Authentic, Hands-on Approaches to Teaching Programming with the Virtual Robot Simulator

Learning to program a computer (coding) is often difficult for beginners, with many students failing or dropping out early on. As educators, we know that active, authentic, hands-on approaches to learning that engage students and spark their enthusiasm are most successful, and learning coding is no exception. This session presents our Virtual Robot Simulator (VRS), which engages students through simulated FIRST¨ robotic competition. Everyone wants to be at center stage. FIRST¨ robotics programs engage students in STEM learning and prepare them for the future through exciting hands-on robotic competition. For more than 30 years, FIRST¨ programs have changed the lives of millions of students around the world. Participation in FIRST¨ has been shown to build teamwork, critical thinking, problem-solving skills, and coding ability and promotes participation in STEM fields.