Social robots in education: conceptual overview and use case of academic writing
ISBN
978-3030909437
Type
book section
Date Issued
2022-01
Author(s)
Editor(s)
Ifenthaler, Dirk
Isaías, Pedro
Sampson, Demetrios
Abstract
Social robots are increasingly being used in education. They can take over various roles including teaching assistant, tutor, and novice. This chapter aims to provide a conceptual overview of the phenomenon. A classification of social robots is outlined; the criteria are: visual appearance, social capabilities, and autonomy and intelligence. The majority of robots used in education are humanoid; Nao from SoftBank Robotics is a quasi-standard type. An important social capability is empathy; a model illustrating how a robot can show empathy is discussed. A taxonomy is presented in order to capture the various degrees of robot autonomy. To achieve autonomy, artificial intelligence is necessary. This chapter advocates for a symbiotic design approach where tasks are collaboratively carried out by the teacher and the social robot, utilizing the complementary strength of both parties. This may be in line with the concept of hybrid intelligence. The ethical aspects of social robot use are explored, including privacy, control, responsibility, and the role of teachers. Moreover, the acceptance of social robots is discussed. Overall, attitudes towards social robots seem to be positive; however, there are also contrary findings. Finally, results are presented from a technology acceptance study with a sample of N = 462 university students from the social sciences. The chapter closes with suggestions for further research.
Language
English
Book title
Orchestration of Learning Environments in the Digital World
Publisher
Springer
Subject(s)
Eprints ID
265018