WORKSHOP ON
    BROADENING PARTICIPATION IN COMPUTING
     THROUGH ROBOTICS AND K-12 EDUCATION
                 (BPC-ERK12)
http://agents.sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bpc-erk12
                 at ICRA 2008
            http://www.icra2008.org
           Pasadena, California, USA
                May 19-23, 2008

CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

>> SUBMISSION DEADLINE EXTENDED to February 15, 2008 <<

>> Topics Expanded to include Robotics in Undergraduate education <<


OVERVIEW 

This workshop is motivated to by the desire bring K-12 teachers
together with academic researchers who are uniting robotics and
education with the long term goal of broadening participation in
computing and engineering fields. The NSF's BPC program, launched in
2005, has engaged a large number of universities in the US working
individually or in consortia, many of whom are interacting with local
school systems and incorporating robotics in K-12 activities and
curricula.

This workshop aims to tap into the community of world-class robotics
researchers with an interest in K-12 education. Local teachers will be
invited to participate in the workshop, by observing, engaging in
discussions and contributing their own experiences. A poster session
will be included in which all speakers and attendees are encouraged to
present.

The objectives are to establish a forum for sharing experiences, ideas
and learning outcomes amongst members of this broad
community. Assessment is a key theme, as school systems struggle to
keep up with national and state standards while at the same time keep
students motivated. Interdisciplinary, hands-on topics such as
robotics have been shown to provide environments for learning that not
only engage students but also offer applied settings for teachers to
demonstrate transfer of skills and concepts from abstract textbook
ideas to context-based problem-solving.


TOPICS OF INTEREST 

We invite submissions that describe and/or demonstrate any of the
following, in relation to the use of robotics in K-12 formal or
informal educational settings:
- Robotics in K-12 education
- Evaluation and assessment
- Curriculum standards
- Practical lessons learned
- Broadening participation in computing
- Broadening participation in engineering
- Bridging K-12 to undergraduate education
- Interdisciplinary use of robotics in K-12 education
- >> expanded to include: Robotics in Undergraduate education


SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
 
All submissions must be written in English and must include: title,
author(s) name(s), affiliation(s), mailing and electronic addresses,
and telephone and fax numbers. Papers should be no longer than 8
pages.


Prospective authors should email a PDF version of their paper to:
 Elizabeth Sklar (sklar @ sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu)
 EXTENDED TO FEBRUARY 15, 2008.



IMPORTANT DATES
 
FEB 15   Deadline for paper submission
Mar 10   Notification of Acceptance
Apr  1   Submission of Camera-ready papers
May 20   BPC-ERK12 Workshop



PROGRAM COMMITTEE

- Luis Almeida, Universidade de Aveiro, Portugal
- M Q Azhar, City University of New York, USA
- Zach Dodds, Harvey Mudd College, USA
- Amy Eguchi, Bloomfield College, USA
- Jeff Forbes, Duke University, USA
- Gerhard Kraetzschmar, University of Applied Sciences Bonn-Rhein-Sieg, Germany
- Simon Parsons, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, USA
- Marjorie Skubic, University of Missouri-Columbia, USA
- Andrew Williams, Spelman College, USA




QUESTIONS?

For further information, please contact:
 Prof Elizabeth Sklar
 Dept of Computer and Information Science
 Brooklyn College, City University of New York
 sklar @ sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu