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Robots are a popular and engaging educational tool for teaching computational thinking, but they often have significant costs and limitations for classroom use. Switching to a simulated environment can eliminate many of these difficulties. By also providing students with a block-based programming environment, the barrier to entry can be further reduced. This paper presents a networked virtual robotics platform designed to create an environment which is highly accessible for novice students and their teachers alike, along with components of a curriculum designed to teach computational thinking skills through robotics programming challenges, including autonomous challenges and in-class competitions. Students access this platform through an extension of the same web interface used for programming their robots, which allows students to collaborate on code and view a shared simulated virtual space. Previously, this virtual robotics platform was used only to facilitate distance education. This paper demonstrates its use in an in-person class during the Spring 2022 semester, illustrating the affordances of a virtual robotics environment for face-to-face learning contexts as well. Students' computational thinking skills were evaluated with assessments both before and after the class, along with surveys and interviews given to determine their opinions and outlooks regarding computer science. The results show that students had a significant improvement in both attitudes and aptitudes.
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This content will become publicly available on February 1, 2026
A Novice-Friendly and Accessible Networked Educational Robotics Simulation Platform
Despite its potential for STEM education, educational robotics remains out of reach for many classrooms due to upfront purchase costs, maintenance requirements, storage space, and numerous other barriers to entry. As demonstrated previously, these physical robot limitations can be reduced or eliminated through simulation. This work presents a new version of RoboScape Online, a browser-based networked educational robotics simulation platform that aims to make robotics education more accessible while expanding both the breadth and depth of topics taught. Through cloud-hosted simulations, this platform enables distant students to collaborate and compete in real-time. Integration with NetsBlox, a block-based programming environment, allows students at any level to participate in computer science activities. By incorporating a virtual machine for running NetsBlox code into the server, RoboScape Online enables scenarios to be built using the same syntax and abstractions used to program the robots. This approach enables more creative curriculum activities while proving that block-based programming is a valuable development tool, not just a “toy language”. Classroom case studies demonstrate RoboScape Online’s potential to improve students’ computational thinking skills and foster positive attitudes toward STEM subjects, with especially significant improvements in attitudes toward self-expression and creativity within the realm of computer science.
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- PAR ID:
- 10608323
- Publisher / Repository:
- MDPI
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Education Sciences
- Volume:
- 15
- Issue:
- 2
- ISSN:
- 2227-7102
- Page Range / eLocation ID:
- 1-36
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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