Spotlight Talk
How Can Humanoid Robots Assist Teachers in Structuring the Learning Experience?
Date Thursday, Nov 24 Time – Room Pavillon
This Spotlight Talk will focus on examples of applying humanoid robots as teaching assistants to enhance the learning experience of different target groups.
The application of humanoid robots to support learning in education and work-based learning is still at its infancy. Educational humanoid robots, such as NAO and Pepper, provide multimodal interfaces which allow for interaction through speech, touch, gestures, face recognition and eye gaze. Current research in the field of robot assisted learning provides promising evidence for structuring the learning experience of students.
This talk will provide an overview and examples of how different humanoid robots are used in different educational contexts, including examples from our own Research & Development at the Communication Lab at the Berlin University of Applied Sciences. We will address both the potential and limitations of using humanoid robots in education.
Overview
- Currently available humanoid robots and how they are applied in education.
- Examples of the practical application of humanoid robots as teaching assistants.
- How humanoid robots can be applied as assistants to teachers in order to structure the learning experience of students.

Ilona Buchem
Professor of Media and Communication, Berlin University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Prof. Dr. Ilona Buchem is Professor of Media and Communication at Berlin University of Applied Sciences, Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences. She teaches courses in bachelor’s and master’s programs, both on campus and online, including Digital Business (BSc.) and Media Informatics (MSc.).
As the head of the Communications Lab, Ilona Buchem leads a number of projects on the application of humanoid robots as learning and teaching assistants in higher education context. Ilona Buchem has led a number of national and international R&D projects dedicated to technology-enhanced learning.
Dr. Buchem is one of the Chairs of the EATEL Special Interest Group on Wearable Enhanced Learning, and is actively involved in some of the leading TEL organizations in Europe, including the European Association for Technology Enhanced Learning (EATEL), the European Distance and E-Learning Network (EDEN), and the European Association of Distance Teaching Universities (EADTU).
Links
Moderator

Ildiko Mazar
Solutions Specific Knowledge Leader, NTT Data, Spain
Ildiko has 25 years of professional practice in the field of open education and e-learning. In the frames of 50+ 50K-15M€ EU funded projects, 30+ international conferences and over 100 smaller scale thematic workshops and seminars, she closely observed and engaged in policy dialogues, professional academic collaborations and practice exchange, actively contributing to the modernisation of European Higher Education and education technology in general.
Her current professional focus, most specifically via the implementation of the European Digital Credentials for Learning (EDC), is on supporting the development and uptake of innovative solutions in the field of knowledge, skill and competence documentation and recognition.