Mobile “telepresence robots” that allow a pupil to be virtually present in a classroom, in a playground or on a school trip could increase inclusion and reduce absence, research shows.
The robots, which are driven around by a pupil who is at home or in another remote location, allow the learner to “attend” class, participating in real-time teaching sessions or activities. The help of a peer is needed to move the robot to different sites around campus.
The robot comprises a computer, tablet or smartphone mounted on a wheeled pedestal so that people interacting with the robot can view and hear its operator. Meanwhile, the operator can simultaneously view what the robot is seeing and hearing.
Robots increase access to learning
The study, led by Dr Jennifer Rode and Professor Martin Oliver from the UCL Institute of Education, involved 22 children aged 9 to 11. The robots enhanced pupils’ ability to participate and play with their peers during an after-school science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) programme, maximising active learning, the researchers say.
The study explores the safety and effectiveness of the robots and their potential as an educational tool. It looks at children’s behaviour when “driving” or observing the robots and their thoughts on the potential of telepresence technology in schools.
Eight of the children “drove” the GoBe robots, while 14 observed. The researchers found that the children could capably and safely drive the robots, navigating obstacle courses, pushing a ball around and finding objects in treasure hunts.
The researchers suggest that robots could be used for museum trips or even games of robot football, which would offer more inclusive opportunities for distance-learning children to engage with their peers.
The researchers noted that collaboration was effective between the drivers and the observers; the children were excited by the technology even if they were not driving.
However, they also noted that boys recovered more quickly from mistakes in the actions of the robots they were driving - a pattern that aligns with previous research into children’s belief in their own abilities. Researchers speculate that this is due to boys having more exposure to video games, science and Stem toys, and the way that children are socialised by gender in relation to technology.
Telepresence robots are already used in some schools: with a desktop robot sitting in the young person’s seat in class, the pupil accesses a live stream of the lesson via an electronic tablet in a safe space (such as at home or an intervention room within school).
A pilot in seven schools in The Wirral, Merseyside, over this summer term resulted in an average 21 per cent increase in attendance, a 42 per cent increase in the number of hours that pupils engaged with learning and a 40 per cent increase in the time that pupils engaged with social opportunities.
‘Graceful introduction’ of robots
Dr Rode and colleagues note the potential of mobile telepresence robots to provide “inclusive, equitable opportunities for students and educators - especially to address the issue of persistent school absenteeism”.
They suggest that “social changes” to classroom practices and “small improvements” to mobile telepresence technology “would allow for graceful introduction of robots into the classroom”.
“This study provides empirical evidence supporting their potential as an inclusive technology that can facilitate remote participation in classroom activities, thereby offering a foundation for further research to optimise their design and functionality for educational use,” the researchers say.
They predict that “minor improvements in telepresence robot hardware and software, and adaptations in classroom-management practices, could better integrate these technologies into educational environments”.
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