Do Educational Robotics Technologies Integrated with 3D Design Improve the Project and Engineering Design Process Skills of Gifted Students: Case Study

IntroductIonThe worldwide curriculum aims to cultivate people for countries with twenty-first-century skills who are creative and can look at events and phenomena from different perspectives to solve problems in daily life.With Industry 4.0 named the new industrial revolution, smart factories are being set up with new-generation technologies such as 3D technologies and robotic tools, and high-value-added technologies are being offered for the benefit of humanity.All these changes bring new opportunities and enable the use of new technologies.In particular, gifted students are essential for countries that find new opportunities through new technologies.Because gifted students have different characteristics than their peers regarding their development, learning behaviors, and cognitive levels, educational programs need to be differentiated for these students (General Directorate of Special Education and Guidance Services [ORGM], 2021).In recent years, workshop classes involving robot programming and 3D technologies have been established in schools.The goal of these classes is for students to use robotics tools and 3D technologies to find solutions to the problems they face in their daily lives.Students must also apply the project-based learning approach when designing a project using 3D technologies and robotics tools.Following Dewey's AbstrActThree-dimensional (3D) technologies and robotic tools are new educational instruments that have entered our lives with the rapid development of technology.This study aims to investigate the effects of integrated teaching with 3D technologies and robotic tools on the development of engineering and project design skills of gifted students.A case study was used in the study.The study participants were eight secondary school students attending a science and arts center in a public school system.Data were collected using student interview forms, a rubric for engineering and project design skills, an observer-teacher rubric, student and researcher diaries, and document analysis.The results showed that students generally developed their skills in applying engineering design skills, presented project designs on various topics, and used 3D technologies and robotics tools by integrating them into solving problems in daily life.The results also showed that students improved their ability to pose everyday problems and connect them to the science course, create research questions, and establish cause-and-effect relationships to the problem.