Fostering Computational Thinking Through Virtual Reality to Enhance Human-Robot Collaboration

Virtual reality, a well-established educational technology, offers unique affordances such as immersion, interactivity, visualization, and co-presence, with significant potential to enhance learning experiences and outcomes. Computational thinking, a vital skill in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, is essential for effective human-robot collaboration, enabling efficient problem-solving and decision-making in future work environments. Virtual reality provides a cost-effective, safe alternative to physical interaction with robots, reducing equipment risks and addressing the limitations of physical training. This study examines how virtual reality's affordances support computational thinking development, presenting a forward-looking training scenario and an assessment rubric for evaluation. The proposed framework and design strategies offer technological and pedagogical guidance for creating virtual reality environments that foster computational thinking in human-robot collaboration contexts.