Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Using Robot Animal Companions In The Academic Library To Mitigate Student Stress, Autumn P. Edwards, Chad Edwards, Bryan Abendschein, Juliana Espinosa, Jonathan Scherger, Patricia Fravel Vander Meer

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

The purpose of this paper is to interrogate the relationship between self-reported levels of acute stress, perceived social support, and interactions with robot animals in an academic library. The authors hypothesized: 1. participants would report lower stress and higher positive affect after their interaction with a robot support animal; 2. perceived supportiveness of the robot support animal would positively predict the amount of stress reduction the participants reported.

The authors hosted a robot petting zoo in the main library at a large Midwestern university during finals week. Participants were asked to rate their stress level prior to interacting with the …

Life Is A Lab: Developing A Communication Research Lab For Undergraduate And Graduate Education, Autumn P. Edwards, Chad Edwards, Patric R. Spence

Journal of Communication Pedagogy

Tips offered center on classroom discourse, curriculum choices, and potential assignments. In this article, we present tips for creating a thriving undergraduate and graduate communication research lab. Based on our experiences developing and co-directing the Communication and Social Robotics Labs (CSRLs), we offer 10 best practices for acquiring resources and recognition, building a strong lab community, and attaining faculty and student goals for scholarship and beyond. Our overarching approach is framed by Dewey’s (1916) pragmatist educational metaphysic, which stresses student- and subject-centered learning, enlarging experiences, and the co-construction of meaning and knowledge. Although our labs are focused on human-machine communication …

Telepresence Robotics In An Academic Library: A Study Of Exposure And Adaptation Among Patrons And Employees, Lumarie Guth, Patricia F. Vander Meer

University Libraries Faculty & Staff Publications

Purpose

Librarians are working with telepresence robotics for various uses, particularly as a communication method inhabiting a space between video chat and face-to-face interactions. The library at Western Michigan University partnered with the Western Michigan University Communication and Social Robotics Lab to showcase this emerging technology in a high-traffic setting utilized by students of every level and major. The purpose of this paper is to discuss patron reactions to this technology exhibition in the library, beta testing of a telepresence robot in various public services tasks, and library employee attitudes toward this unfamiliar technology before and after one-on-one training.

Design/methodology/approach …