STTR Phase I: Digital Immersive Gaming Infrastructure for Innovating Undergraduate STEM Courses via an Immersive Game-Based Approach to Teaching and Learning

STTR第一阶段项目的更广泛的商业影响是产生一个可复制的教育平台，可以应用于许多类型的高等教育课程。最初的商业化将集中在信息系统/信息技术课程上，因为这是所有主要大学和学院教授的内容领域，通常是在多个系。该项目旨在提高学生的兴趣、参与度、知识保留和内容掌握，特别是针对具有不同教育需求的学生。这项创新将导致人们对STEM相关职业的追求增加，以及更多懂STEM的人进入劳动力大军。高等教育市场正在演变，促使高等教育机构寻求新的模式来吸引学生进入STEM并将他们留在STEM。随着传统纸质教科书的消失，它们开始寻求购买/获取课程内容的新商业模式。学生们希望接受的教育不仅能让他们为竞争激烈的就业市场做好准备，而且对他们的生活也有意义。出版商正在寻找新的方法，使他们能够在一个日益分散的市场中保持相关性。整个市场对分析感兴趣，该项目提供了一个满足所有三个利益相关者需求的平台。该项目建议设计和开发一个使用视频游戏和故事的STEM课程的模型和内容创作/交付平台。该项目提供体验式学习，通过为学生提供新的学习资源和为教师提供课堂管理工具，增加传统大型课堂的互动性和相关性。具体地说，该项目将：1)使用家庭和实验室环境中访问的视频游戏，为大学课程提供总体框架；2)嵌入有意义的故事和案例研究，为学生提供个人反思和小组工作的背景，以及奠定核心概念；3)提供反映总体游戏、内容和故事的实验室和家庭作业活动；4)提供教师支持材料和管理工具；5)构建分析工具，供教师、作者和出版商使用。在第一阶段，将开发一个原型模块。随着传统教科书的消失，出版商和教职员工正在寻找新的平台，将教室转变为互动的、适应性强的学习环境。该项目将平板电脑/智能手机、协作/社交媒体工具和视频游戏等普及技术与有效的以问题为中心的教学方法相结合。

This STTR Phase I project's broader/commercial impact is to produce a replicable education platform that can be applied to many types of higher education courses. The initial commercialization will focus on information systems/information technology courses because it is a content area taught in all major universities and colleges, often in multiple departments. The project is to be designed to increase student interest, engagement, knowledge retention, and content mastery, particularly for students with diverse educational needs. The innovation will lead to increased pursuit of STEM-related careers, as well as a larger number of STEM-literate individuals entering the workforce. The higher education market is evolving, leading institutions of higher education to seek new models to attract students to and retain them in STEM. As traditional print textbooks disappear, they seek new business models for the purchase/acquisition of course content. Students desire education that not only prepares them for a competitive job market but is also meaningful to their lives. Publishers are seeking new approaches that enable them to stay relevant in an increasingly fragmented market. The overall market is interested in analytics and this project provides a platform addressing the needs of all three stakeholders.The project proposes to design and develop a model and content authoring/delivery platform for STEM courses using video games and stories. The project provides experiential learning to increase interactivity and relevance of traditional large lecture classes by providing novel learning resources for students and classroom management tools for faculty. Specifically, the project will: 1) use a video game, accessed both at home and in lab environments, to provide the overarching framework for a college course; 2) embed meaningful stories and case studies, providing students with context for personal reflection and group work, as well as to ground core concepts; 3) provide lab and homework activities reflecting the overarching game, content, and stories; 4) provide instructor support materials and management tools; and 5) construct analytic tools for use by faculty, authors, and publishers. In Phase I, a prototype module will be developed. As traditional textbooks disappear; publishers and faculty are seeking new platforms to transform classrooms into interactive, adaptive learning environments. This project integrates pervasive technologies such as tablet computers/smartphones, collaboration/social media tools, and video games with effective problem-centered teaching methods.