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

合作研究：探索基于机器人望远镜的观测体验对学生学习和参与 STEM 的影响

• 批准号: 2013300
• 负责人: Daniel Reichart
• 金额: $ 122.37万
• 依托单位: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2020
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2020-09-01 至 2025-08-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2013300&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Exploring; Impact; Robotic

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.

在 STEM 课堂上使用科学仪器进行发现和解决问题，使本科生能够体验专业科学家的实际工作方式。 这些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机器人（遥控）望远镜天网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完成他们在课堂上学习的科学。五年来，基于天网的实验室课程（我们在太空中的地位！）导致天文学课程的入学人数增加了一倍，天文学专业和辅修课程的人数增加了大约三倍。此后，该课程已被其他十几所学院和大学采用。之前的 NSF 奖项 (DUE-1245383) 资助了一项针对 10 个采用机构的研究，结果表明基于天网的实验室使学生对科学的态度在统计上显着改善。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益的课堂活动，对学生的态度并没有产生类似的影响。该项目将在第一项研究的基础上开展一项大规模案例研究，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和基于天网的入门天文学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。该研究将包括进一步开发和评估天文学特有的学生成果指标。为了支持这项研究，研究人员还将提供专业发展，帮助参与机构的约40名天文学教师学习如何将基于天网的活动纳入他们的课程，并将更新课程及其支持技术。尽管已有多个报告表明机器人望远镜网络对不同级别的教育产生积极影响，但这些研究在严谨性和普遍性方面受到限制。该项目旨在可靠地评估一种普遍说法，即使用研究级机器人望远镜可以改善学生的 STEM 态度和自我效能，并改变他们的职业抱负。研究人员还将解决与课程设计和技术相关的关键问题，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学习成果？使用档案数据进行学习与使用学生自己收集的数据进行学习相比如何？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约 5,000 名入门级学生，其中主要是非 STEM 专业的学生。研究人员还将通过提高残疾学生对课程的可及性并免费向公众开放来扩大课程的覆盖范围。 该合作项目包括北卡罗来纳大学教堂山分校（奖项 DUE-2013300）和 Associated Universities, Inc.（奖项 DUE-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 STEM 教育的有效性。通过参与学生学习轨道，该计划支持有前途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

Development and validation of an astronomy self-efficacy instrument for understanding and doing

开发和验证用于理解和实践的天文学自我效能工具

• DOI: 10.1103/physrevphyseducres.18.010117
• 发表时间: 2022
• 期刊: Physical Review Physics Education Research
• 影响因子: 3.1
• 作者: Freed, Rachel;McKinnon, David;Fitzgerald, Michael;Norris, Christina M.
• 通讯作者: Norris, Christina M.

Robotic telescope labs for survey-level undergraduates

为调查水平本科生提供的机器人望远镜实验室

• DOI: 10.1119/10.0007416
• 发表时间: 2021
• 期刊: The Physics Teacher
• 作者: Reichart, Daniel E.