Research

SUMMARY

My doctoral research has focused on tinkering as a means of problem-solving in engineering design. I designed a learning environment that nurtures tinkering for solving problems in engineering design. The problems were based on robotics to be solved using Lego Mindstorms. I  looked into the actions of the participants and their interactions with the features of the learning environment as they tinkered through activities situated in a physical space. Using methods of interaction analysis, I found tinkering to be inclusive of personalized problem-solving approaches. When tinkering, the participants were seen performing quick and focused cycles of playful exploration, experimentation and feedback, gradually letting them evolve their solution ideas or strategies. Since this evolution was seen as participant-driven, they reported a sense of agency and confidence. The inclusive learner-centric nature of tinkering-based pedagogies and learning environments should be explored and evaluated as a potential candidate for problem-based and project-based learning activities in individual and collaborative settings.  

In addition to my doctoral research work, I have explored the use of several emerging technologies like building a prototype for a Myo Sensor based training module (CoMBaT) for badminton shot training and use of companion robots as semi-automated mentors. Under a collaborative research project I and my colleagues have explored the used of IoT based everyday objects for teaching and learning of programming and computational thinking. I have also been associated with several teacher training activities, especially during COVID and have worked in the planning, production, execution and support of MOOCs. To know more click here

Projects (Research)

Learning environment for nurturing tinkering as an approach to Engineering Design (PhD Thesis) 

Under the guidance of:- 

Prof. Sridhar Iyer, & Prof. Sahana Murthy, IDP in EduTech, IIT Bombay 

In my doctoral research, I have explored problem-solving in engineering design using making and tinkering in physical spaces. 

I have used the design-based research method to design a pedagogy and a learning environment (LE) conducive to tinkering for solving engineering design problems in robotics. The design was achieved by defining the characteristics of problem setup, space, the purpose and arrangement of material and the roles of a mentor. The design evaluation of LE exhibits learner agency, motivation and learning by scaffolding focused and quick exploration and experimentation cycles. The claim of this research is that tinkering can facilitate systematically designed problem-based and project-based conceptual learning activities. 

In the future, I want to use such active learning strategies and develop similar activities using such platforms and robots for teaching and learning computer science concepts and skills using participatory design-based research. I would like to evaluate them under the dimensions of learning, problem-solving and affect, using qualitative analysis at the micro level supported by quantitative methods at the macro level.

To know more click here and to access my thesis click here.

Publications ( Raina et. al, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)

CoMBaT: Corrective Myo Badminton Trainer

Combat was an exploration project where we attempted to use a Myo Band from Thalmic labs to enable reflection of a badminton player's effort and swinging of the arm while playing a badminton shot. This was part of the course projects during the first year of my PhD. Learn more about it here. 

Publications (Raina et.al, 2017)

Media Coverage: Research Matters, IITB Research highlight 

CoMBaT.mp4

A Digital Tinkering Companion In collaboration with Ms Shruti Jain. 

Design fixation and lack of operational knowledge challenge learners in utilizing robotics kits to their full potential. A mentor can address these challenges by scaffolding and aiding reflection, a mentor supported by a semi-automated agent can have a tremendous impact on a seamless familiarization and with the robotics kits. Here, we explore ideas of a robot and a chatbot based Semi-Automated agent as a companion for tinkering kits. After analyzing interactions between a mentor and a participant in a robotics workshops we classified the interactions and used them to develop a scaffolding logic to automate certain routines of interactions using chat bots. Such bots can act as a scaffolding agent as well as a companion for journaling and also open the possibilities to remote or virtual mentoring. 

Publications (Jain et.al, 2021, Raina et. al, 2019)

Programming-RIO: Developing Computational Thinking through Programming Real-life IoT Objects. (An ACM India Supported Project 2020-22) In collaboration with Dr Shitanshu Mishra and Spruha Satavlekar. 

The project aims at developing a better understanding of how can the platforms like IFTTT or Alexa Routines that help in configuring complex if-then-else behaviors of real-world Internet-of-Things Objects (RIO) can help in supporting students’ learning of computational thinking (CT). We call these platforms “Programing-RIO platforms”. We aim at devising pedagogies around these platforms and the IoT devices to develop CT in students. With the broader research objective of exploring the impact of Programming-RIO on middle school students’ development of CT, our specific research objectives for the first year of this project is to: (i) Evaluate the possibility of using Programing-RIO platforms like IFTTT as a medium for teaching and learning of CT; (ii) Identify the nuances of using Programing-RIO platforms like IFTTT as a medium for teaching and learning of CT due to their situatedness and impact of IoTs as tools to think with; (iii) Compare the effectiveness of learning CT with Programing-RIO platforms to other visual and text-based approaches. The proposal has been accepted for execution from December 2020. Ms. Spruha Satavlekar A PhD scholar from our department has taken up this project as her doctoral thesis. 

Publications (Satavelkar et.al, 2021)

Smart Phones for Road Safety (ME Thesis)

Under the guidance of:- 

Prof. Divya Bansal, CSRC, Dept of CSE, PEC, Chandigarh

Focus of this research was to detect simultaneous events that occur during a road collision using the multidimensional sensing capability of a smart phone by a) Determining the event signatures for various collisions, b) Detecting such events using Smart-phone sensors, c) Determining the sensor data to be fused for detection and d) Finding the optimum algorithm for detection with a pattern of the fused data. This was a part of my  masters thesis at Punjab Engineering College. 

Publications (Raina et.al, 2016)

Publications

Book Chapters:

Publications: (Peer-Reviewed)

In Proceedings :-

Service

Participated in Conferences and workshops: