Integrating Computational Thinking in Ecosystem Science Education via Modeling in Immersive Virtual Worlds

通过沉浸式虚拟世界中的建模将计算思维融入生态系统科学教育

• 批准号: 1639545
• 负责人: Christopher Dede
• 金额: $ 244.29万
• 依托单位: Harvard University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-09-15 至 2021-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1639545&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Integrating; Computational; Thinking; Ecosystem; Science

Research has revealed that young students can reason and understand complex science concepts and can engage at relatively sophisticated levels in computer programming. Developing scientific and computational understanding depends upon a strong foundation in elementary school, thus, this project will introduce third grade students to computational thinking (abstraction, data representation, and algorithms), computer modeling, and environmental systems thinking through an interdisciplinary, virtual reality curriculum on ecosystems. The curriculum will scaffold student understanding of computational modeling as a core practice used to explore and understand ecosystem interactions, such as the interconnection of habitats within an ecosystem and species survival. Integrating computer modeling in the elementary science curriculum advances important 21st century learning goals regarding computational thinking within disciplinary contexts. The design-based research will investigate the seamless integration of life science, mathematics, and computing to improve both student learning and teaching and will contribute substantially to advancing elementary science, technology, mathematics, and computing education that will reveal important aspects of children's understanding of complex environmental and computational thinking concepts. This project is funded by the STEM+Computing Partnership (STEM+C) program that seeks to advance multidisciplinary integration of computing and computational thinking in STEM teaching and learning through applied research and development across one or more domains; advancement of computing in K-12; and broadening participation in computing fields. Investments are made in critical areas of pedagogy, pre-service education, and in-service teacher professional development. The project will use design-based research to combine an immersive virtual environment with hands-on interactive modeling through a scaffolded computational interface that will connect visual models to dynamic representations of ecosystem interactions in a simulated forest setting. The curriculum will provide a supported, object-oriented programming environment (similar to Scratch and StarLogo NOVA) with a simple, scaffolded block interface customized to focus on ecosystems modeling, and designed specifically for younger children. The learning goals related to the study of habitats and food webs are taught using a systems perspective, shifting the instructional focus from comprehension of static representations to consequential student interaction with dynamic computational models. The project will investigate which approaches to abstraction and representation offer the best scaffolding to young students and to what extent students are able to construct, modify, and interpret computational models of ecological concepts; to what extent do students show gains in understanding of causal dynamics in ecosystem science; and how teachers can best incorporate an interdisciplinary science and computing curricula in their practice. Project outcomes will inform how to best integrate science content, science inquiry, computational modeling processes, and computational thinking, which are core objectives of the STEM+Computing program.

研究表明，年轻学生能够推理和理解复杂的科学概念，并且能够以相对复杂的水平参与计算机编程。科学和计算理解的发展取决于小学的坚实基础，因此，该项目将通过生态系统的跨学科虚拟现实课程向三年级学生介绍计算思维（抽象、数据表示和算法）、计算机建模和环境系统思维。该课程将帮助学生理解计算模型作为用于探索和理解生态系统相互作用的核心实践，例如生态系统内栖息地的相互联系和物种生存。将计算机建模融入基础科学课程可推进 21 世纪学科背景下计算思维的重要学习目标。基于设计的研究将调查生命科学、数学和计算的无缝集成，以改善学生的学习和教学，并将为推进基础科学、技术、数学和计算教育做出重大贡献，从而揭示儿童对复杂环境和计算思维概念的理解的重要方面。该项目由 STEM+Computing Partnership (STEM+C) 计划资助，旨在通过跨一个或多个领域的应用研究和开发，促进 STEM 教学和学习中计算和计算思维的多学科整合； K-12 计算的进步；并扩大对计算领域的参与。对教育学、职前教育和在职教师专业发展等关键领域进行投资。 该项目将利用基于设计的研究，通过脚手架计算界面将沉浸式虚拟环境与动手交互建模相结合，该界面将视觉模型与模拟森林环境中生态系统相互作用的动态表示连接起来。该课程将提供一个受支持的、面向对象的编程环境（类似于 Scratch 和 StarLogo NOVA），具有一个简单的支架式块界面，该界面经过定制，专注于生态系统建模，并专为年幼的孩子设计。与栖息地和食物网研究相关的学习目标是使用系统视角来教授的，将教学重点从静态表示的理解转移到学生与动态计算模型的相应交互。该项目将调查哪些抽象和表示方法为年轻学生提供最好的脚手架，以及学生能够在多大程度上构建、修改和解释生态概念的计算模型；学生对生态系统科学因果动力学的理解在多大程度上取得了进展；以及教师如何最好地将跨学科的科学和计算课程融入到他们的实践中。项目成果将告知如何最好地整合科学内容、科学探究、计算建模过程和计算思维，这是 STEM+计算项目的核心目标。

项目成果

Impact of blended immersive virtual world and programming curriculum on student perspectives about scientific modeling

混合沉浸式虚拟世界和编程课程对学生科学建模观点的影响

• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: Annual meeting program American Educational Research Association
• 作者: Kamarainen, A;Metcalf, S;Dickes, A;Gun-Yildiz, S;Brennan, K;Grotzer, T;Dede, C
• 通讯作者: Dede, C

Impact of a Blended Immersive and Computational Modeling Tool on Elementary Ecosystems Science Learning

混合沉浸式和计算建模工具对基础生态系统科学学习的影响

• 发表时间: 2020
• 期刊: Annual meeting program American Educational Research Association
• 作者: Metcalf, S.J.;Dickes, A.C.;Reilly, J.M.;Kamarainen, A.M.;Brennan, K.A.;Grotzer, T.A.;Dede, C.J.
• 通讯作者: Dede, C.J.

Assessing computational thinking through the lenses of functionality and computational fluency

从功能性和计算流畅性的角度评估计算思维

• DOI: 10.1080/08993408.2020.1866932
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: Computer Science Education
• 影响因子: 2.7
• 作者: Metcalf, Shari J.;Reilly, Joseph M.;Jeon, Soobin;Wang, Annie;Pyers, Allyson;Brennan, Karen;Dede, Chris
• 通讯作者: Dede, Chris

Scaffolding ecosystems science practice by blending immersive environments and computational modeling

通过融合沉浸式环境和计算建模来搭建生态系统科学实践

• DOI: 10.1111/bjet.12806
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: British Journal of Educational Technology
• 影响因子: 6.6
• 作者: Dickes, Amanda C.;Kamarainen, Amy;Metcalf, Shari J.;Gün‐Yildiz, Semiha;Brennan, Karen;Grotzer, Tina;Dede, Chris
• 通讯作者: Dede, Chris