SBIR Phase I: Screencasting as a Means to Enable, Develop, and Document Student Proficiency with Science and Engineering Practices

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This SBIR Phase I project proposes to design and develop an educational, curriculum-agnostic student-based screencasting software tool integrated with teacher assessment to support improved student mastery of complex STEM concepts. Though the tool has potential for use in all grade levels, but middle school (when students tend to lose interest in STEM subjects) is critical for demonstrating Phase I feasibility, to prove that the instructional screencasting components function independently, can be integrated to be used as a student- and inquiry-based instructional tool in the classroom setting while integrating a teacher's student-assessment component. Current screencast platforms are limited to stand-alone online tutorials or screen captures that are presented in lecture format from a teacher perspective. These devices do not support the synergistic action of student-created screencasts with formative teacher assessment. The Intellectual Merit of this tool implemented in educational settings is to promote learner-centered mastery of science concepts, as students actively prepare, edit and submit screencasts, gather and synthesize information, and integrate knowledge with critical thinking skills. This screencasting tool is expected to enhance comprehension, reading/writing skills, and inquiry behavior for STEM activities, while enabling teachers to effectively track student progress and provide assessment feedback on student screencasts. The broader/commercial impact for the screencasting tool includes significant benefits for currently underrepresented and disadvantaged groups, because the Phase I/II design and development includes features such as text-to-speech, closed captioning, image tags, screen magnification, onscreen help, online documentation, voice commands, and screen reader. The tool will provide adaptive support to all students, including students who are struggling to read, write, or think about complex science concepts. Its curricular design flexibility (adaptable to any paper- or electronic-based curriculum) increases its benefit to an educational system burdened with balancing increasing costs and decreasing budgets. Implementation of the Common Core Standards, currently adopted by 45 states, will place an even greater burden on school districts to meet the requirements for greater levels of critical thinking and reasoning activities for students within highly interactive learning environments. This new software is expected to gain significant market share in the K-12 educational learning/assessment market, with strong potential for the company to partner with one of the large three educational companies that together control over 60% of this market. A strong market growth rate of 8% through 2010 demonstrates that school districts are motivated to acquire effective technology tools to help them meet annual performance targets.