'Robot City,' an innovative board game designed for teaching informatics in schools, developed by Professor Hsu Ting-Chia of the Department of Technology Application and Human Resource Development at NTNU, has recently signed a publishing agreement in 30 European countries—a significant milestone for Taiwanese academia in introducing informatics learning products to the European market.
In August, Professor Hsu participated in the Bebras workshop in Druskininkai, Lithuania, where she agreed on an integration application plan among 'Bebras+Robot City+ViLLE.' This initiative brought together the Turku Research Institute for Learning Analytics (TRILA) in Finland—renowned for its computational thinking and mathematics learning platform ViLLE—and Professor Valentina Dagienė, head of the Lithuanian International Bebras Challenge in Computational Thinking.
Upon her arrival in Lithuania in June, Professor Hsu also engaged with various EU research teams. By August, she had met with scholars, teachers, and Bebras volunteers from Finland, Poland, Italy, Estonia, the United Kingdom, Hungary, Serbia, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Professor Hsu's future plans focus on interactive task design and analysis related to computational thinking and artificial intelligence literacy.
Over the past three months, she has actively participated in various EU-hosted projects led by Professor Valentina and other European scholars, including Nordplus, CT&MathABLE, DIGITAL FIRST, and BeLLE. Professor Hsu also visited primary and secondary schools to promote the computational thinking board game “Robot City” in teacher training workshops at institutions like a primary school in Vilnius, Kaunas University of Technology, Vilnius University Šiauliai Academy, the STEAM Center at Klaipėda University, and a primary school in Klaipėda and Druskininkai.
Professor Hsu, a recurrent figure in Stanford/Elsevier's Top 2% Scientist Rankings for her contributions to computer science education and gamification, expressed her excitement about the project's success. She shared that in August 2024, she received approval from the NTNU Office of Research and Development to finalize the publication agreement for her product in Europe. 'Publishing in top journals showcases Taiwanese scholars to the academic community,' she explained, 'and publishing practical products makes our work visible to the general public in Taiwan and around the world, bridging the gap between academia and public engagement.'
Vilnius University featured Professor Hsu's visit and research in a news report on its official website, highlighting the collaboration's progress, including advancements in the Bebras-like Robot City assessment and ongoing work with the EU Bebras team. The successful licensing and publication of 'Robot City' not only expands the international reach of Taiwanese educational products but also underscores Professor Hsu's commitment to advancing global educational development.
In recognition of her outstanding contributions, Professor Hsu was inducted into the National Science and Technology Council’s 'International Outstanding Young Scholars' program for the 2023 and 2024 academic years. This prestigious honor, granted to a maximum of 15 scholars annually, is a testament to the significant impact of her research, which now extends to international success.
