Virtual Environment Interactions: Exploring Grounded Embodied Pedagogy in Support of Computational Thinking

INSPIRE奖的部分资金来自计算机与信息科学与工程系（CISE）计算机与网络系统部的CE21项目、CISE信息与智能系统部的网络学习项目，以及教育与人力资源部（EHR）正式和非正式环境学习研究部（DRL）的发现研究K-12项目。克莱姆森大学将设计、开发和评估一个虚拟环境和相关课程，将运动和计算机编程结合起来，作为一种新颖而具体化的方式，吸引五年级和六年级的女孩进行计算思维。本研究将测试女孩为虚拟角色创造互动动作并使用他们的身体来思考角色的驱动应该引导他们的直觉知识，以学习计算概念，利用计算实践，并发展计算视角的假设。项目人员将1)开发一个基于桌面的虚拟环境，在这个环境中，学生必须对一个三维的角色进行编程，他们以后可以与这个角色进行交互（这个环境建立在以前成功的类似编程环境的基础上，但将利用接地的具体化教学策略）；2)进行迭代设计实验，回答一系列研究问题（以体现为中心的课程如何支持计算思维的发展？）以实践为中心的课程如何支持对STEM领域的兴趣？)；3)利用这些实验的结果，迭代地完善虚拟环境和课程材料。

This INSPIRE award is partially funded by the CE21 Program in the Division of Computer & Network Systems in the Directorate for Computer & Information Science & engineering (CISE), the Cyberlearning Program in the Division of Information & Intelligent Systems in the CISE Directorate, and the Discovery Research K-12 Program in the Division of Research on Learning in Formal and Informal Settings (DRL) in the Directorate for Education & Human Resources (EHR). Clemson University will design, develop, and evaluate a virtual environment and associated curriculum for blending movement and computer programming as a novel and embodied way to engage 5th- and 6th-grade girls with computational thinking. This research will test the hypothesis that girls creating interactive movement for their virtual characters and using their bodies to think through the actuation of the characters should bootstrap their intuitive knowledge in order to learn computational concepts, utilize computational practices, and develop computational perspectives. The project staff will 1) develop a desktop-based virtual environment in which students must program a 3-dimensional character with which they can later interact (this environment builds on previous successes of similar programming environments, but will utilize grounded embodied pedagogical strategies); 2) conduct iterative design experiments to answer a set of research questions (how does an embodiment-centered curriculum support the development of computational thinking? how does an embodiment-centered curriculum support interest in STEM fields?); and 3) capitalize on the results of these experiments to iteratively refine the virtual environment and curricular materials.