The summer school is relevant for higher education students enrolled in study programs of pedagogy and educational sciences. The event will widen the scope of the participants and give practical skills of designing educational materials together with teachers and experts.
Instructional designers: The summer school is also relevant for instructional designers and designers of educational materials. The participants will extend their knowledge of educational robotics and become proficient in using augmented reality content authoring tools for building educational materials.
By participating in the eROBSON summer school you will:
- Develop an understanding of Educational Robotics, including the concepts, theory behind it, and best practices
- Gain hands-on experience with Educational Robotics toolkits, such as Arduino, LittleBits and Lego Mindstorms
- Develop an understanding of Augmented Reality, including the underlying concepts of the technology, latest trends, and best practices of its use in education
- Become a confident user of Augmented Reality applications by gain hands-on experience with Augmented Reality learning applications, exploring existing educational resource
- Get practical experience building Augmented Reality educational resources that can be applied in teaching laboratory-based courses in classroom or online
Organization team
The organizing team of the summer school includes expert researchers in technology-enhanced technology, experts in teaching robotics at schools, researchers of Educational Robotics, and Augmented Reality technology developers.
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Avgoustos Tsinakos is an expert in Augmented Reality development and the use of this technology in education. Avgoustos is a professor at the Department of Computer Science of International Hellenic University and the Director of the AETMA Lab, where the AR Tutor application is being developed. |
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Dimitris Karampatzakis is an expert in Educational Robotics, experienced in technology development, teaching and research. Dimitris is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Computer Science at the International Hellenic University and the Director of IEES Lab. |
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Olga Firssova is an expert in technology-enhanced learning. Olga is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Technology Enhanced Learning and Innovation in the Open University of the Netherlands. |
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Nardie Fanchamps is an expert in STEM education in primary schools, computational thinking and robotics. Nardie is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Technology Enhanced Learning and Innovation in the Open University of the Netherlands. |
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Mikhail Fominykh is an expert in Augmented Reality development and the use of this technology in education. Mikhail is a Researcher at the Department of Education and Lifelong Learning of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a coordinator of the IMTEL lab. |
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Gregory Milopoulos is an Educational Technology Researcher of the R&D Department of Ellinogermaniki Agogi. He is an Expert in Project Management of large and complex projects, mainly in the field of Educational Technologies and Digital Storytelling |
We would like to offer some ideas and guidelines for your preparation. It is not mandatory to perform these preparations, but it would allow you to get started easier at the event.
Practice and applications
During the summer school we will actively work with two open Augmented Reality learning platforms. As a preparation, you can install one or both of these applications and get familiar with them or at least try to play with them:
[1] ARTutor
ARTutor is an Augmented Reality Educational Platform developed by AETMA Lab at the International Hellenic University, since 2016. ARTutor is available free of charge to educators and students, in order to help them to develop technology enhanced educational material and improve the educational performances and experiences. ARTutor, aims to “Immersive Education for All” vision, in accordance with the UNESCO initiative “Education for All”, trying to remove socioeconomic or cultural barriers which prohibit the access to high end educational technologies and to the technology-enhanced learning in general. Its focus is on adding digital content on traditional educational books and other texts, with the aim of assisting the students’ independent study and ultimately improving the understanding of the material.
ARTutor on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aetma.artutor3
ARTutor on App Store: https://apps.apple.com/gr/app/artutor3/id1573116812
[2] MirageXR
MirageXR is an open-source Augmented Reality training platform that is built by an international consortium based on experiences in multiple research projects, currently led by WEKIT ECS. MirageXR is designed for learning complex, knowledge-intensive tasks, such as how to service the nose-wheel of an airplane, how to operate an ultrasound machine to obtain a healthcare diagnosis, or how to check and service a self-driving vehicle. MirageXR links with Moodle to augment your reality with a teacher hologram, 3D objects, animations, and many more. MirageXR is both editor and player, so you can create your own learning content and share it with your audience.
MirageXR on Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.WEKIT.MirageXR
MirageXR on App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/miragexr/id1561154572
Theoretical background
[1] Fang-Chuan Ou Yang, Hui-Min Lai, Yen-Wen Wang, “Effect of augmented reality-based virtual educational robotics on programming students’ enjoyment of learning, computational thinking skills, and academic achievement”, Computers & Education, 2023 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2022.104721.
“In this article the authors present the use of educational robotics for programming education as an effective educational tool in fostering students’ computational thinking skills. However, physical educational robots are expensive, which may limit their wide use in the classroom. This study used augmented reality to develop a virtual educational robotic system (AR Bot for short), which offers 3D visual learning feedback to strengthen spatial ability, as well as delayed feedback and auto-scoring feedback to promote students’ deeper computational thinking processes. The results showed that students who used AR Bot had higher enjoyment of learning, algorithm design skills, and algorithm efficiency skills but not higher problem decomposition skills and academic achievement than students who used Scratch. Enjoyment of learning led to higher problem decomposition, algorithm design, and algorithm efficiency skills but not academic achievement. The theoretical and practical implications of the proposed tool and other computational thinking tools in programming education are discussed.”
[2] Verner I, Cuperman D, Perez-Villalobos H, Polishuk A, Gamer S., “Augmented and Virtual Reality Experiences for Learning Robotics and Training Integrative Thinking Skills”, Robotics. 2022 https://doi.org/10.3390/robotics11050090
“In this article the authors present learning through augmented reality and virtual reality experiences for modern robotics education. The objective was to examine learning in the augmented and virtual environment and evaluate its contribution to understanding the robot systems and to fostering integrative thinking. Their study shows that augmented reality apps and virtual simulators can be effectively used for experiential learning about robot systems in online courses. However, these experiences cannot replace practice with real robots.”
Subsistence & accommodation
The Summer School will be held at Golden Coast Hotel & Bungalows, an A-class/ 4-star sea-side hotel which stretches on the golden, sandy beach of the Marathon Bay, near the historic location of Marathon, at the outskirts of Athens.
ESIA has made special arrangement with the hotel and are happy to offer to all participants a single or double room with all-inclusive services (i.e. breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks and free of charge services for outdoors sports and recreational activities).
The costs for subsistence are also within the ceilings of the Erasmus+ programme for KA1 mobility actions.
ACCOMMODATION AT GOLDEN COAST HOTEL 2023
COST FOR THE PARTICIPANTS (All Inclusive)
- Per person in SINGLE: 138 €/per night
- Per person in DOUBLE: 95 euro/per night
Extra persons (All Inclusive)
- TRIPLE room: 85 euro/per person/per night
EXTRA SERVICES (the following refers to other project participants that don’t pay the course fee)
TOURS & EXCURSIONS
Cape Sounio Tour (Price: 70 €/per person)
Monday @ 18:00
Includes:
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- Transport by bus (Golden Coast – Cape Sounio – Golden Coast)
- Guided tour of Poseidon temple with Professional and Lisensed guide
- Entrance fees of the Temple of Poseidon
- Lunch at local tavern
- All taxes
Athens tour & Acropolis Museum (Price: 88 €/per person)
Wednesday @ 16:00
Includes:
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- Transport by bus (Golden Coast – Athens – Golden Coast)
- Short panoramic tour by bus of historic center of Athens
- Services of a Professional and licensed guide
- Entrance fees of Acropolis museum
- Lunch at local tavern
- All taxes
+ Entrance fees to the Acropolis Archaeological Site ticket cost of +20 euro/per person.
*** The above prices are calculated based on current costs, tickets to museums / archeological sites, fuel cost, VAT
The Summer School will be held at Golden Coast Hotel & Bungalows, an A-class/ 4-star sea-side hotel which stretches on the golden, sandy beach of the Marathon Bay, near the historic location of Marathon, at the outskirts of Athens.
It is the area of Marathon, that has hosted since the times of myths when Theseus killed the terrible bull of Marathon, to the times of the Persian wars and the Battle of Marathon, further on to our days and the marathon race and Marathon Run, the emblematic symbol of man’s quest for freedom and the will to defend his most noble deeds which constitute the foundations of the Human civilization. The plethora of natural, historical sites and museums of the area reveal in all details this unique historical voyage.
Participants are expected to arrive through the Athens International Airport, approximately 25 km (15,53 miles) distance from the hotel.
School Heads and Teachers participation in the summer courses can be funded by the ERASMUS+ Programme.
In case your school or organization does not have the funds to cover the costs of your participation in the Summer School, there is another option: you can apply to be funded by by the ERASMUS+ Programme.
Please note that the Erasmus+ KA1 application can only be submitted by the school or the organization – no individual applications can be submitted.
The deadline for application is 23 February 2023.
What is ERASMUS+?
Erasmus+ is the European Commission’s Programme for education, training, youth, and sport for the period 2021-2027. As an integrated programme, Erasmus+ offers more opportunities for the mobility of learners and staff and cooperation across the education, training, and youth sectors and is easier to access than its predecessors, with simplified funding rules and a structure that aims to streamline the administration of the programme.
Erasmus+ Key Action 1 (KA1) provides a unique opportunity for teachers, headmasters, trainers, and other staff of educational institutions to participate in international training courses in different European countries. Schools, universities, vocational education and training, and adult education organizations are all eligible to receive full funding to attend courses under a KA1 mobility grant. The Erasmus+ KA1 grant covers all the costs to attend teacher training courses: including travel, subsistence, and course fee.
For up-to-date information about Erasmus+ please check the Programme’s website. Your school will need to apply to your country’s National Agency, who is also the one who will evaluate the proposal. Therefore, your National Agency is also a very good point to start for more information.
Don’t forget to go through the the New Programme Guide and you will have all you need to know.
The steps to apply for an Erasmus+ KA1 School Education Staff Mobility grant are:
- Fill in the registration form to our Summer School with your details. This is an individual registration form, so if there are more than one participant from the same school, each one will have to submit a separate registration form. This way you have reserved a slot in the course in case your application for Erasmus+ funding is successful!
- Register your school/organization here: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/erasmus-esc/index/ , if not already registered.
- Check the compliance with the programme criteria
- Check the financial conditions
- Fill in and submit the application form
- Respect the deadline
- Do not forget to inform us as soon as you get notified from your National Agency whether your grant application is accepted or rejected.
You can find all related information about submitting an Erasmus+ Application HERE.
We will be happy to guide you through the process.