PFI:AIR - TT: Dibble: A Cost-Effective Tool for Broadening Participation in STEM Thinking

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This PFI: AIR Technology Translation project focuses on translating knowledge about science learning and innovative technologies into a tool for supporting scientific literacy growth in youth. The project will create "Dibble," an innovative learning platform and mobile app that engages learners in the processes of scientific investigation (e.g., posing questions, exploring resources, collecting evidence to address questions, and making conclusions based on evidence). Dibble is grounded in the philosophy that scientific thinking, problem solving, and use of evidence are critical for our country's economic success and for our citizens to live healthy, participatory, and successful lives. Dibble will engage users in the scientific process at multiple entry points, allowing participation through asking questions, collecting data, visualizing data, interpreting data, and soliciting ideas and feedback from peers, educators, and content experts. This project will take on key challenges related to sustaining user engagement; effectively supporting learners' creation and interpretation of shared data products; and identifying and creating intuitive and usable design features in learning environments. Dibble will seek the right balance between user-directed navigation- to ensure users are motivated and confident in their activity- and built-in features to guide and support engagement to support Dibble's underlying purpose of participation in scientific practices. As part of this development process, graduate students who are participating in the myCHOICE program at the University of Chicago will have opportunities to learn about and gain experience in the science education activities of this project, in order to learn about education as an alternative career to academic research. The key technical partner for this project is ForAll Systems, a Chicago-based educational software development company. The primary educational partner is the Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum that hosts the educational programs for teens where Dibble will first be tested.