IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2021 - 97

hardware, and prerecorded real-world data) were used substantially
less often.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, simulation environments
that students could use at home emerged as the most
important type of tool for hands-on teaching. At the same
time, lab-based equipment experienced a predictable and
drastic drop in importance for teaching during the pandemic.
Remote access to physical hardware in labs played
hardly any role; a single participant reported its use.
The use of prerecorded data and video tutorials has seen a
significant increase in importance. There is also an increase in
the use of take-home hardware, but it is much less
pronounced. The absolute levels of importance for all three of
these less-conventional practical teaching tools did not exceed
the midpoint on the seven-point scale. Rather, it showed that
those instructors who already used such equipment came to
rely on it more frequently during the pandemic as the
pre-COVID-19 and during-COVID-19 evaluations of
importance for those components are highly correlated.
Perceived Challenges
An interesting question is: Which aspects of the changes in
the teaching format, and of the pandemic in general, were
perceived by the instructors as challenging? To assess these
aspects, the participants were asked to rate the following statements
using the seven-point Likert scale, from very easy (1)
to very difficult (7) (Figure 11):
1) Lack of access to practical robotics equipment for myself
[m(87) = 4.5]
2) Lack of access to practical robotics equipment for my students
[m(92) = 5.7]
3) Lack of face-to-face contact with the students
[m(92) = 5]
4) Lack of local/national government support for working
safely during the COVID-19 pandemic [m(85) = 4]
5) Lack of institutional support for the transition to a different
teaching format [m(85) = 3.7]
6) Lower attendance of the class [m(85) = 4.1]
7) Lower level of student activity in class [m(88) = 4.6]
8) Lower quality of student projects [m(87) = 4.3]
9) Technical difficulties in the new teaching format
[m(86) = 4.5]
10) Frustration and concern about the overall situation
[m(88) = 4.8].
The participants were encouraged to skip a response if
they did not face a certain challenge. Hence, the number of
responses per statement varied from 85 to 92, i.e., between
13 and four participants considered the related aspect not
to be a challenge. The vast majority of aspects were considered
to be (slightly) difficult. Only the aspect of institutional
support was rated as (slightly) easy [m(85) = 3.7].
The lack of access to robotics hardware for the students
is rated as the most difficult aspect [m(92) = 5.7]. This is
in line with the observation from our earlier discussion of
the literature: the personal presence of students is still
considered to be very important in robotics hands-on
education. This is also reflected in the distribution of the
responses to this aspect (Figure 12). It almost seems to be
a widespread dogma that physical access to equipment in
classical laboratory settings is essential for practical robotics
education.
But there is hardly any research in the spirit of evidencebased
education to quantify or at least to identify any actual
effects of this aspect on ILOs. If at all, the need for physical
access to robotics hardware tends to be motivated in the
educational robotics literature by findings from the fields of
Lack of Access to Practical Robotics Equipment for Myself
Lack of Access to Practical Robotics Equipment
for My Students
Lack of Face-to-Face Contact With the Students
Lack of Local/National Government Support for Working
Safely During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Lack of of Institutional Support for the Transition
to a Different Teaching Format
Lower Attendance of the Class
Lower Level of Student Activity in Class
Lower Quality of Student Projects
Technical Difficulties in the New Teaching Format
Frustration and Concern About the Overall Situation
01020304050
(%)
60 70 80 90 100
12 34 56 7
Figure 11. The responses to the questions related to the aspects that the instructors found particularly difficult or challenging; possible
values range from very easy (1) to very difficult (7) for each statement. The lack of access to practical robotics equipment for the
students is perceived on average as the most difficult challenge [m(92) = 5.7].
DECEMBER 2021 * IEEE ROBOTICS & AUTOMATION MAGAZINE *
97
IEEE Robotics & Automation Magazine - December 2021

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