Student Learning of STEM Concepts Using a Challenge-based Robotics Curriculum

This paper examines preand post-student learning of science, programming, and engineering concepts using a tightly integrated robotics curriculum that challenges student teams to design, build, program, test, and redesign robots as part of a series of increasingly sophisticated design challenges. Data from over 750 middle school and high school youth from both in-school and out-of-school environments during the third year of implementation of a national scale-up project indicate that student post-test scores for the science and programming concept areas increased, but only to just above 50 percent of the total possible scores. Although a large majority of students found the curriculum highly enjoyable and felt they had learned, and teachers agreed, the degree of learning was not reflected in the assessment scores. Furthermore, although educators felt that the curriculum had helped their students learn engineering design through hands-on activities, student results did not show increases in learning of the Engineering Design Process. This suggests that more explicit instruction in science and programming content and the engineering design process may be required for deeper learning.