Latvia-Lithuania cross-border program project “Development of IT programming and robotics competencies in schools in Latgale, Visaginas and Ignalina regions” is approaching its conclusion. The lead partner of the project is the Latgale Regional Development Agency, and the Lithuanian partner is the Euroregion Lake Country Office in Lithuania. The main goal of the project is to strengthen the competencies of the region’s human resources in the field of ICT and robotics. The project activities were implemented comprehensively, including raising the competence of teachers in teaching robotics in schools, developing support materials such as robotics handbooks and instructional videos, supplying equipment to 9 Latgale schools and 5 schools in Lithuania, creating and strengthening robotics clubs, and supporting robotics competitions.

Nine schools in Latgale participated in the project: Daugavpils State Gymnasium, Daugavpils Saskaņas Primary School, Balvi State Gymnasium, Rugaji Secondary School, Vilaka State Gymnasium, Ludza 1st Secondary School, Jānis Eglītis Preiļi State Gymnasium, Livani 1st Secondary School, and Spogu Secondary School in Augšdaugava region. In Lithuania, five schools from Ignalina, Visaginas, and Zarasai were actively involved in the project.

Within the framework of the project, both in Latgale and Lithuania, more than 30 teachers strengthened their knowledge and practical skills in robotics subjects through 96 hours of RoboNet training, covering topics such as programming, working with Lego robots, electronics and microcontroller solutions, 3D printing, and 3D modeling. At the end of the training, Latgale teachers received relevant certificates issued by Daugavpils University.

One of the main challenges of teaching robotics in Latvia is the limited amount of educational materials available in the Latvian and Lithuanian languages. In this regard, the project has made a contribution by hiring experts to develop and distribute a Robotics Handbook in printed and e-book formats in latvian and Lithuanian languages. The handbooks covers topics such as programming, building Lego robots, algorithms, branches, sensors, robot programming, 3D modeling environments, robotics competitions, etc. It includes a large amount of visual material and practical tasks. The handbooks were created as a methodological support tool for teachers to teach robotics to children. In line with the handbook’s topics, 24 educational videos in Latvian were filmed and made available on the Robotika-RoboNet YouTube channel.

As part of the project, robotics equipment kits were delivered to Latgale schools in the second half of 2022, including Education SPIKE Prime basic and additional kits, Lego Sumo competition fields, mini SumoBoy 2.0 with prototyping kits, soldering stations, portable computers, tablet computers for robot control, and 3D printers. Each school received a different equipment kit that best suited the school’s level of technical equipment and desire for improvement. The equipment delivered to schools was used both in the project and will be used in the future in the general educational process, thus raising the competence level of schools in teaching programming and robotics subjects to students and strengthening the capacity for the introduction of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines) education models in project schools. Similar equipment was also delivered to schools in Lithuania.

Following this, robotics clubs were activated in schools, with more than 450 students participating in Latgale and Lithuanian schools, strengthening their knowledge in STEM fields and robotics on a daily basis. With the support of the project, three international robotics competitions were held, two in Latgale – in Preiļi (over 300 participants) and Daugavpils (over 200 participants) and one in Ignalina (over 60 participants). Robotics competitions are an exciting event where students have the opportunity to test their technical innovations against their peers from other schools, as well as communicate, exchange experiences, gain new knowledge, and inspiration for further self-improvement. Competition disciplines included Lego folkrace, line following, robot sumo battles, i-robot battles, and other disciplines.

At the end of the project, the Latgale Regional Development Agency organized an online conference on strengthening STEM and robotics skills in Latvia, with the participation of recognized Latvian experts. During the conference, such relevant topics as opportunities for learning robotics, curriculum and methodology, development of robotics teaching competencies, and robotics competitions in Latvia and abroad were discussed. Participants from all over Latvia, including municipal specialists, education authorities, school management, and teachers from all Latvian regions, from Latgale to Vidzeme, Riga, Zemgale, and Kurzeme, took part in the conference.

Therefore, we can proudly announce that the positive impact of the RoboNet project activities has resonated widely beyond the borders of the Latgale and Aukštaitija regions. The project has made a significant contribution to strengthening the human resources of the regions in ICT and robotics skills, fully achieving its goal within the planned financing framework!

I would like to express my gratitude to the entire RoboNet project team in Latgale and Lithuania for their dedication and enthusiasm in implementing project activities. I would also like to thank the team of the Latvia-Lithuania Technical Secretariat for their patience, support, and understanding during the pandemic-related constraints, which resulted in extended project implementation deadlines. Thanks to all schools and teachers for strengthening the robotics movement in Latgale, Ignalina, and Visaginas, both qualitatively and quantitatively! Many thoughts and ideas have arisen in this regard, which can definitely be realized together in the future, so there must be a continuation!

Māris Bozovičs
Director of the Latgale Region Development Agency
28.04.2023.