Collaborative Research: Gamified Learning of Computing Hardware Fundamentals

协作研究：计算硬件基础知识的游戏化学习

• 批准号: 2142473
• 负责人: Pavlo Antonenko
• 金额: $ 40万
• 依托单位: University of Florida
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2022
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2022-02-01 至 2025-01-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2142473&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Gamified; Learning; Computing

This project aims to serve the national interest by designing a novel hands-on and gamified curriculum focusing on computing hardware fundamentals. Growing use of electronics in nearly all spheres of life has created a great need for engineers, scientists, and technicians to contribute to their sophisticated design and manufacturing process. However, misconceptions of hardware surrounding manufacturing jobs, along with the rising popularity of jobs in analytics and artificial intelligence, motivate students to avoid hardware-related college courses. Students’ knowledge of electronic hardware and basic principles of their operation have not received much attention. This has contributed to a remarkable skill gap in the current electronics industry. Hence, there is a critical need for training college students to learn the fundamentals of hardware from a system perspective through a hands-on approach. Additionally, there is a need to stimulate these students interests in hardware. The project aims to design engaging, collaborative, and thought-provoking gamified learning modules that will be played on an electronic hardware platform. Each gamified module, to be played individually or collaboratively in a team, will target training students on one major concept of hardware using an engaging and experimental learning approach. Games will introduce and exercise one of the fundamental concepts of computing hardware. Collectively, the gamified modules will provide a system-level perspective of the modern electronic system. The project intends to evaluate the curriculum at two universities and high schools. This collaborative project between University of Kansas and University of Florida will investigate a new paradigm of preparing undergraduate students with foundational concepts of electronic hardware and key principles of system operation, including underlying physics (e.g., signal propagation, switching of transistors) and mathematics (e.g., Boolean algebra, logic gates) of computing. The project seeks to understand the ability of gamified learning to stimulate situational interest and learning of hardware content among diverse groups of students, including women, low socio-economic status students, first-time-in-college students, and historically underrepresented ethnic minorities. This project has the potential to create a skilled and diversified workforce in the semiconductor industry. A mixed research method will be used to evaluate the proposed activities in this project. Project activities will also include development of similar gamified modules for high school students, which in turn leads to creating a recruiting pathway for more electrical and computer engineering undergraduate majors. The project will share the gamified modules, hardware platform design, course materials, and other outcomes with the educational and semiconductor community through web portals, workshops, tutorials, and special sessions. The project has potential to help students adopt emerging technologies with more complex functionality, such as augmented and virtual reality. 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.

该项目旨在通过设计一种新颖的实践和游戏化课程来服务于国家利益，该课程侧重于计算硬件基础知识，电子产品在几乎所有生活领域的使用不断增加，因此迫切需要工程师、科学家和技术人员为他们的工作做出贡献。然而，对围绕制造工作的硬件的误解，以及分析和人工智能工作的日益普及，促使学生回避与硬件相关的大学课程，了解电子硬件及其操作的基本原理。没有受到太多关注。造成了当前电子行业显着的技能差距，因此迫切需要培训大学生通过实践方法从系统角度学习硬件基础知识。该项目旨在设计引人入胜、协作且发人深省的游戏化学习模块，这些模块将在电子硬件平台上进行，每个游戏化模块都可以单独或团队协作进行，旨在培训学生。使用引人入胜的实验性硬件的主要概念游戏将介绍和练习计算硬件的基本概念之一，该项目旨在评估两所大学和高中的课程。堪萨斯大学和佛罗里达大学之间的合作项目将研究一种新的范式，为本科生提供电子硬件的基本概念和系统操作的关键原理，包括基础物理（例如信号传播、晶体管开关）和数学（例如，布尔值该项目旨在了解游戏化学习激发不同学生群体（包括女性、社会经济地位较低的学生、首次上大学的学生）的情境兴趣和学习硬件内容的能力。该项目有潜力在半导体行业培养一支技术精湛、多元化的劳动力队伍。项目活动还将包括开发类似的游戏化活动。高模块该项目将通过门户网站、研讨会与教育和半导体社区分享游戏化模块、硬件平台设计、课程材料和其他成果。该项目有潜力帮助学生采用具有更复杂功能的新兴技术，例如增强现实和虚拟现实：EHR 计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的 STEM 教育的有效性。 .通过学生的积极学习该项目支持创建、探索和实施有前途的实践和工具。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

Engaging Students in Exploring Computer Hardware Fundamentals Using FPGA Board Games.

让学生使用 FPGA 棋盘游戏探索计算机硬件基础知识。

• 发表时间: 2023-06
• 期刊: 2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition
• 作者: Ramirez;Hossain, T.;Hoque, T.;Bhunia, S.;Koroly, M. J.;Davey, B.;Antonenko, P.
• 通讯作者: Antonenko, P.