SBIR Phase II: Helping Students Acquire 21st Century Skills Through Immersive Group STEM Simulations

这个小企业创新研究第二阶段项目将有助于引入教育市场的产品，该产品旨在帮助教育工作者为今天的学生应对明天劳动力的挑战做好准备。批判性和创造性思维的能力，有效沟通，并在协作，技术丰富的环境中解决问题，以前定义为世纪技能。新的研究表明，除了需要识字、算术和这些高级认知技能外，学生还必须具备社交和情感技能。这些社交情感技能从自我意识到对他人的同情，从自我管理到领导力。对更高层次技能的需求使得学校管理者和教师比以往任何时候都更需要为那些缺乏兴趣和难以激励的学生找到答案，特别是在科学和数学领域。学生们抱怨他们感到无聊，看不到他们被教导的目的;他们渴望对他们所学的知识进行有意义的应用，并有能力指导自己的学习。旨在满足这些需求，拟议的计划为学生提供了一个截然不同的学习体验。沉浸式平台使学生能够行使自主权，并有新的机会进行互动和合作。当学生开始理解一个人如何以社会、道德和文化上适当的方式与他人进行协商互动的能力是实现目标的关键时，重要的生活技能就成为最重要的因素。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得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来支持。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project will contribute to the introduction into the educational market of a product uniquely designed to help educators prepare today's students for the challenges of tomorrow's workforce. The ability to think critically and creatively, to communicate effectively, and to solve problems in a collaborative, technology rich environment previously defined 21st Century Skills. New research indicates that in addition to the need for literacy, numeracy, and these advanced cognitive skills, students must also be equipped with social and emotional skills. These social-emotional skills range from self-awareness to empathy for others and from self-management to leadership. The demand for higher order skills makes it more important than ever for school administrators and teachers to find the answer for students who are disinterested and difficult to motivate, especially in the areas of science and math. Students complain that they are bored and do not see the purpose for what they are being taught; they desire meaningful application for what they learn and the ability to direct their own learning. Designed to address these needs, the proposed program offers students a distinctly different learning experience. The immersive platform gives students the ability to exercise autonomy and a new opportunity to interact and work together. Important life skills come to the forefront as students begin to understand how one's ability to negotiate interactions with others in socially, ethically, and culturally appropriate ways is key to achieving one's goals.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.