June 16, 2023
"I am your personal robot... do you think it is possible to make my voice different and give me different eyes? I want to be unique from other robots."
Main takeaways from this research:
- Provide open-ended activities to position learners as creators first
- Direct co-creators towards a shared purpose rather than assigning specific tasks
- The co-creative robot should challenge the learners on its own design, particularly its functionality
Robot technologies to engage students in computer education is not new. Using robots to embolden learners as techno-social change agents is. And is the focus of the work of LRDC researchers Jennifer Nwogu, Amanda Buddemeyer, Erin Walker, Angela Stewart and their colleagues at CMU and Northwestern University. In "Positioning Girls as Co-creators of Social Robots in Culturally Responsive Computing Education," the researchers introduce the concept of co-creation with a robot agent into culturally responsive computing (CRC). A core goal of CRC is to frame learners as technology creators that make design decisions about their technological innovation.
In the current work, the research team used participatory design activities, such as storytelling and prototype critiquing, to position adolescent girls and an agentic social robot as co-creators of the robot's identity. They focused on middle-school girls as this time period is crucial for their development of STEM interests and a STEM identity. The activities allowed the research team to explore how girls embodied the roles of creator and co-creator of a social robot.
The authors believe that CRC and co-creation are synergistic. Co-creation focuses on incorporating social expectations into the development of new technologies, towards the goal of creating something new that is greater than the contributions of individuals. CRC centers learners' knowledge and encourages reflection on learners' intersectional identities and the transformative use of technology in a socio-technical environment.
They outline three design opportunities from their work:
- Provide open-ended activities to position learners as creators first
- Direct co-creators towards a shared purpose rather than assigning specific tasks
- The co-creative robot should challenge the learners on its own design, particularly its functionality
Their results indicate that co-creating with a social robot can foster deeper reflections on learners' identities and needs, and that co-creation can realize the core tenets of CRC. Read the full research report presented at CHI'23, April 2023.