The Bessie Coleman Project - Using Computer Modeling and Flight Simulation to Create STEM Pathways

Bessie Coleman 项目 - 使用计算机建模和飞行模拟创建 STEM 途径

• 批准号: 1757976
• 负责人: Jacqueline Leonard
• 金额: $ 119.99万
• 依托单位: University of Wyoming
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2018-03-15 至 2021-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1757976&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Bessie; Coleman; Project; Using; Computer

This strategies project advances efforts of the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program to better understand and promote practices that increase students' motivations and capacities to pursue careers in the fields of science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). Specifically, the project will use computer modeling and flight simulations as mechanisms to provide unique entrées to STEM and STEM careers for predominately underrepresented elementary and middle school students in the Rocky Mountain and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Named for the first African-American woman to receive a pilot's license, the Bessie Coleman Project builds on extant knowledge and understandings of complex systems in aviation and aerospace to develop, implement, and test the impact of a culturally specific, place-based, thematic curriculum and extension activities on youth engaged in informal STEM learning programs related to computer science. This focus on the intersectionality of computer science learning and 21st century information and communications technology (ICT) skill preparation is a national priority at the forefront of educational reform. Research has shown strong evidence that computer coding can motivate student learning and broaden student opportunities in STEM. Likewise, research has shown encouraging benefits of students learning coding as a pathway to develop computational thinking skills. K-12 schools, academic institutions, and informal STEM education sectors across the country are particularly interested in effective strategies to prepare teachers and students in computer science and coding, particularly youth from underrepresented groups in STEM. This project explores the potential and impact of the Bessie Coleman Project as an effective approach to address this national need among three critically underrepresented groups in computer science in four different states. The findings will advance knowledge applicable for both formal and informal contexts.Over the three-year project duration, approximately 1,000 rural and urban elementary and middle school students will engage in a broad range of project activities - from 3D computer modeling and game design (grades 4-5), to flight simulation using drones and Raspberry Pi (grades 6-8). The students are predominately of Native American, African-American/Black, Hispanic and Asian descent, participating in after school computer science clubs and summer camps at project sites in Colorado, Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Wyoming. Expeditions to air and space museums, opportunities to engage with field experts, guest speakers, and other extended learning opportunities are integral to the program. Forty-two classroom teachers and 12 informal educators and staff from Boys & Girls Clubs and Makerspaces will receive training to implement and facilitate the program in their site locations. An iterative research design is used to investigate the three overarching research questions: (a) What learning experiences involving emerging technologies effectively enable diverse populations of students to gain familiarity and relevant competencies with these technologies, and what factors influence the outcomes of the learning experiences? (b) What culturally-responsive instructional and curricular practices and models, including place-based education, used by teachers enhance student understanding of and interest in STEM occupations, and what factors influence the outcomes of the practices and models? and (c) In what roles and in what ways do business and industry workforce members (i.e., STEM professionals) motivate students to become aware of, interested in, and prepared for STEM careers in the STEM workforce and support teachers in efforts to promote STEM workforce awareness and interest? Formal and summative evaluations are carried out by an Advisory Board and an external evaluator. The research and project findings are locally and nationally disseminated through libraries, a resource guide, a blog, community involvement, conference presentations and journal publications. Ultimately, the project endeavors to increase students' computational thinking abilities, STEM interest and motivation, and persistence in STEM career pathways, especially in computer science.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

该战略项目推进了学生和教师创新技术体验（ITEST）计划的努力，以更好地理解和促进提高学生在科学，技术，工程或数学（STEM）领域追求职业生涯的动机和能力的做法。具体而言，该项目将使用计算机建模和飞行模拟作为机制，为美国落基山脉和大西洋中部地区代表性不足的中小学生提供独特的STEM和STEM职业入口。Bessie科尔曼项目以第一位获得飞行员执照的非洲裔美国女性命名，以航空和航天复杂系统的现有知识和理解为基础，开发，实施和测试特定文化，基于地点的主题课程和扩展活动对从事与计算机科学相关的非正式STEM学习计划的青年的影响。这种对计算机科学学习和21世纪世纪信息和通信技术（ICT）技能准备的交叉性的关注是教育改革前沿的国家优先事项。研究表明，强有力的证据表明，计算机编码可以激励学生学习并拓宽学生在STEM领域的机会。同样，研究表明，学生学习编码作为发展计算思维技能的途径，具有令人鼓舞的好处。全国各地的K-12学校，学术机构和非正式STEM教育部门对有效的战略特别感兴趣，以帮助教师和学生在计算机科学和编码方面做好准备，特别是来自STEM代表性不足群体的青年。本项目探讨了贝西科尔曼项目的潜力和影响，作为一种有效的方法，以解决这个国家的需要在三个严重代表性不足的群体在四个不同的国家计算机科学。在为期三年的项目期间，约1,000名农村和城市中小学生将参与广泛的项目活动-从3D计算机建模和游戏设计（4-5年级）到使用无人机和Raspberry Pi的飞行模拟（6-8年级）。这些学生主要是美国原住民、非洲裔美国人/黑人、西班牙裔和亚洲裔，他们在科罗拉多、马里兰州、宾夕法尼亚州和怀俄明州的项目地点参加课后计算机科学俱乐部和夏令营。航空和航天博物馆探险、与现场专家、客座演讲者接触的机会以及其他扩展学习机会是该计划不可或缺的一部分。来自男孩女孩俱乐部和创客空间的42名课堂教师和12名非正式教育工作者和工作人员将接受培训，以在其所在地实施和促进该方案。 一个迭代的研究设计是用来调查三个首要的研究问题：（a）什么样的学习经验，涉及新兴技术有效地使不同人群的学生获得熟悉这些技术和相关的能力，以及什么因素影响的学习经验的结果？(b)教师使用哪些文化响应的教学和课程实践和模式，包括基于场所的教育，增强了学生对STEM职业的理解和兴趣，哪些因素影响了实践和模式的结果？及（c）工商业工作人员（即，STEM专业人员）激励学生意识到，感兴趣，并准备在STEM劳动力和支持教师努力促进STEM劳动力的意识和兴趣的STEM职业？正式和总结性评价由一个咨询委员会和一名外部评价员进行。研究和项目结果通过图书馆、资源指南、博客、社区参与、会议介绍和期刊出版物在地方和全国传播。最终，该项目致力于提高学生的计算思维能力，STEM兴趣和动力，以及对STEM职业道路的坚持，特别是在计算机科学领域。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

项目成果

The Bessie Coleman Project: Using Computer Modeling and Flight Simulation in Informal STEM Settings

Bessie Coleman 项目：在非正式 STEM 设置中使用计算机建模和飞行模拟

• 发表时间: 2019
• 期刊: Proceedings of the 41st Annual Meeting of the North American Chapter of the International Group for the Psychology of Mathematics Education
• 作者: Leonard, J.;Jordan, W. J.;Ellington, R.
• 通讯作者: Ellington, R.