In order to understand how robotics benefits higher education, Elaine Schuck says to put yourself in the shoes of a healthcare student.
With robotics technology, a healthcare student can make their grand rounds, interact with patients, dispense medications and have their instructor with them every step – or roll – of the way.
Robotics solutions are increasing interactivity in college classrooms and adding other benefits to teaching and learning.
“You can’t scale the professor to go everywhere, every time,” says Schuck, Director of Education for Polycom. “So if I’m doing grand rounds practices because I’m going to be a nurse, you can follow that student to each scenario; if it’s a child that has cancer, you can follow that student all the way around to see what they would do in a real world situation, and you can be sitting at your desk waiting for your next class, because you’re not going to be able to [physically] get to the hospital.”
With higher education leaning on technology to keep students engaged and institutions competitive, Shuck says advanced solutions, like robotics, are expected on campus.
She says students expect to be able to use technology to attend class remotely, and receive immediate feedback from their instructors.
“What if I’m home sick, or I have some sort of disability and I still want to go school, but I just can’t make it?” Schuck says. “Well, why don’t I just be a robot and go to class like I would if I could go and participate?”
Most importantly, robotics solutions are opening doors to new learning opportunities and potential career paths for students.
“Including robotics…may be what that student needs to find a topic they love and be successful,” Shuck says. “For me, my big goal is [finding] how many opportunities we can show students that maybe don’t get out. What careers could they go into?…Think about all the different things you would have to do as a student to create that and research what current things we use as a robotic component. I think it makes learning exciting.”
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