Written by: Joseph McLean
Robots have come far in their integration with the affairs of human life, and almost every aspect of human activities has some form of robotics integration. The manufacturing industry, agricultural industry, health industry, etc., have all witnessed evolution due to the use of robots. Another industry that is benefiting and still can benefit more from robots is the e-learning sector. When we say robots, we aren’t limited to the robots we see in movies. That is the robots that walk and talk like human beings. While they are robots, restricting the growth to only those kinds of robots would diminish the massive evolution robotics have witnessed over the years.
Educational robotics is the use of robots to teach and improve students’ learning process. It involves the usage of robots to enhance student cooperation and academic commitment. Educational robotics also includes creating a friendly environment that teaches students how to use their knowledge to solve problems. In addition, it involves using robotics to engage students and improve cooperation and collaboration between students. The goal of educational robotics is to help students become more creative, think critically, and improve assimilation in students.
So, in collaboration with UK SuperiorPapers we will be examining why educational robotics is the future of e-learning.
Breaking the Educational Robotics Stereotype
Robotics in education is not as glamorous as you might have thought. There are no fancy robots like that of the Terminator movies or the Battlestar Galactica series. For instance, a revolution in educational robotics is the creation of Dot, the educational robot. Unlike people who think of robots having legs, Dot is a big eye in a green ball. Schools use Dot to engage elementary school students. Despite being ball-shaped, Dot can communicate with the children and encourages them to engage in physical activities. Some other educational robots are slightly humanoid. They come with wheels and a large screen in their center. So, there is no stereotype with educational robots. They can come in any form.
Educational Robotics and E-learning
According to the reports of the uk assignment help, some people argue that distinguishing between e-learning and educational robotics is moot. However, some are eager to draw the distinction. Notably, the use of educational robotics in academics is regarded as ‘telepresence.’ Understanding this is crucial in the distinction between educational robotics and E-learning. In distinguishing the two, e-learning is the use of digital means to facilitate learning. Put in even simpler terms. It is learning across distance, using the internet. So, you could be in America and attending a university in London. The internet levels the distance that could have prevented such learning from taking place.
Educational robotics and its telepresence are different from E-learning because you are using robotics to create or simulate a physical experience when it comes to learning. As we have said, the argument is moot as to a degree, as you can describe computers and other tech used in facilitating classified as robots of sorts. To emphasize the pointlessness of the argument on distinction, these educational robots are now optimized to use the internet and video tech to teach and communicate with individuals effectively. Some educational robots are physical representations of teachers that are far away. In addition, the academic modules and materials which e-learning uses are still the same as used with educational robots.
Educational Robotics as the Future of E-learning
It Can Limit the Distractions that Prevent Effective E-learning
Interestingly, the pandemic has offered institutions the opportunity to harness the use of e-learning and perfect it. However, things have not gone exactly as planned. E-learning hasn’t met with much success among students. One of the reasons for this is that students are not used to it. Another reason is that most students can not concentrate without the external guidance and monitoring of their teachers. Teachers help keep students in check in physical classes. They make sure that a student focuses on what is being taught at least as humanly as possible. In e-learning, the situation is different. The student is more or less left alone to sort themselves out.
When students are left to their devices, it can cause a gap between the teacher and student. A gap that educational robotics can expertly fill. Educational robots come in various shapes and sizes, and most come with computer vision technology which can help track student concentration. The robot can signal the teacher to let the teacher know if a student is not concentrating. Through this, the teacher can even know which aspect of learning the student doesn’t understand.
Educational Robots can Help Students Feel Familiar
The classroom helps students focus a lot. They have people they can interact with to make the learning process smoother. An Educational robot can simulate this by making the learning process interactive. The robots can communicate with the student and understand the student’s pain point. Through this, the robot can help the student with the resources they would need to know what they are learning in class. Furthermore, even though the student is far away from others, educational robots can help them communicate better with the other students. Even if they are alone while learning, the robot will make sure they aren’t lonely.
Educational Robots can Ease the Burden of Teaching
Apart from alerting teachers to areas students find difficult or letting the teachers know the students that are not concentrating, educational robots can do more. They can be something similar to assistant teachers. For instance, they can help students revise what the teacher is teaching them. In addition, they can recommend additional reading sources, help the teacher curate questions that will test students’ knowledge, etc. In addition, these robots can be programmed to teach certain aspects of the subjects. In extreme cases, these robots can fill in for teachers who can attend e-learning classes. Imagine a future where robots teach students to write their CVs and become expert cv writers.
Are we there yet?
This question reminds me of a movie, but that’s not where we are going today. You can check out our website for some awesome movies for this summer period. Okay, so back to robots. Are we there yet? As in, are we at a stage where we can easily include educational robots for e-learning? The answer is that we are close but not that close. Educational robotics will play a more significant role in the education process in the future. It has the potential of helping educational inclusivity, but right now, we have a little work to do. It is not mainstream here due to certain reasons that affordability is a part of, but it is an eventuality just around the corner.
Conclusion
Educational robotics is the future of all learning processes and not just e-learning. It would help students become more involved in education than ever.
