SBIR Phase II: A Serious Game for Job Skills

SBIR 第二阶段：一场关于工作技能的严肃游戏

• 批准号: 1660018
• 负责人: Marc Zimmerman
• 金额: $ 74.68万
• 依托单位: The Language Express, Inc
• 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: 2017-03-15 至 2019-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1660018&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: SBIR; Phase; II; Serious; Game

This SBIR Phase II Project will systematically develop, test, and revise a video game. Emerging technologies, such as educational videogames, have the potential to increase the accessibility of learning materials, promote readiness and knowledge of employment options, and improve students' attitudes toward full-time employment. Unfortunately, the lack of an accessible, coherent career planning system in the United States has left many high school students unprepared to meet the rigorous demands associated with being college and career ready. This project will teach critical life, social, and academic skills related to a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). This project is designed to enhance student learning, reduce school costs, and increase the efficacy of transition plans, which are mandated for every student with a disability under Federal law. The game aligns with Common Core Standards and the Universal Design for Learning framework. While this project will be designed for students with disabilities, it is assumed the highly accessible career preparation software will also meet a critical need for other students at risk of learning failure or students without disabilities. This project is a critical component of a comprehensive product line that will provide adolescents with virtual career training. During the project, participants will experience mini-games related to their daily living skills, a "day in the life" of a person in a STEM career, and social skills that those allow individuals to interpret different cultures in a STEM environment. A virtual mentor coaches the student to make choices that will lead to career advancement and explains the hierarchy of jobs within the chosen career. The virtual mentor also provides financial advice throughout the daily living games, modeling exemplary fiscal management and reinforcing decisions that have a high likelihood of leading to financial stability. The project team will build, test, analyze, and revise the mini-games and then compile the revisions into a beta version of the game. Initial friends and family tests of the alpha builds will include qualitative evaluation using observations and interviews. This will be followed with beta testing in public schools using a mixed methods design. Beta testing will include students with and without disabilities in grades six through nine, special education and general education teachers, counselors and parents.

这个SBIR II期项目将系统地开发，测试和修改视频游戏。新兴技术（例如教育电子游戏）有可能提高学习材料的可及性，促进就业选择和知识的知识，并提高学生对全职工作的态度。不幸的是，美国缺乏可访问的，连贯的职业计划系统，使许多高中生没有准备好满足与大学和职业相关的严格要求。该项目将教授与科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）职业有关的关键生活，社会和学术技能。该项目旨在增强学生学习，降低学校成本并提高过渡计划的疗效，这是根据联邦法律下的每个残疾学生要求的。该游戏符合通用核心标准和学习框架的通用设计。虽然该项目将是为残疾学生设计的，但假定高度可访问的职业准备软件还将满足其他有学习失败风险或没有残疾学生的学生的迫切需求。该项目是综合产品线的关键组成部分，该产品线将为青少年提供虚拟职业培训。在项目期间，参与者将体验与他们的日常生活技能相关的迷你游戏，在STEM职业中的“人生”和社交技能，这些人可以使个人在STEM环境中解释不同的文化。一位虚拟导师指导学生做出选择，这将导致职业发展，并解释所选职业内工作的等级制度。虚拟导师还提供了整个日常生活游戏的财务建议，对示例性财政管理进行建模，并加强了具有很有可能导致财务稳定性的决策。项目团队将构建，测试，分析和修改迷你游戏，然后将修订汇编为游戏的Beta版本。对Alpha构建的最初朋友和家庭测试将包括使用观察和访谈的定性评估。随后将使用混合方法设计在公立学校进行Beta测试。 Beta测试将包括六年级至九年级的残疾学生，特殊教育和普通教育老师，辅导员和父母。