The HEART Robotics Project is a collaborative initiative aimed at enhancing the use of robotics in adult education, particularly for learners with disabilities. Its key objectives include developing educators' skills in robotics, promoting social inclusion, and improving educational outcomes.
The project started at 01-11-2021 and ends at the end of November 2023 and the partnership is composed of:
- Lodz University of Technology - Poland.
- European Development Foundation EDF - Bulgaria
- Association of Educational programmes OpenEurope - Spain
- e-Nable Greece – Greece
- Lidi Smart Solutions – Netherlands
- Fondazione Istituto dei Sordi di Torino ONLUS- Italy
The project offers:
- a comprehensive Database on educational robotics: it contains over 100 robots of different types and possible applications. In the default view you can browse them all in alphabetical order. In addition, to facilitate navigation and search, the consortium has provided 16 keywords to filter the robots according to one's needs. Finally, a Guide provides a detailed approach to the database. Also, the partners have spotted case studies of educational centres (formal or non-formal education centres) where the technology has been applied to support learners, including persons with disabilities. Contacts were made and 16 interviews carried out with the selected cases for further study.
- an Online Training Course: consisting of 6 modules, aimed at the target groups to enhance their capacity to use robots for adult education. Videos, animations and case studies were used to present the information in a way that is easy to understand for a non-technical audience. The specific modules are dedicated to different aspects of education, e.g., role of robots in the education process, modeling and fundamentals of robotics, use of Artificial Intelligence, 3D printing technology, and educational robots for persons with disabilities. Armed with the database, the guide and the online training course, the educators who are interested in using robots to support learners, will have the necessary knowledge and skills to get started.
- After the completion of the two results, the partners carried out a training for trainers, between the 8th and the 10th of May 2023 hosted by the partner Fondazione Istituto dei Sordi di Torino ONLUS, which prepared them to support the direct target groups for the use of these results. The objectives of the learning and training activity were:
1) Prepare the group of trainers who were well-versed in the topic of using robots to support adult education and have good overall knowledge about this subject matter;
2) Improve the soft skills and training expertise of the trainers, to enable them to use the most effective methods to train and mentor the target groups in their future work;
3) Collect feedback from the participants on the online training course, to enable any corrections or revisions to be incorporated before it is finalised;
4) Build links and an informal network between the trained experts, who can use the contacts made to collaborate, seek each other’s support and guidance.
- Webinars: six specialized training modules illuminating the seamless integration of robots in classrooms, particularly in accommodating students with diverse abilities and versatile educational environments. Additionally, we provide valuable insights into AI technology and offer guidance on 3D printing and building robots from scratch. Our webinar showcases the essence of our project, webpage, database, enlightening case studies, and invaluable training modules.
These resources are tailored to meet the needs of adult educators, enabling them to integrate robotics into their teaching practices effectively. All results are available free of charge in English, Italian, Spanish, Bulgarian, Dutch and Greek at the project website: https://heartroboticsproject.eu/
We have showcased our project at several international conferences in Poland, between September and November 2023. Join us in this journey to explore the intersection of robotics and adult education, designed to enrich learning experiences, specialized training for trainers, further supporting the professional development of educators in this field.