SBIR Phase I: Learning from nature - Marine educational games that assess scientific knowledge transfer through game play

这个SBIR第一阶段项目将创建一个引人入胜的在线学习游戏，使用有毒的海洋蜗牛作为管道，通过创造性的解决问题来探索自然界的科学问题。美国目前在科学、技术、工程和数学（STEM）教育方面排名世界第52位。这对美国社会的未来在智力和经济上都是有害的。最近的研究表明，提高学生学习能力的不是我们教什么，而是我们如何教，特别是在STEM方面。一个强有力的理由是使用学习游戏来传达教育内容。该项目的研究目标是了解儿童如何学习特定的科学内容，以及为什么某些游戏元素更适合传达科学材料。该项目的成果将是一个适当的数字学习游戏，包括一个独特的家长/玩家评估工具，用于在游戏过程中测量新的STEM内容，并为学习者提供参与正在进行的科学研究（“公民科学”）的机会。该项目中创建的产品的商业化将改变掠夺性海洋蜗牛研究中的科学发现，以实现社会和经济效益，以满足NSF支持改善美国公民生活的教育计划的使命，并通过雇用软件设计师为税收和就业创造收入，该项目将在网络游戏中建立专有的评估工具，使用户不断参与科学发现和科学学习应用的科学过程，父数据聚合器仪表板。我们创造性的双面玩家/家长仪表板将允许玩家衡量他们的进步并获得独特的教育奖励，例如解锁新的游戏组件，并确定当地的公民科学项目，以加强他们的STEM学习。该项目的目标是打破STEM学习的现状，并通过结合游戏，内容学习和评估工具来开发高质量，创造性的科学学习游戏，以满足STEM学习市场的需求。一个由三部分组成的游戏-中断-修复策略将用于设计和开发所有游戏：1。迭代原型设计，以产生新的想法和整合任何现有的内容。2.重复评估，以测试演示的可用性和创建的学习游戏和家长/玩家仪表板概念的初步可行性。3.对本项目的产品进行商业化测试，这些产品是构建和分析模型的最佳产品。在这个项目中开发的家长/玩家评估仪表板将提供一个模板，进一步促进家长参与儿童的学习，以显着提高STEM知识，并将参与公民科学的经验，将加强他们的连接到STEM学习的玩家。

This SBIR Phase 1 project will create an engaging online learning game using venomous marine snails as a conduit to explore scientific issues in nature through creative problem solving. The USA is currently ranked 52nd in the world in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. This is detrimental intellectually and economically to the future of American society. Recent studies have indicated it is not what we teach, but how we teach that enhances student-learning abilities, particularly as it pertains to STEM. A strong case is being made for using learning games to convey educational content. This project is driven by the research objectives to understand how children learn specific science content and why certain game elements are better suited to convey scientific material. The outcome of this project will be a propriety digital learning game including a unique parent/player assessment tool used to measure novel STEM content during game playing and extending opportunities for learners to engage in ongoing scientific research ("citizen science"). Commercialization of the products created in this project will transform scientific discoveries in predatory marine snail research for social and economic benefit to meet the NSF's mission of supporting education initiatives that improve the lives of U.S. Citizens, and generate income for tax revenue and jobs via the employment of software designers, educators and scientists.This project will build proprietary assessment tools into online games that continuously engage users in the scientific process of discovery and application of science learning using a novel player/parent data aggregator dashboard. Our inventive two-sided player/parent dashboard will allow players to measure their progress and attain unique, educational rewards such as unlocking new game components, and identifying local citizen science projects to enhance their STEM learning. The goal of this project is to disrupt the status quo of STEM learning and address STEM learning market needs by combining gameplay, content learning, and assessment tools to develop high-quality, creative, science learning games. A three-component Play-Break-Fix strategy will be used to design and develop all games: 1. Iterative prototyping to generate novel ideas and integrate any existing content. 2. Repetitive evaluation to test the usability of demos and the initial feasibility of the learning games created and parent/player dashboard concept. 3. Commercialization testing of the products from this project that are the best of the build and analyze model. The parent/player assessment dashboard developed in this project will provide a template for furthering parental engagement with children's learning to significantly improve STEM knowledge and will engage players in citizen science experiences that will strengthen their connection to STEM learning.