Integrating a Social Robot in Higher Education – A Field Study

Abstract

The benefits of social robots in educational contexts were mainly investigated with children, but also bear great potential to support learners and teachers in higher education. To further explore the potential of social robots in the context of university teaching, we implemented a robot-supported learning environment as a complementary training to a university course. To learn more about the students’ perspective and attitudes towards the integration of robots in their education, we conducted a field study with qualitative interviews as data collection method. Our results show a clear positive perception of the robot-supported learning environment, and indicate a positive impact on the learning outcomes. Most students suppose an additional value in the presence of the robot compared to traditional on-screen scenario or self-study, and perceived the robot to increase their motivation, attention and concentration. We found a clear interest of the students to use the learning environment again in the future. However, more individualized feedback was desired.