Skip to content
Logo Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences - link to home page
Project

SOROCOVA – Social Robotics to Support COVID-19 Learning Gaps

1 June 2021 - 31 May 2023

The COVID-19 measures have had a significant impact on education worldwide, forcing children to adapt to new learning environments. In the Netherlands, students transitioned from physical to digital education during the first lockdown. During the second lockdown, teaching and interaction between teachers and students relied primarily on screens.

This project aims to build upon an existing application by further developing social robotics as an educational tool to support teachers and students in grades 4, 5, and 6 (groep 6, 7, and 8) of primary education. The focus is on:

  • Gaining insight into learning gaps caused by COVID-19 measures in mathematics education.
  • Using social robots and interactive math modules to help teachers deliver engaging lessons to students.

A Collaborative and Iterative Approach

The project brings together a broad consortium, including primary schools, teacher training programs, municipalities, robotics companies, universities, and universities of applied sciences. This collaboration enables an iterative development cycle, allowing adjustments to be made to the social robot throughout the project.

By integrating feedback and refining the technology during the research period, the final outcomes can be seamlessly embedded into the existing educational infrastructure of primary schools. This ensures that social robots can be effectively implemented in classroom learning with minimal additional development.

Key Research Goals

This study provides insights into:

  1. The diagnostic and educational functions of social robotics in mathematics education for upper primary school students.
  2. The use and implementation of social robots to reduce COVID-19-related learning gaps in mathematics.
  3. How teachers integrate technological innovations like social robotics into their classrooms and whether they see robots as a facilitating tool in education.
  4. The empowering role of educational innovations in mitigating the negative impact of learning gaps caused by COVID-19.

Consortium Partners

Project Team

  • Somaya Ben Allouch
  • Monique Schaule Jullens
  • Lamia Elloumi
  • Marianne Bossema

For more information, visit the Digital Life research group.

SOROCOVA

For more information, visit the Digital Life research group