The proposed workshop theme is shared knowledge construction of viable technological distance learning solutions as alternatives for hands-on experiment-based teaching Educational Robotics and STEM in general. This theme is the main focus of eROBSON, an EU supported project, as will be briefly explained at the workshop.

The need for alternatives to live experimentation in the lab became evident throughout the COVID19 pandemic when emergency remote teaching needed to be developed just-in-time, for example, Birk et at. 2021 and Pozzi et al. 2021. In eROBSON researchers, educational technologists and educational practitioners from Greece, Netherlands and Norway design, develop and pilot innovative effective, enjoyable and affordable post-COVID distance learning solutions for teaching Educational Robotics and experiment-based school STEM teaching. eROBSON solutions will be based on state-of-the-art, affordable AR techniques (Ibáñez & Delgado-Kloos 2018). Together with these technical solutions eROBSON project designs teacher training, pedagogical scenario’s and innovative teaching tools, such as an AR-based toolbox that can be widely applied both in the context of school curricula and for informal learning activities.

At the start of the project, an expert study was conducted to ensure that design activities are grounded in the experiences and wishes of the target group. The study followed Group Concept Method (GCM) methodology. This is a consensus driven research approach that combines qualitative data collection with advanced quantitative data analysis techniques. GCM supports problem owners in constructing and refining deep understandings of a problem, in underpinning design choices or reaching consensus in a complex matter (Kane & Rosas 2017).

GCM methodology includes brainstorming and analytical follow-up activities of invited stakeholders with an online tool Groupwisdom. Collected input is analyzed with multivariate statistical techniques, such as multidimensional scaling (MDS) and hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Groupwisdom generates graphical representations of aggregated individual contributions  as a collective “visual geography of a problem” that stakeholders can further discuss and interpret.  

A total of 22 participants contributed to different phases of eROBSON GCM study. Participants included eROBSON project partners and invitees from their networks, both researchers and educational practitioners. Participants had expertise in ER, AR, software development and/or online teaching, design of learning activities. Individually they provided their standpoints on approaches best suited for online and blended learning enhanced by AR as a solution for the pandemic restrictions in teaching Educational Robotics and lab-based curricular activities in STEM in general. MDS and HCA analysis of individual input generated a variety of possible groupings of the collected ideas. Thereafter, a meaningful solution was determined by the eROBSON project team as a visual representation of eROBSON conceptual framework.

This framework represents 72 unique ideas (individual answers to the focus prompt trigger) as separate points on a two-dimensional space grouped in 6 clusters. These clusters, or components of the eROBSON conceptual framework are:

1. educational ideas
2. ideas on educational feedback
3. ideas on requirements, modularity and content
4. ideas on hardware and design requirements
5. ideas referring to platform selection
6. conceptual design ideas