THE IMPACT OF ROBOTICS COMPETITIONS ON THE LEVEL OF TECHNOLOGY IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING IN KENYA

Abstract

In  line  with  vision  2030,  which  aims  at  making  Kenya  a  middle  income  industrialized  nation  and  be technologically  competitive  globally,  Science  Technology  and  Innovation  are  key  pillars.  Accordingly,  the Ministry of Education Science and Technology introduced Robotics Competition with a bid to making students innovative, creative and competitive  in the area  of  Technology. This  event  takes place annually, since 2008, especially  during  the  Science  week  organized  by  National  Council  for  Science  Technology  and  Innovation (NACOSTI). This study aims at examining the impact of the Robotics Competition on curriculum development, students’ final year projects and practical lessons/laboratory exercises done in the institutions and more so the
level  of  technology  involved,  achievements  of  the  participants  in  ro botics  competitions  in  any  economic activities  and  towards  the  achievement  of  sustainable  development  goals  i.e.  Build  resilient  infrastructure, promote  sustainable  industrialization  and  foster  innovation.  Interviews  and  discussions  were  done  in  five Higher  Learning  Institutions  which  have  been  participating  in  Robotics  Competition  since  2008.  A  Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software was employed in the analysis. The results of this study shall assist in indicating  the  effectiveness  of  the  Robotics  Competitions  in  improving  use  of  technology  (and  the  level)  in Kenya.

Key words: Curriculum development, practical’s, projects, creativity and innovation, industrialization