SBIR Phase I: Teaching Cell Biology with Multimedia Apps that Use Tactile Instruction

该SBIR第一阶段项目旨在开发一系列移动终端（iPad、iPhone、Android设备）应用程序，用于向高中和大学学生教授细胞生物学基础知识。该计划旨在提高学生对科学的兴趣和热情，从而提高学术成就。传统的讲座和教科书不太适合对复杂科学概念进行基于探究的探索，从而使学生的知识支离破碎，对科学的创造性成就、普遍性及其内在逻辑和一致性几乎没有感觉。此外，现有的用于移动的设备的生物教育计算机模拟通过使用其触觉能力来回答多项选择题或选择“下一步”按钮而浪费了平台的功率。拟议的应用程序有效地利用了移动的设备的触觉功能，以促进对所呈现的信息的深入处理，从而将充分利用移动终端平台的能力，以丰富学习体验。这些应用程序将整合指导性动画，真正的互动练习，刺激主动学习，以及内置的评估工具，以提供高保真的指导。通过使用新的触觉学习技术，这些应用程序将提高知识的获得，并超越传统的多媒体教学。这些努力的更广泛/商业影响是帮助提高美国学生对科学的兴趣和成就，这对于美国保持以科学为基础的创新经济的全球领导者至关重要。根据美国国家科学委员会的数据，2009年，美国大多数4年级、8年级和12年级的学生都不精通他们所在年级的知识和技能。尽管2009年美国15岁青少年的平均科学素养得分比2006年略有提高，但美国的得分低于参与评估的其他33个经合组织（OECD）国家中的12个。此外，美国在2008年的毕业率为77%，在25个有毕业率数据的经合组织国家中排名第18位。这些学习不足延伸到大学及以后，这将影响美国强大的生命科学产业的未来。此外，了解细胞生物学对一般人群很重要，因为熟悉细胞生物学并了解该领域的进展将如何影响健康，个人和社会问题对健康素养越来越重要。

This SBIR Phase I project proposes to develop a series of mobile device (iPad, iPhone, Android device) Apps targeted at teaching fundamentals of cell biology to high school and college level students. The program will be designed to increase student interest and enthusiasm for science, with a resulting increase in academic achievement. Traditional lectures and textbooks are poorly suited for inquiry-based exploration of complex science concepts and thus leave students with a fragmented knowledge and little sense of the creative achievements of science, its universality, and its inherent logic and consistency. Furthermore, existing biology education computer simulations for mobile devices waste the power of the platform by using its tactile capabilities to answer multiple choice questions or select a "next" button. The proposed apps effectively utilize the tactile capabilities of mobile devices to facilitate in-depth processing of the information being presented and thus will fully utilize the power of the mobile device platform to enrich the learning experience. The apps will integrate instructive animations, truly interactive exercises that stimulate active learning, and built-in assessment tools to provide high fidelity instruction. By utilizing novel tactile learning techniques, the apps will enhance knowledge gain and move beyond traditional multimedia instruction.The broader/commercial impact of these efforts is to help increase U.S. student interest and achievement in science, which is essential if the U.S. is to remain a global leader in the science-based innovation economy. According to the National Science Board, large majorities of 4th, 8th and 12th graders were not proficient in the knowledge and skills taught at their grade level in the U.S. in 2009. And while the average science literacy score of U.S. 15-year-olds improved slightly in 2009 from 2006, the U.S. score was lower than the score of 12 out of 33 other OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) nations participating in the assessment. Furthermore, the U.S. had a 77% graduation rate in 2008, earning a rank of 18 out of 25 OECD countries for which graduation rate data were available. These learning deficiencies extend into college and beyond, which will impact the future of the robust U.S. life science-based industry. Additionally, an understanding of cell biology is important to the general population because familiarity with cell biology and an understanding of how advances in this field will affect health, personal and societal issues is becoming increasingly important to health literacy.