The Robotics Training and RoboRoarZ Competition as a STEM-Based Community Service Program for Enhancing STEM Competencies of Senior High School Students in Kepulauan Riau

Abstract

The low adoption of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education in senior high schools (SMA/SMK) across Kepulauan Riau Province, Indonesia, has been identified as a critical gap in preparing students for Industry 4.0 and Society 5.0. To address this challenge, Politeknik Negeri Batam conducted a community service program entitled Robotics Training and RoboRoarZ Competition for Enhancing STEM Competencies of Senior High School Students in Kepulauan Riau. The program involved 200 students from 22 schools organized into 25 competing teams, and was implemented over two days on 12–13 August 2025. Participants received hands-on training using the SMORPHI modular reconfigurable robot, covering hardware assembly, programming, and autonomous navigation. A robotics competition, RoboRoarZ Indonesia 2025, was subsequently held featuring two categories: Autonomous Challenge (line-follower) and Imaginary Challenge (simulation). Pre-test and post-test assessments revealed a significant improvement in participants’ robotics knowledge, with average scores increasing from 45.2 to 72.8 (a 61.1% gain), and the pass rate rising from 28% to 84%. Questionnaire data further confirmed high positive response rates across indicators of interest, motivation, and career aspiration in robotics, consistently exceeding 88%. The findings demonstrate that competition-based STEM learning combining workshop instruction with project-based and problem-solving activities is an effective and scalable model for improving STEM competencies among secondary school students in underserved regions.