Rea Lavi
Current Organizations / Institutes
The organizations/institutes from the scholar's latest article
Previous Organizations / Institutes
The organizations / institutes from the scholar's other articles in the past ten years
Research Subjects
Rea Lavi has a total of 47 co-authors. Here are the top co-authors by number of shared publications:
- Yehudit Judy Dori
Technion—Israel Institute of Technology
8 shared publications - Amitava 'Babi' Mitra5 shared publications
- Lykke Brogaard Bertel
Aalborg University
5 shared publications - Dov Dori
Faculty of Data and Decision Sciences Technion, Israel Institute of Technology Haifa Israel
3 shared publications M. Mehdi Salek
3 shared publications- Yuan Lai
Tsinghua University
3 shared publications
Latest Publications
- 1 June 2026
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in IEEE Transactions on Education
- Vol. PP (00189359) , 1-6
High School and Undergraduate Students’ Integrative Thinking in Educational Robotics
$Contribution$ : This study extends the concept of integrative thinking (InT) from the areas of systems engineering and management to educational robotics. The study defines and classifies InT competencies that high school and undergraduate students employ while learning to construct, program, and operate robots in technology-rich settings.$Background$ : Modern engineers need to apply InT to analyze, design, and operate complex systems across knowledge domains and relationships. Educational robotics provides opportunities for developing InT competencies but approaches to fostering and assessing these competencies have not been sufficiently developed. Research.$Questions$ : What integrative thinking competencies are observed in students involved in experiential learning with robots? What characteristics of learning settings support students’ use of integrative thinking?$Methodology$ : A multiple case study approach was employed with four groups of high school and undergraduate students (N = 198). Data were collected through observations, student reports, logbooks, and interviews, and analyzed using grounded theory methods. While the limited sample constrains generalizability, the study provides exploratory evidence.$Findings$ : The analysis revealed four InT competencies in robotics activities: interconnectedness, functionality, externalities, and alternatives. These competencies were observed across both educational levels and aligned with established frameworks in management and systems engineering. Learning settings involving mechatronic projects and system integration tasks were found to effectively elicit InT. The findings suggest that educational robotics can scaffold integrative thinking development from secondary to higher education, preparing students for the interdisciplinary challenges of modern engineering.- 1 June 2026
- Published by Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in IEEE Transactions on Education
- Vol. PP (00189359) , 1-6
High School and Undergraduate Students’ Integrative Thinking in Educational Robotics
$Contribution$ : This study extends the concept of integrative thinking (InT) from the areas of systems engineering and management to educational robotics. The study defines and classifies InT competencies that high school and undergraduate students employ while learning to construct, program, and operate robots in technology-rich settings.$Background$ : Modern engineers need to apply InT to analyze, design, and operate complex systems across knowledge domains and relationships. Educational robotics provides opportunities for developing InT competencies but approaches to fostering and assessing these competencies have not been sufficiently developed. Research.$Questions$ : What integrative thinking competencies are observed in students involved in experiential learning with robots? What characteristics of learning settings support students’ use of integrative thinking?$Methodology$ : A multiple case study approach was employed with four groups of high school and undergraduate students (N = 198). Data were collected through observations, student reports, logbooks, and interviews, and analyzed using grounded theory methods. While the limited sample constrains generalizability, the study provides exploratory evidence.$Findings$ : The analysis revealed four InT competencies in robotics activities: interconnectedness, functionality, externalities, and alternatives. These competencies were observed across both educational levels and aligned with established frameworks in management and systems engineering. Learning settings involving mechatronic projects and system integration tasks were found to effectively elicit InT. The findings suggest that educational robotics can scaffold integrative thinking development from secondary to higher education, preparing students for the interdisciplinary challenges of modern engineering.- Open Access
- 9 October 2025
- Published by Springer Nature in Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning
- Vol. 3 (1) , 1-11
Problem structuring in urban science education: Why, what, and how
Urban science is an emerging and transdisciplinary field that attracts deep interest in planning degree programs from educational institutions worldwide. Urban science education emphasizes the science of cities and urban information technology by integrating design, engineering, system science, spatial science, behavioral and social science, decision science, and other disciplines. The increasing complexity of urban systems creates significant pedagogical challenges for urban science education, particularly in problem structuring, which is the process of structuring, or defining, (a) the scope of the problem, (b) the potential ways for addressing the problem, and (c) suitable criteria for judging solutions to the problem. In this article, we describe the theoretical foundations of problem structuring in relation to urban science education and explain why it is difficult to teach. In response to this pedagogical challenge, we propose DIMES (Describe, Inquire, Model, Extract, and State), a novel domain-agnostic method combining design thinking and systems thinking developed for problem structuring in any level of higher education. We describe how the DIMES method can be integrated into urban science curricula with relation to critical considerations for teaching urban science problem structuring, the fast-evolving smart city development, and the disruptive impact of generative artificial intelligence on urban science education. Finally, we provide our thoughts on potential future studies with DIMES in urban science learning settings.
- 9 October 2025
- Published by Springer Nature in Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning
- Vol. 3 (1) , 1-11
Open AccessProblem structuring in urban science education: Why, what, and how
Urban science is an emerging and transdisciplinary field that attracts deep interest in planning degree programs from educational institutions worldwide. Urban science education emphasizes the science of cities and urban information technology by integrating design, engineering, system science, spatial science, behavioral and social science, decision science, and other disciplines. The increasing complexity of urban systems creates significant pedagogical challenges for urban science education, particularly in problem structuring, which is the process of structuring, or defining, (a) the scope of the problem, (b) the potential ways for addressing the problem, and (c) suitable criteria for judging solutions to the problem. In this article, we describe the theoretical foundations of problem structuring in relation to urban science education and explain why it is difficult to teach. In response to this pedagogical challenge, we propose DIMES (Describe, Inquire, Model, Extract, and State), a novel domain-agnostic method combining design thinking and systems thinking developed for problem structuring in any level of higher education. We describe how the DIMES method can be integrated into urban science curricula with relation to critical considerations for teaching urban science problem structuring, the fast-evolving smart city development, and the disruptive impact of generative artificial intelligence on urban science education. Finally, we provide our thoughts on potential future studies with DIMES in urban science learning settings.
- Top Cited PapersOpen Access
- 23 August 2025
- Published by Elsevier in Computers & Education
- Vol. 239
Human-GenAI interaction for active learning in STEM education: State-of-the-art and future directions
- 23 August 2025
- Published by Elsevier in Computers & Education
- Vol. 239
Top Cited PapersOpen AccessHuman-GenAI interaction for active learning in STEM education: State-of-the-art and future directions
- Open Access
- 15 September 2024
- Published by MDPI AG in Education Sciences
- Vol. 14 (9) , 1011
Active Learning Pedagogies in High School and Undergraduate STEM Education
Active learning (AL) typically involves (1) students applying knowledge and higher-order thinking (2) individually and in groups to (3) problems, cases, scenarios, or questions while (4) reflecting on their learning
- 15 September 2024
- Published by MDPI AG in Education Sciences
- Vol. 14 (9) , 1011
Open AccessActive Learning Pedagogies in High School and Undergraduate STEM Education
Active learning (AL) typically involves (1) students applying knowledge and higher-order thinking (2) individually and in groups to (3) problems, cases, scenarios, or questions while (4) reflecting on their learning