Collaborative Research: Remotely Operated Vehicles for Engaging and Retaining STEM Students

这是一个由布里瓦德学院(应获奖-1607952)和双鱼座天文研究所(PARI)(应获奖-1607926)合作的项目。研究人员将围绕主动学习练习和使用技术的实验室，重新设计一所小型文理学院的STEM课程，并将检查对STEM学生参与度和留存率的影响。具体地说，布里瓦德学院每年有400多名学生参加科学入门课程，在北卡罗来纳州西部的皮斯加国家森林探险一块200英亩的土地时，将用传感器控制远程漫游车。利用一系列传感器，如相机、温度计、土壤湿度探测器和地质研究钻机，遥控机器人将探测森林环境。研究溪流池塘水质的潜水器也是机器人小组的一部分。学生们将体验成为研究人员并引导火星车探索的兴奋。他们将学习动植物知识，并培养STEM劳动力所需的21世纪技术技能。通过使用广泛适用的最先进技术，该项目将吸引和激励本科生和教职员工，同时创建一套与同行机构和非正式科学教育中心分享的机构工具。使用漫游车的参与式、体验式方法的整合将创造一个丰富的学习环境，学生将在其中看到科学理论与实践之间的联系。受影响的大学一年级课程包括化学、生物、环境科学、地质学和物理。所有从该学院毕业的学生至少要选修一门理科课程，外加一门数学课程。讲师将把机器人操作、数据收集和数据解释融入这些课程，特别是实验室部分。通过检查机器人技术实施前后学生在STEM的参与率和保留率，调查人员将增进对创新技术对本科STEM教育影响的了解。将收集的森林栖息地数据也将是有价值的。国家森林的一部分栖息地地图可以是一项纵向研究，对环境科学家和生态学家来说很重要。该项目的组成部分将在其他大学和科学教育中心复制和使用，从巴黎政治经济学院开始，那里的教育工作者计划将该项目扩大到暑期和课外项目，特别是SciGirls和北卡罗来纳女孩STEM Collaborative。

This is a collaborative project involving Brevard College (Award DUE-1607952) and the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute (PARI) (Award DUE-1607926). The investigators will redesign "gateway" STEM courses at a small liberal arts college around active-learning exercises and laboratories using technology, and will examine the effects on the engagement and retention of students in STEM. Specifically, over 400 students per year in introductory science classes at Brevard College will control remote rovers with sensors in the exploration of a 200-acre plot in the Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina. Using an array of sensors, such as cameras, thermometers, soil moisture detectors, and a drill for geology studies, the remote-controlled robots will probe the forested environment. A submersible to study the water quality of stream-fed ponds is also part of the robot group. Students will experience the excitement of becoming researchers and guiding the rovers to explore. They will learn about flora and fauna and develop 21st-century technology skills needed in the STEM workforce. By using broadly applicable, state-of-the-art technology, the project will engage and inspire undergraduate students and faculty, while creating a set of institutional tools to share with peer institutions and informal science education centers.The integration of engaging, experiential approaches using the rovers will create a rich learning environment in which students will see the connection between scientific theory and practice. Freshmen-level courses that will be affected include chemistry, biology, environmental science, geology, and physics. All students graduating from the college take at least one of the science courses plus one mathematics course. Instructors will incorporate the robotic manipulation, collection, and interpretation of data into these courses, especially the laboratory portions. By examining the rates of engagement and retention of students in STEM before and after the robotic technology has been implemented, the investigators will advance knowledge about the impact of innovative technology on undergraduate STEM education. The forest habitat data that will be gathered will also be valuable. A habitat map of a section of a national forest, which can be a longitudinal study, is important for environmental scientists and ecologists. Components of the project will be replicated and used at other colleges and science education centers, beginning with PARI, where educators plan to expand the project to summer and after-school programs, especially SciGirls and the North Carolina Girls STEM Collaborative.