I-Corps: An educational software platform and simulation library for supporting role-playing simulations of collective decision-making

这个I-Corps项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是开发工具，使教育工作者能够创造有意义的，参与的在线学习机会。这项新技术有可能以多种方式造福社会。它可以通过模拟来改善教学，使教师能够快速而自信地将参与的学习活动纳入他们的课程，并向他们介绍动态教学法，他们可以在整个教学过程中注入。它可以通过使用安全的环境为学习者提供好处来改善学习，在安全的环境中发展关键的生活技能，如同理心，跨差异沟通，批判性思维，探究和团队合作。 它还通过支持远程学习空间中的参与式学习体验来增加获得机会，这有可能包括广泛的社会，而以前仅限于面对面教育环境中的特权学习者子集。这两个要素都深深植根于通过以前的研究发展的见解。具体来说，模拟库由模拟模板组成，这些模板捕获了各种决策情况的基本要素，这些决策情况已经过理论化、建模、测试和细化。未来的发展设想了一个自动化的模拟开发过程的过程中，通过抓取当前主题的信息和填充实时内容的模板的网络。该软件平台包括允许模拟作者从先前开发的库中调整和实施现成模拟的功能，或者创建自己的模拟，以在各种决策情况下捕获这些基本元素。该奖项反映了NSF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。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is the development of tools to enable educators to create meaningful, engaged, online learning opportunities. The new technology has the potential to benefit society in a number of ways. It may improve teaching through simulations that allow instructors to quickly and confidently incorporate engaged learning activities into their courses, and introduce them to a dynamic pedagogy that they can infuse throughout their teaching. It may improve learning by providing benefits to learners by using a safe setting within which to develop critical life skills such as empathy, communicating across differences, critical thinking, inquiry, and team work. It also increases access by supporting engaged learning experiences in the remote learning space, which has the potential to include a wide swath of society that had previously been limited to a privileged subset of learners in face-to-face educational settings.This I-Corps project is based on the development of cloud-based software and an expandable simulation library. Both elements are deeply grounded in the insights developed through previous research. Specifically, the simulation library consists of simulation templates that capture essential elements of various decision-making situations that have been theorized, modeled, tested, and refined. Future development envisions a process for automating the simulation development process by scraping the web for information on current topics and populating the templates with real-time content. The software platform includes features that allow simulation authors to either adapt and implement ready-made simulations from the previously developed library, or to create their own simulations that capture these essential elements in various decision-making situations. Together, the core technology provides simulation experiences that reflect the accumulated knowledge and insights gained through the research.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.