e-ProBotLab: Design and Evaluation of an Open Educational Robotics Platform

Abstract

The purpose of this chapter is the overview of an educational robotic platform called e-ProBotLab (early Programming Robots Laboratory), which constitutes a laboratory prototype for the construction and programming of robotic devices, suitable for the development of computational thinking through the use of robotics in education. The e-ProBotLab platform constitutes a programming and robotics learning framework through practice. It was developed by the ICT in education research group (ICTE Group) of the department of Educational Sciences and Early Childhood Education of the University of Patras. The platform allows preschool students to program the robotic construction in a playful way, while the open-source technology used enables older students to construct the robotic device on their own, possibly with the aid of the instructor. Through the engagement with this platform, children are taught introductory concepts of mathematics, computer engineering, and programming.