Collaborative Research: Exploring the Impact of Robotic Telescope-Based Observing Experiences on Students' Learning and Engagement in STEM

在STEM课堂上使用科学仪器进行发现和解决问题，使本科生能够体验到专业科学家的实际工作。这样的经历增加了学生对科学的参与、学习和兴奋。在许多学科中，教师重新设计了课程，以嵌入真实的研究经验。例如，十多年前，北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校将天网机器人(遥控)望远镜网络引入天文学入门课程。天网允许学生使用真正的望远镜来做他们在课堂上学到的科学。五年来，基于天网的实验室课程(我们在太空中的位置！)结果，天文学课程的注册人数增加了一倍，天文专业和辅修课程的注册人数增加了近三倍。自那以后，该课程已被其他十几所学院和大学采用。之前的美国国家科学基金会奖(DUE-1245383)资助了一项研究，该研究涉及十个采用机构的人，并表明基于天网的实验室在统计上显著改善了学生对科学的态度。就背景而言，传统的望远镜实验室和非望远镜实验室，以及已知能带来学习收获的课堂活动，对学生的态度没有类似的影响。该项目将在第一项研究的基础上进行大规模个案研究，涉及35个机构的约19,000名学生。这项研究将衡量学生在传统天文入门课程和天网天文入门课程中对科学的态度、对自己能力的信心、概念理解和职业意图的变化。这项研究将包括进一步开发和评估针对天文学的学生成绩衡量标准。为了支持这项研究，研究人员还将提供专业发展，帮助来自参与机构的大约40名天文教师学习如何将天网活动纳入他们的课程，并将更新课程及其支持技术。尽管有多个关于机器人望远镜网络在不同水平的教育中产生积极影响的报道，但这些研究在严谨性和概括性方面一直受到限制。该项目旨在可靠地评估普遍的说法，即使用研究级机器人望远镜有助于改善学生的STEM态度和自我效能，并改变他们的职业抱负。研究人员还将讨论与课程和技术设计相关的关键问题，例如：使用研究级机器人望远镜网络的效果与更小、更本地化的望远镜体验有何不同？学生对数据的所有权是否会影响学生的成绩？使用档案数据学习与使用学生自己收集的数据学习相比如何？到该项目的第三年，该项目的课程开发和技术开发方面预计每年将影响大约5,000名初级学生，主要是非STEM专业的学生。调查人员还将扩大课程的范围，加强残疾学生对课程的可及性，并免费向公众提供课程。这个合作项目包括北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校(应获奖-2013300)和联合大学公司(应获奖-2013295)的研究人员。该项目由改善本科生STEM教育(IUSE：EHR)计划资助，该计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。通过参与的学生学习路径，该计划支持有前景的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。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。

Using scientific instruments to make discoveries and solve problems in STEM classrooms enables undergraduates to experience how professional scientists actually work. Such experiences increase students’ engagement, learning, and excitement about science. In many disciplines, instructors have redesigned courses to embed authentic research experiences. For example, more that a decade ago, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill introduced the Skynet network of robotic (remote-controlled) telescopes into introductory astronomy courses. Skynet allowed the students to use real telescopes to do the science they were learning in class. Over five years, the Skynet-based laboratory curriculum (Our Place in Space!) resulted in a doubling of enrollment in the astronomy course and an approximately three-fold increase in astronomy majors and minors. The curriculum has since been adopted by a dozen other colleges and universities. A previous NSF award (DUE-1245383) funded a study across ten of those adopting institutions, and showed that the Skynet-based labs led to a statistically significant improvement in students' attitudes toward science. For context, traditional telescope labs and non-telescope labs, as well as in-class activities known to yield learning gains, did not have a similar effect on student attitudes. This project will follow up on that first study by conducting a large-scale case study that involves approximately 19,000 students at 35 institutions. This research will measure changes in students' attitudes toward science, confidence in their abilities, conceptual understanding, and career intentions in both traditional and Skynet-based introductory astronomy courses. The research will include further development and assessment of student-outcome metrics that are specific to astronomy. To support this research, the investigators will also provide professional development to help approximately 40 astronomy instructors from the participating institutions learn how to incorporate Skynet-based activities into their courses and will update the curriculum and its supporting technologies.Although there have been multiple reports of positive impacts of robotic telescope networks in education at different levels, the studies have been limited in rigor and generalizability. This project aims to assess reliably the common claim that the use of research-grade robotic telescopes leads to improvements in students' STEM attitudes and self-efficacy and changes in their career aspirations. The investigators will also address key questions connected with the design of the curriculum and the technology, such as: How is the effect of using research-grade robotic telescope networks different from that of smaller, more local, telescope experiences? Does student ownership of data affect student outcomes? How does learning with archival data compare to learning with data that students collect themselves? By the third year of the project, the curriculum-development and technology-development aspects of the project are expected to impact around 5,000 introductory-level students per year, primarily non-STEM majors. The investigators will also expand the reach of the curriculum by enhancing its accessibility to students with disabilities and making it available to public audiences without cost. This collaborative project includes investigators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Award DUE-2013300) and Associated Universities, Inc. (Award DUE-2013295). The project is funded by the Improving Undergraduate STEM Education (IUSE: EHR) program, which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.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.