C3PO: Customizable Computer Coaches for Physics Online

在这个项目中，研究人员通过开发一个基于网络的辅导系统，解决了为入门物理学生提供有效的问题解决指导的需要。这个系统在帮助学生成为更好的问题解决者以及被教授范围广泛的学生的教师所适应的潜力方面超越了目前可用的教育工具。对于那些标准指导不足的学生来说，这可能非常重要。由于教练员提供了可重复性的细粒度问题解决教学，因此，无论这种教学是否基于计算机，所提出的工作都可以为如何设计有效的问题解决教学提供知识库。该系统被称为可定制的在线物理计算机教练(C3PO)，其主要功能是(1)在学生练习解决问题时，为学生提供关于可概括的非线性决策过程的指导，这些过程对于专家式的问题解决至关重要，以及(2)为教师提供定制问题、指导和给学生的反馈的能力。调查人员将与来自不同专上院校的五名物理教师合作，开发C3PO教练并修改底层软件。讲师将与项目团队合作，建立教练并将系统集成到他们自己的班级中，同时收集数据以评估教练的可行性、可用性、有用性和潜在的教育影响。然后，这些数据将被用于开发和准备C3PO系统，以便在不断改进的循环中进行大规模传播。由于以系统方式处理新问题的逻辑专家式框架对所有科学、技术和经济领域都很重要，因此该项目有助于培养一支准备充分的未来科学、技术和经济工作队伍。它有可能在其他STEM领域和跨多个学科产生类似的努力。

In this project the investigators address the need to provide introductory physics students with effective problem-solving instruction by developing a web-based coaching system. This system goes beyond currently available educational tools in its potential to help students become better problem solvers as well as to be adapted by instructors teaching a wide range of students. This could be very significant for students for whom standard instruction is insufficient. Because of the reproducible fine-grained problem-solving instruction delivered by the coaches, the proposed work can contribute to the knowledge base on how to design effective problem-solving instruction, whether or not this instruction is computer-based. The key features of the system, called Customizable Computer Coaches for Physics Online (C3PO), are that they (1) provide students with coaching on the generalizable non-linear decision-making processes that are critical to expert-like problem-solving while the students practice solving problems, and (2) provide instructors with the ability to customize the problems, guidance, and feedback given to students. The investigators will collaborate with five physics instructors from diverse post-secondary institutions to develop C3PO coaches and revise the underlying software. The instructors will work with the project team, building coaches and integrating the system into their own classes, while gathering data to assess the feasibility, usability, usefulness, and potential educational impact of the coaches. This data will then be used to develop and prepare the C3PO system for large-scale dissemination in a continuous cycle of improvement. Since a logical expert-like framework for approaching novel problems in a systematic way, is important to all STEM fields, this project contributes to the development of a well-prepared STEM workforce of the future. It has the potential to spawn similar efforts in other STEM fields and across multiple disciplines.