IN-PERSON New Schools of Thought
Abstract
Robotics training has been hindered by high costs, limited access, and a lack of diversity. Personalized learning powered by artificial intelligence (AI) and extended reality (XR) offers a transformative solution to make robotics training more inclusive, equitable, adaptive, and scalable. This paper examines the limitations of traditional in-person robotics workshops using proprietary tools and systems. It explores the educational affordances and ethical risks of AI-driven personalized learning. Finally, it discusses how an AI-powered XR learning environment can create accessible, engaging robotics curricula while mitigating algorithmic biases from insufficiently diverse training data. The paper details initiatives by a multi-institutional research team at a coalition of public majority-minority universities to leverage AI and XR technologies to develop inclusive robotics training tailored for multicultural students. This approach to personalized learning has the potential to democratize access to robotics training and accommodate a more diverse pool of learners. Two projects in development are described that deliver learning content in an XR environment and collect learner background information and real-time performance data to train an adaptive intelligent learning system (AILS) designed to enhance outcomes for a broad learner pool. The paper examines the need to re-envision robotics training and the challenges of using XR and AI technologies to foster equity and representation in education more broadly. By harnessing emerging technologies for personalized learning, robotics pedagogy can become more accessible, adaptive, and inclusive. This transformative approach has the potential to not only engage a wider diversity of learners and equip them with 21st-century skills but also to inspire a more diverse generation of robotics professionals who can drive innovation and address societal challenges through their unique perspectives and experiences.
Biayna Bogosian is an Assistant Professor in The Design School at Arizona State University. Her academic and professional background includes architecture, urban design, environmental design, computational design, data science, spatial computing, physical computing, and immersive media design. Her interdisciplinary research focuses on design and technology within a broader environmental context and explores data-driven, participatory, and citizen-centric approaches to improve the built environment.
Eric Peterson is an Assistant Professor in the School of Architecture at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. His experience teaching in design studios, fabrication labs, and workshops has informed his interest in pedagogy and curriculum development for non-traditional learning spaces. He is a member of a federally funded interdisciplinary research team developing extended reality learning tools, applications, and platforms. His research is focused on robotic fabrication and curriculum design for immersive learning environments.
Shahin Vassigh is a Professor of Architecture and Director of the Robotics and Digital Fabrication Lab at Florida International University. Her research is focused on data visualization techniques and artificial intelligence applications for education. She has produced several software applications to help students to better understand the complex challenges of developing sustainable built environments, and she has led research projects to develop AI-enhanced learning platforms for immersive robotics training.
3:30 pm - 5:30 pm
Thursday 9th January, 2025