Following our work-in-progress paper and presentation in 2022 [1], this paper documents efforts to develop a STEM outreach program in biologically inspired underwater robotics. Development of this STEM outreach program includes prototype kit development, a standards-aligned written curriculum for classroom implementation, and supporting demonstration videos. The kit includes three different hull shapes, emulating different maritime species, and two different propulsion mechanisms, e.g. propellers and flapping, in a lighter-than-air (blimp) platform. With these components, and supporting materials, the kit can be used to demonstrate how shape and propulsion influence hydrodynamic properties, stability, structural engineering, system design, etc…. The curriculum is designed to guide students, classes, or afterschool groups at the 9th-12th grade level through learning activities leveraging kit components and built blimps to further students’ understanding of marine biology, form and function, balance, movement, and technical writing. Videos provide an engaging way for learners to interact with the content.
In this paper, we expand upon the kit and curriculum development efforts introduced in [1], videography summarized in [2], and discuss the findings of our focus group efforts. Emphasis is placed upon how user feedback informed curricular revision to develop a program suitable for a range of learning styles and abilities.
References
[1] Redacted for double-blind review .
[2] Redacted for double-blind review.
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