Game Changers exhibition: A sports exhibition and research study to encourage inventive identity development and broaden participation in STEM innovation

国家优先事项建议美国通过鼓励更广泛地参与发明和STEM来加强创新文化。“游戏改变者”是一个“发展中的创新”展览项目，其嵌入式研究旨在推进博物馆展品如何在公众中激活与stem相关的创造性身份的知识。该项目是史密森尼国家历史博物馆发明与创新研究中心（NMAH-LC）、教育研究人员、展览设计公司和社区组织的合作项目。虽然“游戏改变者”展览的主题是体育创造力，为广大观众的兴趣和参与提供了一个最初的火花，但其最终目的是培养和增强不同观众的创造力，特别是10-17岁的女孩和年轻女性，10-17岁的非裔美国青年，以及所有年龄的残疾人。参观者将通过一个简短的介绍展示，开始他们从被动学习者到主动发明者的旅程。各种各样的运动员和发明家提供了相关的激励榜样，并“问”参观者“你将如何改变游戏？”发明挑战的例子包括，应用物理和材料科学原理来帮助设计更安全的头盔，探索计算流体动力学来设计更快的泳衣。在整个展览体验中，参观者将利用体育必不可少的一系列STEM技能和知识，包括生理学，运动学，生物力学工程，物理学，仿生学，机器人技术，计算机科学，数据分析以及虚拟和增强现实。在整个项目中，团队将与优先受众合作，从前端研究和评估开始；通过形成性研究、设计和评估阶段的迭代进展；并进行总结性评估，以确保基于stem的内容和设计策略正在影响创造性身份并满足受众的兴趣和需求。教育研究人员将与展览开发和评估团队合作，反复探索和开发非正式学习环境中创新身份发展的模型。来自Old Dominion大学和Temple大学的教育心理学家将与nmh - lc团队、展览设计制作公司Roto以及Randi Korn & Associates的评估人员密切合作，将正式教育背景下的身份理论模型应用于非正式学习环境。在该模型中，身份被概念化为一个复杂的动态系统，具有相互依存的内部和外部元素（本体论/认识论信念；自我感知；目的和目标；感知的行动可能性），并在不断出现的过程中相互影响。利用基于设计的研究和先前开发的编码手册，该团队将迭代地应用、测试和进一步推进创造性身份发展模型、一套用于未来研究和开发的创造性身份指标，以及一份用于在非正式学习环境中激活创造性的、基于stem的身份发展的展览设计技术清单。研究团队将为迭代周期和焦点小组优先考虑不同的受众，包括来自国家首都女童子军、史密森无障碍项目、史密森纳阿纳科斯蒂亚社区博物馆和华盛顿特区基督教青年会的参与者。展览的研究、评估和设计成果将通过项目合作者在AISL领域广泛传播。该项目由推进非正式STEM学习计划资助，该计划旨在推进非正式环境中STEM学习的设计和开发的新方法和基于证据的理解。这包括提供多种途径，扩大STEM学习经验的获取和参与，推进非正式环境中STEM学习的创新研究和评估，以及发展参与者对深度学习的理解。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

National priorities recommend the U.S. fortify a culture of innovation by encouraging broader participation in invention and STEM. The Game Changers is an Innovations in Development exhibition project with embedded research that advances knowledge about how museum exhibits can activate STEM-related inventive identities among the public. The project is a collaboration between the Smithsonian's Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the National Museum of American History (NMAH-LC), educational researchers, an exhibition design firm, and community based organizations. While the Game Changers exhibition theme of inventiveness in sports provides an initial spark for broad audience interest and engagement, its ultimate intent is to foster and enhance inventive identity among diverse audiences, particularly girls and young women ages 10-17, African American youth ages 10-17, and people of all ages with disabilities. Visitors will be met by a brief introductory display to launch their journey from passive learner to active inventor. A diverse array of athletes and inventors provide relevant motivational exemplars and “ask” visitors “How will YOU Change the Game?” Examples of invention challenges include, applying the principles of physics and materials science to aid in designing a safer helmet and exploring computational fluid dynamics to design a faster swimsuit. Throughout the exhibition experience, visitors will draw on an array of STEM skills and knowledge essential to sports, including physiology, kinesiology, and biomechanical engineering, physics, biomimicry, robotics, computer science, data analysis, and virtual and augmented reality. Throughout the project, the team will work with priority audiences, starting with front-end research and evaluation; progressing iteratively through stages of formative research, design, and evaluation; and conducting summative evaluation to ensure that the STEM-based content and design strategies are impacting inventive identity and meeting audiences’ interests and needs. In coordination with the exhibition development and evaluation teams, educational researchers will iteratively explore and develop a model for innovative identity development in informal learning environments.Educational psychologists from Old Dominion University and Temple University will collaborate closely with the NMAH-LC team, exhibition design-fabrication firm Roto, and evaluators from Randi Korn & Associates to adapt a theoretical model of identity from a formal education setting to an informal learning context. In the model, identity is conceptualized as a complex dynamic system, with interdependent internal and external elements (ontological/epistemological beliefs; self-perceptions; purpose and goals; perceived action possibilities) and reciprocal influences in a process of continuous emergence. Using design based research and a previously developed coding manual, the team will iteratively apply, test, and further advance the inventive identity development model, a set of inventive identity indicators for future research and development, and a list of exhibition design techniques for activating inventive, STEM-based identity development in informal learning environments. The research team will prioritize diverse audiences for iterative cycles and focus groups—including participants from the Girl Scouts of the Nation's Capital, Smithsonian Accessibility Program, Smithsonian's Anacostia Community Museum, and YMCA of Washington, DC. The exhibition’s research, evaluation, and design outcomes will be disseminated widely across the AISL field and through project collaborators. This project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. This includes providing multiple pathways for broadening access to and engagement in STEM learning experiences, advancing innovative research on and assessment of STEM learning in informal environments, and developing understandings of deeper learning by participants.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.