Internet of Things Pedagogical Ecosystem for Integrated Computer Science and Software Engineering Education for Grades 9-12

物联网(IoT)技术将工业机械、车辆、厨房电器、医疗设备等物理设备连接到互联网，使用户、企业和计算机能够做出数据驱动的决策。物联网是一个快速发展、具有变革性的领域，必将对全球就业市场和行业产生积极影响。随着科学技术的不断进步，有必要对K-12学生进行新兴技术教育，以更好地为他们未来的学术和专业追求做好准备。该项目旨在开发、实施和评估基于物联网(IoT)的教育课程和技术，为9-12年级的学生提供计算机科学(CS)和软件工程(SE)教育。物联网技术的核心是使用廉价的微型计算机，这些计算机运行代码来收集、分析数据，并与其他设备或用户共享数据。由于硬件和软件之间的内在集成，IoT有潜力成为向高中生教授CS和SE的优秀平台。来自不同社会经济背景的9-12年级教师和学生将通过他们的STEM/CS/Engineering课程参与这一课程体验。将通过在线平台、夏令营和博物馆广泛传播，向K-12教育界的广大受众分享内容、表彰、教学策略和最佳做法。300多名高中生和27名教师将直接在课堂上或通过外联活动参与。作为课程经验的一部分，所获得的技能和知识将为高中生提供强大的大学和职业准备。拟议的物联网教学生态系统采用了一种创新的方法，通过让学生沉浸在构建联网物理计算系统的技术挑战中，将CS和SE教育带到9-12年级。本项目将集中于通过了解学生和教师的动机来确定有效的CS和SE教育教学设计的关键要素。这项工作的一个关键创新将是低成本的物联网硬件套件，用于基于项目的学习，以在课堂上创造实践体验。课程将涉及受美国国家工程院启发的现实世界项目，这些项目在行业中具有直接应用(例如，城市基础设施、可穿戴技术、互联汽车、互联医疗和网络安全)。通过Rbrics和焦点小组进行持续和系统的评估，将使学生能够收集有关CS/SE/IoT知识和技能、团队合作技能和整体参与度的数据。我们将使用严格的定量统计分析(参数和非参数)和定性方法(第一周期和第二周期编码)来回答三个研究问题：1)基于物联网的项目对学生的CS、SE和硬件技能和知识有什么影响？2)基于物联网的项目对学生的参与度和团队合作技能有什么影响？3)教学设计的哪些因素促进或阻碍了学生的参与度？该项目将以循证为基础，了解物联网作为一种向高中生提供关键和现代CS/SE技能和知识的手段有多有效。该项目由美国国家科学基金会的发现研究预科K-12(DRK-12)项目支持，该项目位于教育与人力资源局。DRK-12旨在通过研究和开发创新的资源、模式和工具，显著提高K-12学前班学生和教师的科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)的学习和教学。DRK-12计划中的项目建立在STEM教育的基础研究和先前的研究和开发工作的基础上，为拟议的项目提供了理论和经验上的证明。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The Internet of Things (IoT) technology connects physical devices such as industrial machines, vehicles, kitchen appliances, medical devices to the internet to enable users, businesses, and computers to make data driven decisions. The IoT is a rapidly improving, transformative field that is bound to positively impact global job markets and industries. With continued advancement in science and technology comes the need to educate K-12 students in emerging technologies to better prepare them for future academic and professional pursuits. This project aims to develop, implement, and evaluate an Internet of Things (IoT) based educational curriculum and technology that provides grades 9-12 students with Computer Science (CS) and Software Engineering (SE) education. At its core, the IoT technology uses inexpensive microcomputers that run code to collect, analyze, and share data with other devices or users. Due to this inherent integration between hardware and software, IoT has the potential to serve as an excellent platform for teaching CS and SE to high school students. Grades 9-12 teachers and students from diverse and varied socioeconomic backgrounds will participate in this curricular experience through their STEM/CS/Engineering classes. Broad dissemination through online platforms, summer camps, and museums will be used to share content, testimonials, teaching strategies, and best practices to a wide audience in the K-12 education community. Over three hundred high school students and 27 teachers will be engaged directly in-class or via outreach activities. The skills and knowledge gained as part of this curricular experience will provide strong college and career readiness to high school students. The proposed IoT pedagogical ecosystem features an innovative approach to bringing CS and SE education to grades 9-12 by immersing students in the technical challenges of building web-connected physical computing systems. This project will focus on identifying critical elements for effective instructional design for CS and SE education by understanding student and teacher motivation. A key innovation of this effort will be the low-cost, IoT-hardware kits for project-based learning to create a hands-on experience in the classroom. The curriculum will involve real-world projects inspired by the National Academy of Engineering grand challenges that have direct applications in the industry (e.g., urban infrastructure, wearable technology, connected vehicles, connected health, and cybersecurity). Continuous and methodical assessment via rubrics and focus groups will enable data collection on students’ CS/SE/IoT knowledge and skills, teamwork skills, and overall engagement. Rigorous quantitative statistical analysis (parametric and non-parametric) and qualitative methods (first cycle and second cycle coding) will be used to answer three research questions: 1) What is the impact of IoT-based projects on students’ CS, SE, and hardware skills and knowledge? 2)What is the effect of IoT-based projects on students’ engagement and teamwork skills? 3) What factors of instructional design promote/hinder engagement? This project will cumulatively provide an evidence-based understanding of how effective IoT is as a means to provide high school students with critical and modern CS/SE skills and knowledge.This project is supported by NSF's Discovery Research PreK-12 (DRK-12) program, in the Directorate for Education & Human Resources. DRK-12 seeks to significantly enhance the learning and teaching of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) by preK-12 students and teachers through research and development of innovative resources, models and tools. Projects in the DRK-12 program build on fundamental research in STEM education and prior research and development efforts that provide theoretical and empirical justification for proposed projects.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.