Learning Code using Lego Robotics

Abstract

Learning to code has a reputation for being difficult (Gomes & Mendes, 2007; Jenkins, 2002), and requires a variety of skills, such as math and complex problem solving, that are challenging for many students (Foote, 2014; Gomes & Mendes, 2007; Jenkins, 2002)—especially for those students beginning a college program (Oblinger, 2003). Often, students experience high levels of anxiety even before a programming course has started (Jenkins, 2002). This is particularly true for students who are required to take a course in coding, but who do not plan to continue on to a career in this field. Anecdotally, these students find the fundamentals of code difficult, and often end up “hacking” their way through the course. One approach to addressing this anxiety that has been used with children and youth is to teach code using robotics (Kurebayashi, Kamada, & Kanemune, 2006; McGill, 2012). Learning to code using robotics was found to have many positive effects: a) it allows students to more easily connect individual lines of code to their result (Kurebayashi et al., 2006); b) it stimulates intrinsic motivation (Kurebayashi et al., 2006; McGill, 2012); and c) it increases overall student grades (McGill, 2012).However, there is little to no literature on this type of approach with adult learners. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to look at the effects of incorporating robotics in a playful context (Plass, Homer, & Kinzer, 2015), in a series of “Introduction to Coding” courses at the post secondary level.