This engineering education research project will develop the software and high school curricula to teach programming using mobile devices that will allow students to walk around and interact with each other as they develop programs for virtual robotics competitions. The project is driven by the hypothesis that a mobile, collaborative programming platform will improve learning outcomes in designing, generating, and evaluating algorithmic knowledge. The hypothesis has been subdivided into four measurable outcomes focusing on learning, transfer of programming knowledge, engagement, and procedures. Both learning and system development are addressed in the proposed research.
The broader significance and importance of this project, if successful, are to fundamentally change how students learn computer literacy. Rather than sitting at a computer to develop programs, students actively move around and interact in the task of preparing for robot competitions. This work may engage a more diverse group of students in learning the basics of programming, a key skill for the 21st century workforce.
