Problem Overview
Due to COVID-19 our Robotic Literacy Project in the classrooms was paused. Schools decided to start remotely after spring break, yet access to high-speed Internet, personalized tutoring, and adequate learning spaces were limited.
Project Goals
The GSU Reading Lab and MIT Personal Robots Group recognized that there is a potential for social robots to continue helping students' learning during the pandemic. Collaboratively, they proposed and designed an innovative robot-based literacy intervention at home to foster the reading and language development of kindergarten students living in at-risk communities.
My Roles
UX Research and Design
Video and Photo Editor
Data Analyst
Tools
Adobe Premiere Pro and Rush
Adobe XD
Cisco Webex
Qualtrics XM
Linux
MS Excel
Team
Robin Morris, Ph.D.
Hae Won Park, Ph.D.
Cynthia Breazeal, Ph.D.
Lynda Osborne, Ph.D.
Kejia Patterson, Ph.D.
Xiajie Zhang, Ph.D.
Sam Spaulding, Ph.D.
Huili Chen, Ph.D.
Mykayla Jeter, M.S.
Timeline
2020-Present
Context
We placed socially interactive robots in students' homes as a peer-tutoring system. It included a robot named Jibo and a tablet in an integrated station with literacy games, developed by the Personal Robots Group at MIT. The games presented the school's reading curriculum, allowing students to explore their classroom storybooks and identify words for reading and meaning with various support features. The game included word identification via touching the text, image identification by tapping a picture, automatic story reading, along with Jibo asking them questions about the story and assisting them in these processes.
Phase 1: from schools to virtual
From paper to digital form
GSU team had the testing documents and other project materials printed, and we digitalized everything before the university closed for future remote distributions.
My Contributions
I scanned and organized surveys, and testing materials, and uploaded them into the lab system. Also, I digitalized the reading tests, informed consent, and other surveys using Qualtrics XM for remote distribution.
Phase 2: Research and Design Plan
Jibo at home
GSU and MIT team re-design the school intervention and brought the robot platform to the students' homes. The team provided a desk, a chair for the child and family introductory guidebook.
My Contributions
I designed an introductory guidebook using Adobe XD, Premiere Pro Rush, and Photoshop. I also conducted feedback sessions with participants and reported feedback to collaborate in the iterations for games design
Guidebook Development
We created an interactive guidebook for parents and children to aid them in the process of getting their robot set up until they have to send it back to us.
We used MS PowerPoint to start the guidebook. Then, we developed short video tutorials for a different parts of the process. I edited the videos for each step using Premiere Pro Rush and the images in Photoshop.
Parent and Students Guidebook
We also attempted to make the guidebook an app for parents to have easier access to the information. I sketched a low-fidelity prototype using Adobe XD. The design will be used for future iterations of the project.
Jibo at Home app low fidelity prototype
Research Findings
[Analysis of data and feedback sessions are currently ongoing and in process for publication]
More information on this project is still limited, if you want to learn more please contact me.
Sponsors
#1717362
Dr. Robin Morris' Reading Laboratory
