Education Research Grant: A Multi-Metric Approach to Assess the Impact of STEM Instructional Multimedia on Undergraduate Teaching and Learning Outcomes

专家预测，在未来十年中，50%的人才培训将通过基于多媒体的教学系统进行。多媒体案例研究已经假设，以帮助发展关键技能，雇主希望毕业生有，以成为良好的应用问题解决者，有效的决策者，熟练的技术分析师和协作的团队成员在现实世界的情况。LITEE小组是NSF赞助的一个项目，在设计用于工程类的高质量多媒体案例研究方面做出了开创性的努力。2003年夏天，国家科学基金会向PI提供赠款，使PI能够在信息技术（IT）教室中调整和实施LITEE多媒体案例研究，从而进一步加强了这些努力的成功。在过去七年，这项合作工作集中在采用多媒体技术用于信息技术教室和传播技术之间的合作大学和跨学科，这一趋势是由多媒体案例研究在教室中的使用越来越多证明。尽管这种增长，评估研究的影响，多媒体案例研究是罕见的，知识的最佳做法，实施技术和学生？学习成果仍然不足。拟议的三年研究和教育计划旨在确定和验证一系列措施，以分析如何通过使用多媒体案例研究来教授和学习现实世界的技术问题，以提高学习成果。计划中的研究将是博士论文的一个组成部分，该论文将由PI共同主持。智力优势：结合多学科团队的两个PI谁是广泛发表在干多媒体技术，以及高级研究员谁是认知和行为科学家/专家，这个项目的一个关键的智力价值是标准化的评估工具电池，以评估教师的影响？教学与学生？高阶认知技能与使用多媒体案例研究。更具体地说，这些评估工具将检查学生是否获得了足够的技能组合，包括提高能力，以识别，整合，评估和相互关联的概念在多媒体案例研究，并执行适当的决定（S）在给定的解决问题的上下文中。评估矩阵还将用于衡量教师和设计师使用它作为学术机构，行业和政府组织的培训形式的好处。更广泛的影响：除了牵头机构，南方大学（SUBR），其他三所合作大学将作为该项目的主要试验台。共有2300名本科工程和IT学生将受到该项目的影响。PI计划实施教师发展计划，培训来自合作大学和会议研讨会的100多名多学科教师。将与LITEE小组合作，在20个将使用LITEE材料的不同机构的工程教室进一步传播这些矩阵。此外，PI？与多媒体教育资源学习和在线教学（MERLOT），一个NSF资助的项目，将提供一个平台，在组织的多个学科社区更多的传播机会。此外，MERLOT在线资源库托管了科学数学工程和技术（SMET）学科的大量高质量同行评审案例研究，预计这项研究的结果将促进这些资源的整合，以支持SMET教育。最后，项目？的发现和最佳实践将通过博士学位进行传播在SUBR科学/数学教育系的论文和教育的SUBR学院的硕士论文。

Experts predict that 50% of personnel training in the coming decade will be delivered via multimedia-based instructional systems. Multimedia case studies have been hypothesized to help develop critical skills that employers expect graduates to have in order to become good applied problem solvers, effective decision makers, proficient technical analysts and collaborative team players in real-world situations. The LITEE group, an NSF-sponsored project, has pioneered efforts in designing quality multimedia case studies for use in engineering classes. Success with these efforts was further enhanced through an NSF grant the PI received in Summer 2003 to adapt and implement LITEE multimedia case studies in information technology (IT) classrooms. In the past seven years, this collaborative effort has concentrated on adopting multimedia technology for use in IT classrooms and diffusing the technology among partnering universities and across various disciplines, a trend that is evidenced by the growing use of multimedia case studies in the classrooms. Notwithstanding this growth, assessment research on the impact of multimedia case studies is rare and knowledge on best practices for implementing the technology and students? learning outcomes are still lacking. The proposed three-year research and education plan aims to identify and validate a battery of measures to analyze how the teaching and learning of real-world technical issues through the use of multimedia case studies can enhance learning outcomes. The planned research will be an integral part of a doctoral dissertation that will be co-chaired by the PIs. Intellectual Merit: Combining the multidisciplinary team of two PIs who are extensively published in STEM multimedia technologies, as well as a Senior Investigator who is a cognitive and behavioral scientist/expert, a key intellectual merit of this project is to standardize a battery of assessment instruments to evaluate the impact of instructors? teaching and students? higher order cognitive skills with use of multimedia case studies. More specifically, these assessment tools will examine whether students acquire an adequate portfolio of skills that include an improved ability to identify, integrate, evaluate, and inter-relate concepts within the multimedia case study and execute the appropriate decision(s) in a given problem-solving context. The assessment matrices will also be used to measure the benefits to instructors and designers using it as a form of training in academic institutions, industries, and government organizations.Broader Impacts: In addition to the lead institution, Southern University (SUBR), three other partnering universities will serve as the primary test-beds on this project. A total of 2300 undergraduate engineering and IT students will be impacted by the project. The PIs plan to implement faculty development programs to train over 100 multidisciplinary faculty members from the partnering university and conference workshops. In collaboration with the LITEE group, the matrices will be further disseminated at engineering classrooms in 20 different institutions where LITEE materials will be implemented. Furthermore, the PIs? strong affiliation with Multimedia Educational Resources for Learning and Online Teaching, (MERLOT) an NSF funded project, will provide a platform for even more dissemination opportunities across multiple discipline communities of the organization. Also, the MERLOT online repository hosts a multitude of high quality peer-reviewed cases studies in the Science Mathematics Engineering and Technology (SMET) disciplines, it is expected that the results from this research will promote the integration of these resources in support of SMET education. Finally, the project?s findings and best practices will be disseminated through a Ph.D. dissertation in the department of science/mathematics education at SUBR and a master thesis in the SUBR College of Education.