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

合作研究：用于吸引和留住 STEM 学生的远程操作车辆

• 批准号: 1607952
• 负责人: Michael Castelaz
• 金额: $ 14.95万
• 依托单位: Brevard College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2017
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2017-06-01 至 2021-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1607952&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Remotely; Operated; Vehicles

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.

这是一个合作项目，涉及布里瓦德学院（奖项DUE-1607952）和皮斯加天文研究所（PARI）（奖项DUE-1607926）。研究人员将在一所小型文理学院围绕使用技术的主动学习练习和实验室重新设计“门户”STEM课程，并将研究对STEM学生参与和保留的影响。具体来说，每年有400多名学生在布里瓦德学院的入门科学课上使用传感器控制遥控漫游车，在北卡罗来纳州西部的皮斯加国家森林中勘探200英亩的土地。使用一系列传感器，如相机，温度计，土壤湿度探测器和地质研究钻头，遥控机器人将探测森林环境。一个用于研究溪流池塘水质的潜水器也是机器人小组的一部分。学生将体验成为研究人员和指导漫游者探索的兴奋。他们将学习有关植物群和动物群，并开发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，同时创建一套机构工具，与同行机构和非正式的科学教育中心分享。使用漫游车的吸引力，体验式方法的整合将创造一个丰富的学习环境，学生将看到科学理论和实践之间的联系。受影响的新生课程包括化学、生物学、环境科学、地质学和物理学。所有从学院毕业的学生都至少参加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。通过研究机器人技术实施前后学生在STEM领域的参与率和保留率，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很有价值。国家森林一部分的栖息地地图，可以是一个纵向研究，对环境科学家和生态学家很重要。该项目的组成部分将在其他学院和科学教育中心复制和使用，从PARI开始，教育工作者计划将该项目扩展到夏季和课后项目，特别是SciGirls和北卡罗来纳州女孩STEM协作。