Assessment News in Brief

Robot Teaches Handwriting Via Student Role Reversal

By Jordan Moeny — March 24, 2015 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

A robot from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne may be able to help students improve their cursive and boost their self-esteem—by letting them teach it how to write.

Teaching robots aren’t new, but the CoWriter system seems to be unique in that it acts more like a student than a teacher. The 2-foot-tall robot, which is programmed to have poor handwriting, writes words on a tablet using “deformed letters,” then allows the student to correct its mistakes. Over time, CoWriter’s handwriting slowly improves as the student teaches the robot how to write.

While CoWriter is still only a prototype, the researchers have already tested the system with about 70 students with encouraging results.

A version of this article appeared in the March 25, 2015 edition of Education Week as Robot Teaches Handwriting Via Student Role Reversal

Events

This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Assessment Webinar
Reflections on Evidence-Based Grading Practices: What We Learned for Next Year
Get real insights on evidence-based grading from K-12 leaders.
Content provided by Otus
Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum How AI Use Is Expanding in K-12 Schools
Join this free virtual event to explore how AI technology is—and is not—improving K-12 teaching and learning.
Federal Webinar Navigating the Rapid Pace of Education Policy Change: Your Questions, Answered
Join this free webinar to gain an understanding of key education policy developments affecting K-12 schools.

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Assessment Quiz Quiz Yourself: How Much Do You Know About Standardized Testing & Improving Student Outcomes?
Answer 7 questions about improving standardized testing and student outcomes.
Assessment Fewer Subjects, Students, Data Points: Feds to Scale Back NAEP
Some 4th and 12th grade tests won't proceed as planned, following sweeping cuts to the U.S. Department of Education research arm last month.
5 min read
Evaluate Score, Forecast, Businessman Holding Telescope on Performance Measure
iStock/Getty
Assessment Download A Guide to Equitable Grading in Schools (DOWNLOADABLE)
See how traditional and equitable grading practices differ in this downloadable guide.
1 min read
Grading reform lead art
Illustration by Laura Baker/Education Week with E+ and iStock/Getty
Assessment What Should Teachers Do When Students—or Parents—Ask for a Better Grade?
Plenty of students, and even parents, ask teachers to change their grades. Here's how teachers react.
6 min read
Image of a tug-of-war over an A or B grade.
Robert Neubecker for Education Week