Using Bricklayer Coding and Visual Art to Engage Students in Learning Mathematics

使用瓦工编码和视觉艺术来吸引学生学习数学

• 批准号: 1712080
• 负责人: Michelle Friend
• 金额: $ 29.94万
• 依托单位: University of Nebraska at Omaha
• 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: 2017-09-01 至 2021-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1712080&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Using; Bricklayer; Coding; Visual; Art

Among the challenges facing undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education today, the instruction of mathematics is of special concern. Mathematics is often at the foundation of learning other STEM disciplines, yet introductory undergraduate mathematics courses tend to have high failure rates and present a barrier to success for many students, particularly for those from economically disadvantaged groups. Lack of interest and loss of self-confidence in mathematics is common among students. This project seeks to address these challenges by exploiting the close relationship between mathematical thinking and computational thinking. Computational thinking skills, such as breaking down problems into manageable parts, recognizing patterns, and developing step-by-step solution processes that can be programmed for a computer, are increasingly viewed as fundamental skills in the technology-driven world of the twenty-first century. In this Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Exploration & Design (IUSE E&D) project, researchers will design, implement, and assess a new interdisciplinary general-education course at the University of Nebraska a Omaha (UNO) that uses the visual arts to motivate students to develop mathematical and computational thinking skills. The course will be based on Bricklayer, an open-source educational ecosystem in which students learn to write programs that create two- and three-dimensional LEGO, Minecraft, and 3D-printed artifacts. Many such artifacts are based on mathematical patterns that the students themselves discover. In this inquiry-based learning environment, mathematical thinking is a means to an end rather than an end unto itself. It is expected that a positive experience in this gateway course will lead to more positive perceptions not only of mathematics, but also of computing and other STEM disciplines.The project's key research objective is to investigate the educational impact of the new course in terms of students' interest and engagement in mathematics and other STEM disciplines while ensuring continued high standards of learning. Specifically, the research team will investigate the following research questions: (1) Do students express more interest in mathematics and STEM after participating in the new course? (2) Do students who take the new course plan to continue participating in STEM by taking further STEM courses? (3) Does participating in the new course increase students' confidence and self-efficacy with mathematics and STEM? and (4) Do students in the new class persevere in mastering the material at higher rates than in other introductory courses? Data sources will include interviews with instructors who teach the course, focus groups with student participants, assessments of students' mathematics content knowledge, as well as pre- and post-course student surveys that measure students' attitudes and beliefs about mathematics and interest in STEM coursework and careers. A within-subject design will be used to measure how the new course changes students' attitudes, self-efficacy, and interest while a between-subject design will compare these attributes between students in the new course and those taking the existing general education mathematics course.

在当今本科科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）教育面临的挑战中，数学教学特别令人关注。数学通常是学习其他STEM学科的基础，但入门本科数学课程往往有很高的失败率，并为许多学生，特别是那些来自经济弱势群体的学生的成功构成了障碍。学生对数学缺乏兴趣和自信心是很普遍的。该项目旨在通过利用数学思维和计算思维之间的密切关系来应对这些挑战。计算思维技能，如将问题分解为可管理的部分，识别模式，以及开发可为计算机编程的分步解决方案，越来越被视为21世纪技术驱动的世界中的基本技能。在这个改进本科STEM教育探索设计（IUSE E D）项目中，研究人员将设计，实施和评估内布拉斯加大学奥马哈分校（UNO）的一门新的跨学科通识教育课程，该课程使用视觉艺术来激励学生发展数学和计算思维技能。该课程将基于Bricklayer，这是一个开源教育生态系统，学生在其中学习编写程序，创建二维和三维乐高，Minecraft和3D打印工件。许多这样的人工制品是基于学生自己发现的数学模式。在这种以探究为基础的学习环境中，数学思维是达到目的的手段，而不是目的本身。预计这门入门课程的积极体验不仅会带来对数学的更积极的看法，也会带来对计算和其他STEM学科的更积极的看法。该项目的主要研究目标是调查新课程在学生对数学和其他STEM学科的兴趣和参与方面的教育影响，同时确保持续的高标准学习。具体而言，研究团队将调查以下研究问题：（1）学生在参与新课程后是否对数学和STEM表达了更大的兴趣？(2)参加新课程的学生是否计划通过参加更多的STEM课程继续参与STEM？(3)参加新课程是否会增加学生对数学和STEM的信心和自我效能？（4）新课程的学生是否比其他入门课程的学生更能坚持掌握材料？数据来源将包括与教授课程的教师的访谈，与学生参与者的焦点小组，对学生数学内容知识的评估，以及测量学生对数学的态度和信念以及对STEM课程和职业的兴趣的课前和课后学生调查。一个主题内的设计将被用来衡量新课程如何改变学生的态度，自我效能感和兴趣，而一个主题间的设计将比较这些属性之间的学生在新课程和现有的通识教育数学课程。

项目成果

A Computer Scientist Teaches Gen Ed Math

计算机科学家教授 Gen Ed 数学

• DOI: 10.1109/csci49370.2019.00151
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: 2019 International Conference on Computational Science and Computational Intelligence (CSCI
• 作者: Winter, Victor;Love, Betty;Friend, Michelle;Matthews, Michael
• 通讯作者: Matthews, Michael

Using Visualization to Reduce the Cognitive Load of Threshold Concepts in Computer Programming

使用可视化来减少计算机编程中阈值概念的认知负担

• DOI: 10.1109/fie43999.2019.9028612
• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: 2019 IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference (FIE
• 作者: Winter, Victor;Friend, Michelle;Matthews, Michael;Love, Betty;Vasireddy, Sanghamithra
• 通讯作者: Vasireddy, Sanghamithra

Changing the Game: Teaching Elementary Mathematics Through Coding

改变游戏规则：通过编码教授基础数学

• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference
• 作者: Jakopovic, Paula;Friend, Michelle;Love, Betty;Winter, Victor
• 通讯作者: Winter, Victor