SBIR Phase II: Independent Science Learning through Serious Games with Expert Avatars and Complementary Stories

SBIR 第二阶段：通过专家化身和补充故事的严肃游戏进行独立科学学习

• 批准号: 1738291
• 负责人: Peter Solomon
• 金额: $ 75万
• 依托单位: THEBEAMER LLC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-09-15 至 2020-02-29
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1738291&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Independent; Science

This SBIR Phase II project will provide an engaging independent-learning platform which weaves science into an exciting story for ages eight to thirteen. The platform combines a time-travel adventure game, a complementary book, and in-game avatars for important scientists (like Albert Einstein) that can answer students' questions. It is aimed at the need for educating more science and engineering professionals by tapping into children's strong interest in games to augment current science curricula that students often find boring and uninteresting. The story is about STARDUST (atoms) and its formation and history in the universe. It engages students by taking them back in time to identify trillions of atoms they personally inherited from Einstein and the last T-Rex. Besides school use, the game's independent learning and engagement allows distribution directly to children for recreational use, adding another avenue for science learning, and a sustainable business model for the Company through school and commercial sales. The technology can also support independent learning in underperforming schools. The development of the scientist avatar artificial intelligence technology will have wide application for many other educational and training requirements. The innovation is a unique platform for independent learning about the sweeping science saga of atoms during the history of the Universe and Earth, and the connection of each student to that history through the trillions of atoms they inherited from prior beings like Albert Einstein and the last T-Rex. The platform combines video games, a complementary fictional story book (based on the science) that acts as game introduction and player guide, and in-game avatars (like Albert Einstein and Henrietta Leavitt) that can provide verbal answers to students' spoken questions. The artificial intelligence backing the scientist avatars includes learning manager software that guides student learning and provides assessments of progress in achieving pre-established learning goals. Four players cooperate in time travel adventures, exploring the human body, the Earth, and the Universe to find out what STARDUST is (atoms), how and when it was created (in the Big Bang and supernovae), how it got into Einstein, and from him to others (e.g., the carbon cycle). Excellent test results for the Phase I prototype game suggests a successful start at creating good player engagement. The project will continue to combine learning and engagement in 10 additional episodes with new scientist avatars including female and minority scientists.

这个SBIR II阶段项目将提供一个引人入胜的独立学习平台，该平台将科学编织成一个令人兴奋的故事，其中八至13岁。该平台结合了一个时光旅行冒险游戏，一本补充书，以及重要科学家（例如阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦）的游戏中的头像，可以回答学生的问题。 它的目的是通过利用儿童对游戏的浓厚兴趣来扩大当前科学课程的浓厚兴趣来教育更多的科学和工程专业人士，而学生经常发现无聊和无趣。这个故事是关于星尘（原子）及其在宇宙中的形成和历史。 它通过及时带回学生来识别他们亲自从爱因斯坦和最后一个T-Rex继承的数万亿个原子来吸引学生。 除了学校使用外，游戏的独立学习和参与度还可以直接向儿童分发娱乐性，增加了科学学习的另一种途径，并通过学校和商业销售为公司提供了可持续的商业模式。 该技术还可以支持表现不佳的学校中的独立学习。科学家阿凡达（Avatar）人工智能技术的发展将针对许多其他教育和培训要求提供广泛的应用。 这项创新是一个独特的平台，用于独立学习有关宇宙和地球历史上全部原子的广泛科学传奇的独特平台，以及每个学生通过他们从阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦（Albert Einstein）等先前的生物和最后一个的众生继承的数万亿个原子的联系T-Rex。 该平台结合了视频游戏，这是一本互补的虚构故事书（基于科学），充当游戏介绍和玩家指南，以及游戏中的头像（例如阿尔伯特·爱因斯坦和亨利埃塔·莱维特），可以为学生的口头问题提供口头答案。 支持科学家头像的人工智能包括指导学生学习的学习经理软件，并评估实现预先建立的学习目标的进度。四名玩家在时空旅行冒险中合作，探索人体，地球和宇宙，以了解什么是星尘（原子），如何以及何时创建（在大爆炸和超新星中），如何进入爱因斯坦，从他到他人（例如，碳循环）。 I阶段原型游戏的出色测试结果表明，在创建良好的玩家参与度方面取得了成功的开端。该项目将继续将学习和参与与包括女性和少数族裔科学家在内的新科学家化身相结合。