SBIR Phase I: Scalable Game Design: Broadening Computer Science Participation with Low-Threshold, High-Ceiling Design Environments

SBIR 第一阶段：可扩展的游戏设计：通过低门槛、高天花板的设计环境扩大计算机科学的参与

• 批准号: 0712571
• 负责人: Alexander Repenning
• 金额: $ 10万
• 依托单位: AGENTSHEETS INC
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2007
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2007-07-01 至 2007-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0712571&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; Scalable; Game; Design

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research project will develop a scalable game design environment, including curriculum, with the goal of increasing the participation of students in K-12 computer science education. Partially due to exaggerated fears of job outsourcing, enrollment in University-level computer science programs is dropping at an alarming rate. Another, more fundamental problem is a broken pipeline effect in which K-12 students simply fail to get interested in computer science courses. Advanced placement courses offer a methodical introduction to computer science, but their focus on abstract programming and the lack of motivating applications has resulted in dwindling participation. Multimedia courses are popular, but often are little more than advanced PowerPoint tutorials. Game design, when done in a scalable way, can provide an ideal balance between motivational and academic concerns of computer science. Game design can also be matched to the existing Fluency with Information Technology framework recommended by the National Academies of Sciences. The proposed research will explore scalable design by building a low-threshold, high-ceiling design environment based on Incremental 3D model creation and programming. The research will incorporate this environment into a scalable design curriculum. This scalable design should provide an attractive route to the effective design, development and deployment of an exceptionally large spectrum of games ranging from simple 2D Frogger-type games to 3D Sims-type games.The proposed technology should dramatically increase the number of K-12 students interested in computer science, which in turn will result in larger enrollment in computer science at the university level. Without stronger computer science enrollments the US cannot maintain an internationally competitive IT workforce. A less abstract programming, more design-based IT curriculum should also increase the participation of women and minorities. Further, the resulting general environment can be employed as a simulation-authoring tool for computational science and, through Web integration (e.g. with Google Earth), as computational cyberinfrastructure. The user audience will include K-12 students, university students, scientists, engineers and members of the general public interested in computational 3D applications. The commercialization pathway utilizes a novel business model based on offering the technology as a consumer tool that will be free for K-12 but sold as a special take-home deal to students interested in using the technology at home. Additional revenue will be created through product support such as game design workshops and curriculum development. The open nature of the tool will permit the development of extensions such as plug-ins, as well as integration with existing rich-media technology such as a 3D modeler.

这项小型企业创新研究（SBIR）I阶段研究项目将开发一个可扩展的游戏设计环境，包括课程，目的是增加学生参与K-12计算机科学教育。部分原因是对工作外包的恐惧，大学级计算机科学计划的入学率正在以惊人的速度下降。另一个更根本的问题是管道损失的效果，其中K-12学生根本无法对计算机科学课程感兴趣。高级安排课程为计算机科学提供了有条不紊的介绍，但是他们对抽象编程和缺乏激励应用程序的关注导致参与减少。多媒体课程很受欢迎，但通常只是高级PowerPoint教程。游戏设计以可扩展的方式完成，可以在计算机科学的动机和学术问题之间提供理想的平衡。游戏设计也可以与现有的流利度与美国国家科学学院推荐的信息技术框架相匹配。拟议的研究将通过建立基于增量3D模型创建和编程的低阈值，高天花板设计环境来探索可扩展设计。这项研究将将这种环境纳入可扩展的设计课程中。这种可扩展的设计应为有效的设计，开发和部署提供一种有吸引力的途径，从简单的2D Frogger型游戏到3D SIMS型游戏，范围很大。拟议的技术应大大增加对计算机科学感兴趣的K-12学生的数量，这反过来又导致在大学级别的计算机科学上的较大的计算机上的投入。没有更强大的计算机科学入学率，美国将无法维持国际竞争激烈的IT劳动力。一个不那么抽象的编程，基于设计的IT课程也应增加妇女和少数群体的参与。此外，由此产生的一般环境可以用作计算科学的模拟创建工具，并通过Web集成（例如与Google Earth）作为计算网络基础结构。用户受众将包括K-12学生，大学生，科学家，工程师和对计算3D应用程序感兴趣的公众。商业化途径利用了一种新颖的业务模型，基于将技术作为一种消费工具，可用于K-12，但作为特殊的带回家交易出售给有兴趣在家中使用该技术的学生。将通过产品支持（例如游戏设计研讨会和课程开发）创造额外的收入。该工具的开放性质将允许开发诸如插件之类的扩展名，以及与现有的Rich-Media技术（例如3D Modeler）的集成。