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

这是一个由布里瓦德学院（奖励DUE-1607952）和皮斯加天文研究所（奖励DUE-1607926）参与的合作项目。调查人员将在一所小型文理学院重新设计“门户”STEM课程，围绕主动学习练习和使用技术的实验室，并将研究对学生参与和保留STEM的影响。具体来说，每年有400多名布里瓦德学院（Brevard College）科学入门课程的学生将控制带有传感器的远程探测车，在北卡罗来纳州西部的皮斯加国家森林（Pisgah National Forest）探索200英亩的土地。使用一系列传感器，如照相机、温度计、土壤湿度探测器和用于地质研究的钻头，远程控制的机器人将探测森林环境。研究流水池塘水质的潜水器也是机器人小组的一部分。学生们将体验到成为研究人员和指导漫游者探索的兴奋。他们将了解动植物，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、最先进的技术，该项目将吸引和激励本科生和教师，同时创建一套与同行机构和非正式科学教育中心共享的机构工具。利用探测车将参与、体验的方法整合在一起，将创造一个丰富的学习环境，让学生看到科学理论与实践之间的联系。受影响的大一新生课程包括化学、生物、环境科学、地质学和物理学。所有从这所大学毕业的学生都至少修了一门科学课程和一门数学课程。教师将把机器人操作、收集和解释数据纳入这些课程，特别是实验室部分。通过检查机器人技术实施前后学生对STEM的参与度和保留率，研究人员将进一步了解创新技术对本科STEM教育的影响。将收集的森林生境数据也将是有价值的。对于环境科学家和生态学家来说，一个国家森林区域的栖息地地图是很重要的，它可以是一个纵向研究。该项目的组成部分将被复制并在其他大学和科学教育中心使用，首先是PARI，那里的教育工作者计划将该项目扩展到暑期和课后项目，特别是SciGirls和北卡罗来纳女孩STEM合作项目。

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.