Abstract—It is increasingly important that next generation of
students must acquire problem solving, critical thinking and
collaborative skills to succeed in their career aspirations in the
21st century. Technology plays a crucial role in assimilation of
these skills. Among flourishing arrays of technologies, robotics
provides challenges and opportunities to the learners in
developing innovative ideas, disruptive thinking and higher
order learning skills. In recognizing these potentials, educational
authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) undertook an
important step in distributing Lego Mindstorms kits to schools
to encourage teachers to use in their teaching. This paper
explores the educational use of robotics in schools and how
teachers can integrate this new technology into the curriculum.
The paper also suggests the effective strategies in using robotics
as an educational tool and how it will impact students’ interests
in STEM related subjects. Some recommendations to enhance
learning activities in the classrooms are provided.
Index Terms—Educational robotics, Lego Mindstorms,
STEM education.
E. Afari is with the Petroleum Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE (e-mail:
ernest.afari@gmail.com).
M. S. Khine is with Emirates College for Advanced Education, Abu
Dhabi, UAE (e-mail: dr.mkhine@gmail.com).
Cite: E. Afari and M. S. Khine, "Robotics as an Educational Tool: Impact of Lego Mindstorms," International Journal of Information and Education Technology vol. 7, no. 6, pp. 437-442, 2017.