Carnegie Mellon University
Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy

Use educational affordances of robotics to create CS-STEM opportunities for all learners

Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy  ›  Research

The Robotics Academy is a research, development, and outreach program within Carnegie Mellon University that studies how buildable and programmable agents can be used to teach CS-STEM at all ages. 

Games Based Learning and Co-Design with Collaborative Robots 

  • Harpstead, E. (2023). Learning within Gameplay Loops: Considering Adaptive Educational Technology from a Game Design Lens. Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Human-Computer Interaction, to appear.
  • Solyst, J., Uchidiuno, J. O., Harpstead, E., Kemper, J., & Higashi, R. (2023). Comparative design-based research: How afterschool programs impact learners’ engagement with a video game codesign. To appear in the Proceedings of the International Conference of the Learning Sciences (ICLS), June 10-15, 2023, Montreal, Canada.
  • Higashi, R., Harpstead, E., Solyst, J., Kemper, J., Odili Uchidiuno, J., & Hammer, J. (2021, October). The Design of Co-Robotic Games for Computer Science Education. In Extended Abstracts of the 2021 Annual Symposium on Computer-Human Interaction in Play (pp. 111-116).

Project Pages

Teaching Programming through Robotics

  • Witherspoon, E., Higashi, R., Schunn, C., Shoop, R., Baehr, E. (October 2017) Developing Computational Thinking through a Virtual Robotics Programming Curriculum. ACM Transactions on Computing Education, Vol. 18, No. 1, Article 4. 
  • Liu, A., Schunn, C. D., Flot, J., & Shoop, R. (2013) The role of physicality in rich programming environments. Computer Science Education, 23(4), 315-331.
  • Flot, J., Shoop, R (November 2013) Foregrounding Math, Engineering, and Computer Science using Robotics. The presentation was given at the Technology Education and Engineering Association of Pennsylvania Annual Conference, Camp Hill Pennsylvania.
  • Flot, J., Shoop, R (November 2013) Teaching Programming with Robot Virtual Worlds. The presentation was given at the Technology Education and Engineering Association of Pennsylvania Annual Conference, Camp Hill Pennsylvania.
  • Liu, A., Newsom, J., Schunn, C., Shoop, R. Learn to program in half the time!. Robot Magazine, 49-51. 
  • Liu, A., Newsom, J., Schunn, C., Shoop, R. Students Learn Programming Faster through 7. Robotic Simulation. Tech Directions, 16-19.
  • Flot, J., Lui, A., Schunn, C., Shoop, R. (November 2012). Learning How to Program via Robot Simulation.  Robot Magazine, 68-70. 
  • Atwood, T., Shoop, R. Carnegie Mellon Launches a Mega Million Dollar Robotics Education Initiative. Robot Magazine, 70-71. 
  • Shoop, R. (2011, May). FIRE Unveils Robot Virtual World Games.  Robot Magazine, 78-81. 
  • Shoop, R. (2011, January) Computer Science Student Network Project. Presented at the Computing Education for the 21st Century (CE21) meeting, New Orleans 
  • Higashi, R., Shoop, R. (2011, November) Organizational Expectations Presented to Propel School System Teachers and Administrators, Robot Algebra Partnership Kickoff 

Badges, Motivation, and Assessments

  • Higashi, R., & Schunn, C. D. (2020). Perceived relevance of digital badges predicts longitudinal change in program engagement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 112(5), 1020–1041. 
  • Witherspoon, E., Higashi, R., Schunn, C. D., Shoop, R. "Attending to structural programming features predicts differences in learning and motivation in a virtual robotics programming curriculum" Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, , v.34(2), , 2018
  • Higashi, R., Schunn, C., Nguyen V., & Ososky, S. (2017). Coordinating Evidence Across Learning Modules using Digital Badges. In Sottilare, R., Graesser, A., Hu, X., and Goodwin, G. (Eds.). Design Recommendations for Intelligent Tutoring Systems: Volume 5 - Domain Modeling. Orlando, FL: U.S. Army Research Laboratory. ISBN 978-0-9893923-9-6. 
  • Menekse, M., Higashi, R., Schunn, C., & Baehr, E. "Exploring the role of robotics teams? collaboration quality on team performance in a robotics tournament." Journal of Engineering Education , v.106(4), , 2017
  • Higashi, R., Schunn, C., Flot, J (May 2017) Different underlying motivations and abilities predict student versus teacher persistence in an online course. Education Tech Research Dev DOI 10.1007/s11423-017-9528-z 
  • Abramovich, S., Schunn, C.D., Higashi, R. (2013) Are Badges Useful in Education?: it depends upon the type of badge and expertise of Learner. Educational Technology Research & Development, March 2013. DOI: 10.1007/s11423-013-9289-2. 
  • Higashi, R., Abramovich, S., Shoop, R., Schunn, C.D.(2012, June) The Roles of Badges in the Computer Science Student Network. 2012 GLS Conference 
  • Abramovich, S., Higashi, R., Hunkele, T. Schunn, C.D., Shoop, R. (2011, July) Achievement Systems to Boost Achievement Motivation. 2011 GLS Conference 

Approaches in Teaching Mathematics and Robotics

  • Flot, J., (2018, July). Developing Computational Thinking through a Virtual Robotics Programming Curriculum. Computer Science Teachers Association. 
  • Alfieri, L., Higashi, R., Shoop, R., Schunn, C.D., (2015, February). Case studies of a robot-based game to shape interests and hone proportional reasoning skills. International Journal of STEM Education. 
  • King, S., Stein, M., Schunn, C.D., (2012, May).Designing Educative Guides: Reconceptualizing Teacher’s Role in Teacherless Cognitive Tutor-based Robotics Instruction. Paper presented at the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education, Vancouver, BC. 
  • Silk, E. M. (2011). Resources for learning robots: Environments and framings connecting math in robotics(Doctoral dissertation, University of Pittsburgh). Available from D-Scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh. (No. 8607) 
  • Silk, E. M., Higashi, R., & Schunn, C. D. (2011, June).Resources for robot competition success: Assessing math use in grade-school-level engineering design. Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education, Vancouver, BC, Canada. 
  • Silk, E. M., & Schunn, C. D. (2011, June).Calculational versus mechanistic mathematics in propelling the development of physical knowledge. Paper to be presented at the 41st annual meeting of the Jean Piaget Society, Berkeley, CA, USA. 
  • Silk, E. M., & Schunn, C. D. (2011, April).Resources for learning robots: Facilitating the incorporation of mathematical models in students’ engineering design strategies.Paper to be presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans, LA, USA. 
  • Silk, E. M., Schunn, C. D., Shoop, R., & Stein, M. K. (2011, March).The Robot Algebra Project. Poster presented at the eighth annual NSF ITEST Summit, Arlington, VA, USA. 
  • Silk, E. M., Higashi, R., Shoop, R., & Schunn, C. D. (2010). Designing technology activities that teach mathematics. The Technology Teacher, 69 (4), 21-27. 
  • Silk, E. M., Schunn, C. D., & Shoop, R. (2009).Synchronized robot dancing: Motivating efficiency & meaning in problem-solving with robotics. Robot Magazine, 17, 74-77. 
  • Silk, E. M., & Schunn, C. D. (2008, June).Using robotics to teach mathematics: Analysis of a curriculum designed and implemented. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Engineering Education, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. 
  • Silk, E. M., Schunn, C. D., Higashi, R., Shoop, R., Dietrich, A., & Reed, R. (2007).The use of robotics to teach mathematics. Robotics Educators Conference, Butler, PA, USA.

Robotics and Automation in Advanced Manufacturing

  • Higashi, Nguyen & Flot, Results of National Association of Manufacturers Member Interviews around ML and AI
  • Andrew, Megan, Timothy Marler, Jesse Lastunen, Hannah Acheson-Field, and Steven W. Popper, How Can the United States Prepare a Workforce for Advanced Manufacturing Using Robotics?. Advanced Robotics Manufacturing Institute in Pittsburgh, 2020. 
  • Andrew, Megan, Timothy Marler, Jesse Lastunen, Hannah Acheson-Field, and Steven W. Popper, An Analysis of Education and Training Programs in Advanced Manufacturing Using Robotics. Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing Institute, Pittsburgh, Pa., 2020.