HR4RS stamp
Carlos Cano/Irene Vega
The first tests have been carried out at the Alenta Special Education School and have analyzed different educational tools to learn programming: Cubetto, Osmo and ScratchJr. In total, 19 people with ASD have participated and all have had to use the three technologies. “In order to control the impact that learning to use one tool can have on the next and obtain as much information as possible, we have divided the participants into three groups so that each of them begins the tests with a different tool”, explains Estefanía Martín, expert in educational technologies and accessibility and director of the study. “The data that is expected to be obtained in this experience will allow us to determine the most relevant aspects when implementing a programming application adapted to the cognitive accessibility needs of people with ASD”, she adds.
The preliminary results of the tests show that Cubetto is a potentially interesting tool for learning to program due to the manipulation possibilities it offers, the bright colors and the careful aesthetics. However, as the URJC researcher points out: “This robot requires certain adaptations to use it with students with ASD. However, we have verified that students can experience certain complications that make autonomous use difficult in many cases”. Some of the difficulties that have been found is the association of colors of the action blocks to Cubetto's maps or the need to include colored stickers on the upper part of the robot - to better reflect the possibilities of the robot's movements as supports. visuals.
In relation to the tests carried out with Osmo Coding, from the first session, this tool attracted the attention of the students and they quickly learned to place the pieces and move Awbie, the main character of Osmo Coding, to complete the objectives of each level. One of the most positive sections of Osmo Coding is its visual aid system that facilitates understanding by showing different types of support to guide the performance of tasks. As negative aspects of the application are the repetitive levels and the little difficulty to carry out the tasks, which makes the students lose interest in this tool.
Design of a new inclusive 'app' to learn programming
Researchers are working on customizing the ScratchJr tool so that it can be used by users with ASD. With the necessary adaptations "it could be very useful for teaching programming, the most important advantage over the other two tools evaluated (Cubetto and Osmo Coding)", according to Estefanía Martín.
ScratchJr is an application that is distributed as open, which allows you to modify the source code to adapt it to the needs of the project. In addition, this tool allows teachers to create multiple types of activities compared to the lesser versatility of Osmo, which can only be developed through a closed application. For its part, Cubetto offers the possibility of defining its own activities, although the variety is more limited as it is a physical robot.
The main advantage of ScratchJr is that it encourages the creativity of the students since they themselves interact with the 'pieces' in order to reach the solution of the problems posed. The improvements that are being developed go through reducing the cognitive load of the user interface where there are numerous distractions. “Currently this application does not allow the addition of new characters and scenarios, adapting it to the child's interests and presents difficulties in some functions for users with poor motor skills. In addition, work is being done on a version that can have different levels of difficulty and necessary support in such a way that it is personalized according to the needs and level of the child”, concludes the URJC researcher.