Intelligent Science Stations: Developing Adaptive Mixed-Reality Technology to Enhance Inquiry-based STEM Learning in Schools

智能科学站：开发自适应混合现实技术以增强学校探究式 STEM 学习

• 批准号: 2300734
• 负责人: Nesra Yannier
• 金额: $ 299.55万
• 依托单位: Carnegie-Mellon University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-07-15 至 2027-06-30
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2300734&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Intelligent; Science; Stations; Developing; Adaptive

The project aims to develop and research Intelligent Science Stations, a new genre of interactive science experiences. The motivation behind this project is the need for engaging, inquiry-based science learning opportunities for young children in the classroom, to sustain early interest in science. The Intelligent Science Stations will provide students in kindergarten to 4th grade with hands-on science experiences, augmented by an intelligent agent that offers feedback based on artificial intelligence (AI) computer vision. These Intelligent Science Stations incorporate scientific apparatuses such as earthquake tables or balance scales, and students' actions are observed and evaluated by the intelligent agent. The agent appears as an animated character on a screen and provides interactive feedback to guide students through scientific inquiry. This innovative approach offers evidence-based, personalized support and feedback to children, while also assisting teachers in integrating more inquiry-based science learning into their classrooms. By modeling behaviors like asking questions, making predictions, and explaining scientific phenomena, the interactive AI system helps teachers enhance their classroom experiences. The project aims to develop four Intelligent Science Stations, each accompanied by lesson plans, teacher professional development, and online resources such as video demonstrations and learning materials. The science content covered includes Early Physics, Balance and Stability, Forces and Motion, Forces and Interactions, Inquiry, and Engineering Design. The development and research will take place in multiple schools with students from diverse backgrounds, targeting an estimated 3,000 students per school year over a three-year period.The evaluation and research components of the project have two main objectives. First, it seeks to advance scientific understanding by investigating the learning support features that effectively engage children in sustained learning experiences involving scientific inquiry and engineering design in school settings. Second, it aims to determine the curricular and language supports necessary to foster engagement and enhance science learning for children with different backgrounds, academic strengths, and needs. User-centered iterative design research, formative evaluation, and classroom observations will be employed to design mixed-reality systems that best cater to student and teacher learning needs in formal learning environments. Through classroom observations and controlled experiments, the project will compare "business as usual" conditions with the use of Intelligent Science Stations, providing insights into student inquiry processes, science conversations, student engagement, and science inquiry processes. The project also intends to share its findings through peer-reviewed publications targeted at researchers and developers, as well as provide extensive professional development resources and video demonstrations to teachers and educators via social media and the project website.The Discovery Research preK-12 program (DRK-12) seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers, through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects. 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.

该项目旨在开发和研究智能科学站，这是一种新型的互动科学体验，该项目背后的动机是需要为课堂上的幼儿提供参与式、基于探究的科学学习机会，以维持早期对科学的兴趣。智能科学站将为幼儿园至四年级的学生提供实践科学体验，并通过基于人工智能 (AI) 计算机视觉提供反馈的智能代理进行增强。这些智能科学站包含地震表或天平等科学设备。尺度，以及智能代理会观察和评估学生的行为，该代理在屏幕上显示为动画角色，并提供交互式反馈，以指导学生进行科学探究，同时还为儿童提供基于证据的个性化支持和反馈。该项目旨在开发四个智能科学站，帮助教师将更多基于探究的科学学习融入课堂。每个都附有课程计划、教师专业发展和在线课程涵盖的科学内容包括早期物理、平衡与稳定性、力与运动、力与相互作用、探究和工程设计等资源。开发和研究将在多个学校与来自不同背景的学生进行。 ，预计三年内每学年有 3,000 名学生。该项目的评估和研究部分有两个主要目标，首先，它旨在通过调查有效吸引儿童进行持续学习的学习支持功能来促进科学理解。涉及科学的经验。其次，它旨在确定必要的课程和语言支持，以促进不同背景、学术优势和需求的儿童的参与和加强科学学习。课堂观察将用于设计最能满足正式学习环境中学生和教师学习需求的混合现实系统，通过课堂观察和受控实验，该项目将“一切照旧”条件与智能科学站的使用进行比较。提供对学生探究的见解该项目还打算通过针对研究人员和开发人员的同行评审出版物分享其研究结果，并通过社交媒体向教师和教育工作者提供广泛的专业发展资源和视频演示。以及项目网站。Discovery Research preK-12 计划 (DRK-12) 旨在通过研究和开发创新型产品，显着增强 preK-12 学生和教师对科学、技术、工程和数学 (STEM) 的学习和教学。资源、模型和工具。 DRK-12 计划中的项目以 STEM 教育的基础研究为基础，反映了先前的研究和开发工作，为拟议项目提供了理论和实证依据。该奖项是 NSF 的法定使命，通过使用基金会的智力优点和知识进行评估，被认为值得支持。更广泛的影响审查标准。