Collaborative research: Integrating Perspective-taking and Systems Thinking for Complex Problem-Solving

协作研究：整合观点采择和系统思维来解决复杂问题

• 批准号: 2111065
• 负责人: Cynthia Frantz
• 金额: $ 22.02万
• 依托单位: Oberlin College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2021
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2021-10-15 至 2024-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2111065&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; research; Integrating; Perspective; taking

This project aims to serve the national interest by using computer modeling to present multiple perspectives, helping students to improve systems thinking and complex socio-technical problem-solving. The topics with which STEM fields grapple are often not merely scientific problems; they are also at times ideologically and emotionally charged issues. Such contemporary “socio-scientific” issues affect multiple stakeholders in different ways and have real and diverse consequences, both economic and societal. Understanding and responding to these socio-scientific issues, such as genetically modified crops, vaccine development/deployment and climate change mitigation, requires that individuals not only understand scientific content and how systems work, but also how these systems look from different vantage points. The goal of this project is to develop and assess new teaching strategies to improve understanding and decision-making related to such complex social and environmental problems. This project will build on research from previous studies to develop the state-of-the-art undergraduate instruction strategies. The software, curricular tools, and case studies being designed will be used by college instructors across the United States to promote perspective-taking and problem-solving. Formally engaging students in this type of thinking is essential to the training of America’s future workforce. Specifically, students will engage with a series of case studies on complex socio-scientific issues, and use the MentalModeler (www.mentalmodeler.org) software to map out the system from the perspectives of different stakeholders. We believe this approach will promote systems thinking, model-based reasoning, perspective taking, and problem-solving ability in the undergraduate classroom. We intend to test the hypothesis that integrating novel perspective taking and systems modeling across different undergraduate courses: 1) helps students overcome some of the cognitive and motivational obstacles elicited by controversial socio-scientific topics, 2) leads to a deeper and more accurate understanding of the system itself, and 3) helps learners create and support arguments regarding the effect of interventions on system-level outcomes. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该项目旨在通过使用计算机建模来提出多种观点，帮助学生改善系统思维和复杂的社会技术解决问题，以实现国家利益。 STEM领域抓斗的主题通常不仅是科学问题。他们有时也是理想情况和情感上充斥的问题。这种当代的“社会科学”问题以不同的方式影响了多个利益相关者，并产生了经济和社会地位的真实和潜在的后果。了解和应对这些社会科学问题，例如一般修改的作物，疫苗开发/部署和缓解气候变化，都要求个人不仅了解科学内容和系统的工作方式，而且还从不同的有利位置外观。该项目的目的是制定和评估新的教学策略，以改善与这种复杂的社会和环境问题相关的理解和决策。该项目将基于先前研究的研究，以制定最先进的本科教学策略。设计的软件，现代工具和案例研究将由美国各地的大学讲师使用，以促进观点和解决问题。正式使学生参与这种思维，这对于培训美国未来劳动力至关重要。具体而言，学生将参与有关复杂社会科学问题的一系列案例研究，并使用ChenterModeler（www.mentalmodeler.org）软件从不同利益相关者的角度绘制系统。我们认为，这种方法将在本科教室中促进系统思维，基于模型的推理，观点的掌握和解决问题的能力。我们打算检验以下假设：在不同的本科课程中整合新颖的观点和系统建模：1）帮助学生克服有争议的社会科学话题引起的一些认知和动机障碍，2）导致对系统本身的更深入，更准确地了解学习者，并帮助学习者对系统进行效果和支持。 NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过参与的学生学习轨道，该计划支持了承诺实践和工具的创建，探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定任务，并使用基金会的知识分子优点和更广泛的影响评估审查标准，被认为是珍贵的支持。