Help educators to teach through robotic tools

<< Background >>HEART project is related to the wide area of educational robotics with specific focus on the supportive role of robots in adult education and inclusion of people with disabilities. While preparing the project application we have noticed that the most of the research focuses on the use of educational robots in school education for children and few projects or initiatives have focused attention on adult education. We could not find any comprehensive resources to support adult educators interested in beginning their endeavor with robotics. We have identified four target groups and needs to be addressed. Educators who want to use robots with adult learners lack the information of what is available on the market and how they should make use of it. There is a dearth of information on best practices for using robots in adult education, particularly for persons with disabilities. The third group comprising experts from the partner organizations needs to be properly trained as mentors to further support the target groups in their direct work with adult learners. Then the specialists in the Higher Education sector can benefit from connecting the field of robotics with the field of education and extend their academic know-how in this area.<< Objectives >>The overall aim of the HEART project was to increase the capacities of the adult education systems in the partner countries by introducing new online tools to support educators and trainers in using robotics technology. One of the specific goals was mapping the field of educational robotics and showing the interconnections between technologies and practices, relevant to the needs of adult learners, also learners with disabilities. In the more general level we aimed to increase capacity of the partners and enhance cooperation between them, to create an international network of trainers and educators with a specific knowledge in the field of educational robotics, and to increase synergies between the adult education, the higher education and the robotics sectors.<< Implementation >>We have implemented several well-planned activities for the achievement of the objectives: A1 – mapping of the robotic devices relevant for supporting adult education, including education for persons with disabilities and good practices – as a result the searchable database was developed and published as an online tool. A2 – the education guide to complement the robot database was prepared, which presents the concepts, the selection criteria and descriptions of the devices and learning scenarios. A3 – we have developed a methodology for the training course, to ensure that all the training modules are following a similar structure and meeting the needs of the target groups. A4 – the partners have developed a web-based training course, consisting of 6 modules, aimed at the target groups to enhance their capacity to use robots for adult education. Videos, animations and case studies were used to present the information in a way that is easy to understand for a non-technical audience. We have covered different areas of adult education, with strong focus on robots for persons with disabilities. The training course includes resources and quizzes that the participants must take in order to obtain certification. Also pre-test and post-test are helping learners to understand the scope and progress of the study.A5 – the partners carried out the piloting of the online training course in order to ensure that it meets the needs of the target groups. A6 – the consortium organized the Training for Trainers Activity to educate new experts who has been supporting the target groups and improved the capacities of the partners. A7 – based on the feedback received from the LTTA and the piloting, we have produced the final version of the online training course. A8 – all partners carried out a cycle of 6 webinars, one in each country, to present the database and the training course for local audiences. A9 – the leader of consortium has organized and co-organized the series of conferences to widely inform about the project results. Standard supporting activities were shared by partners, including project management and coordination; monitoring, evaluation and quality assurance; and promotion.<< Results >>We have created 3 tangible products and obtained 3 other important results, according to the plan:1. The searchable online database of robots for adult education – containing over 100 robots of different types and possible applications. The database is accompanied by the 16 Interviews with trainers and practitioners in the educational robotics field and the Education guide on the use of our valuable resources. Robot database is available in 7 languages (EN, PL, BG, GR, ES, NL, IT).2. The online training course containing 6 educational modules (with video teaser, presentation and teaching material) to improve the competences of the target groups. The course in accompanied by the pre-test and post-test, and contains quizzes to verify knowledge, in order to issue certificates for learners who collected over 60% of correct answers. Training course is available in 7 languages.3. The series of 6 webinars presented and recorded in national languages to promote the webpage of the project and above mentioned teaching resources. All the educational resources are available online on the project webpage in all national languages of project partners and in English.4. We have trained the network of 19 professionals on the use of all educational resources we have created. They have provided support and training to the target groups and will support partner organizations in the future. 5. We have improved competences on the use of robotics technology to support educational outcomes among the target groups through training activities performed in each country – over 80 people were educated in total. 6. We have achieved wide reach of the project results through the series of 5 international and national events – over 110 participants attended special sessions of presentations and hands-on workshops.