iCanRobots—Active, Holistic, and Inclusive STEAM Education that Empowers Communities

The Global Fab City Initiative’s Full Stack model has six interconnected operative layers that provide a vision for self- sustained urban economies. Layer five calls for “New forms of learning.” Instead of searching for an unspecified “New,” we propose an instructional design approach to education that utilizes teaching and learning methods based on their Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs). To begin, we demonstrate the feasibility of active and holistic STEAM education with the course ”Ich kann autonome Roboter!“ (“I can do autonomous robotics!” or iCanRobots for short). Instructional methods include a think-pair-share schedule of inquiry-based activities (free play and systematic exploration) and accumulate into individual portfolios.

Next, we go meta and situate iCanRobots in the Design-Based Research (DBR) approach to education and make explicit the connections of teaching and learning methods to ILOs. We developed iCanRobots around instructional design goals of the “I can” format. With iCanRobots, we illustrate how learning activities forester self-development and collaboration skills. It is a prototype course for transdisciplinary education that is empowering and inclusive.

We conclude with a vision for participative and empowering education. Integrative instructional designs provide viable pathways towards active, fun, and inclusive approaches to STEAM in Fab Labs worldwide