6 Ways to Get the Most Use Out of Robotics in Higher Education

Unlike traditional videoconferencing solutions, robotics solutions can be inexpensive. This is especially important for colleges that are on a budget but still need to invest in a mobile or distance learning solution.

In the case of Florida International University (FIU), cost was a big factor before the school pulled the trigger on a robotics solution. Dale Gomez, IT Director at the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at FIU, says colleges should find a solution that fits their price point.

“Price is one of the biggest [factors],”Gomez says. “In terms of a room system, this device is not expensive; it’s about $2,500 without the educational discount, whereas a room system could cost you up to $12,000, and that’s just a system without any of the displays you’d need. In terms of price, it can be an affordable one.”

Even though videoconferencing technology is making waves in distance learning, some strategies are getting old, and fast. For instance, the “talking head” on a pull down screen may not come across as interesting or engaging to students anymore, and instructors miss out on conveying a lesson to them.

A robotics solution enables instructors to be in a classroom, especially if they cannot be there physically.

A robotics solution, like one by Double Robotics, lets a robot wheel around a classroom and actively engage an instructor with his or her students. Students can use the solution to ask the instructor questions directly, and receive immediate feedback on their progress.

With back and front cameras, instructors can also engage with a physical class while simultaneously interacting with a distance learning class. Gomez does this at FIU: he physically teaches a hospitality information technology course in Miami while using a telepresence robot to simultaneously teach a class of students in China.

Some robotics solutions come ready to roll on a pair of wheels; that way, an instructor can “walk” around a classroom to call on students and answer questions directly. Plus, some solutions enable end users to adjust the pole height so they can talk to students face to face, or teach at full height.

Some robotics solutions are activated when end users connect to an app with their devices. For example, the Double Robotics app enables users to connect to its system via desktops, tablets and smartphones. From there, end users can manipulate the robotics solution with their personal device.

“Using our existing conferencing system, we could connect via a Polycom, but then because I’m coming in to the actual device itself, it doesn’t affect my connection through the Polycom, and it comes in as a separate system,” Gomez says. “What’s great about it is that we can take a signal that’s coming into an iPad on the far end and push it up on our room system using Apple T.V. So I could use my desktop, my smartphone, or a tablet to connect to the actual device. Then, not only am I connected to it, I also have the ability to move it around. I have full control over moving forward, backward, left and right, and then of course taking the pole the iPad is connected to and move it up and down. You literally have full control of the telepresence robot.”

For students or instructors who have physical impairments, a robotics solution gives them an opportunity to still “go” to class. It also enables impaired end users to roam campus and become physically involved with campus life, and interact with their peers.