Special Project - Developing Virtual Content for STEM Career and Technical Education

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Students enrolled in advanced technology education programs need to develop industry relevant hands-on skills and competencies to be considered for entry level jobs as skilled technicians. Thus, technical education must serve all students, including those who are working or caregiving and those who have transportation or other limitations to learning on campus. In addition, technical education must also serve high schools and colleges that cannot afford the expensive hands-on equipment needed for this training. This project will develop Augmented Virtual Reality content for three different STEM Career and Technical Education programs. It is expected that these resources will enable students to learn hands-on skills from any location with adequate internet access. These resources are also expected to have benefits beyond broadening access to education. It has been demonstrated that students who use AVR can learn to do a task more than twice as fast as students who use only traditional methods. This increased pace of learning is particularly noted for STEM tasks. Thus, the AVR resources developed by this project may also be used to improve the learning outcomes of in-person learners.The Eastern Iowa Community College Augmented and Virtual Reality (AVR) Department has experience in developing applications that use AVR technologies to enhance traditional pedagogical practices in college and workforce education. The AVR program is both an education program for postsecondary students interested in learning how to use AVR technologies and an internal software development unit in which developers work on College-commissioned AVR projects. This project will bring together students and college AVR experts to work with business and industry subject matter experts to develop approximately thirty AVR modules for STEM-related career and technical education programs in Automotive Technology, Diesel Technology, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Technology. The completed AVR modules will be used by students via Oculus Quest headsets. Project evaluation activities will assess the impact of the AVR modules on student learning outcomes, including the development of hands-on skills. The outcomes of students learning through AVR will be compared to those learning in person. The AVR modules will be available without charge on the College website and disseminated in STEM-related career and technical education fields so that high school and community college students across the country can achieve authentic hands-on learning remotely. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.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.