Enhancing Science Education through Virtual Reality: A Conference to Design Simulations that Enhance the Clinical Preparation of Secondary Science Teachers

本次会议提案的重点是在中学科学教师的准备中使用虚拟/混合现实模拟。教育工作者预备课程（EPPs）在为科学教师候选人提供高质量的高中科学课堂临床实习方面面临着重大挑战。实习地点通常不包括教师候选人可能教授的各种科学学科领域（例如，生物、化学、地球科学、物理），班级可能不包括重要的学生群体，如英语学习者或接受特殊教育服务的学生。使用虚拟和/或混合现实教学模拟可以通过为教师候选人提供教授广泛科学内容和不同科学学习者的机会来满足这些需求。本次会议汇集了科学教师教育的利益相关者，以开发原型模拟环境来解决这些差距。会议召集了模拟教师准备方面的专家，实习高中教师和教师候选人，参与与混合现实模拟相关的设计过程。与会者将确定科学教师准备方面的重要差距，并设计原型模拟环境来解决这些差距。Mursion是混合现实教学模拟领域的领导者，将提供平台和资源，以快速设计和测试基于当前模拟部署的原型，并将这些原型提供给与会者和美国教师教育学院协会（AACTE）的成员，以便在他们的EPP设置中使用和测试。会议的另一个关键成果是建立了一个网络改进社区，该社区将为在科学教师准备中有效使用模拟提供指导。这项工作将产生广泛的影响，因为网络改进社区将继续迭代和推进模拟在高中科学教师准备计划中的使用。探索研究preK-12项目（DRK-12）旨在通过研究和开发创新资源、模型和工具，显著提高preK-12学生和教师对科学、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实证依据。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，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。

This conference proposal focuses on the use of virtual/mixed reality simulation in the preparation of secondary science teachers. Educator preparation programs (EPPs) face significant challenges in providing science teacher candidates with quality clinical placements in high school science classrooms. Placements typically do not include the variety of science subject areas that teacher candidates are likely to teach (e.g., biology, chemistry, geoscience, physics) and the classes may not include important student populations such as English language learners or students who receive special education services. The use of virtual and/or mixed reality teaching simulations can address these needs by providing teacher candidates with opportunities to teach a wide range of science content and a diverse set of science learners. This conference brings together stakeholders in science teacher education to develop prototype simulation environments to address these gaps.The conference convenes experts in simulation in teacher preparation, practicing high school teachers, and teacher candidates to engage in a design process related to mixed reality simulations. Conference attendees will identify important gaps in science teacher preparation and design prototype simulation environments for addressing those gaps. Mursion, a leader in mixed-reality teaching simulations, will provide the platform and resources to rapidly design and test prototypes that build on their current simulation deployment and provide these prototypes to conference attendees and members of the American Association of Colleges of Teacher Education (AACTE) to use and test in their EPP settings. Another key outcome of the convening is the development of a networked improvement community that would develop guidance for the effective use of simulations in science teacher preparation. This work will have a broad impact as the networked improvement community will continue to iterate and advance the use of the simulations in high school science teacher preparation programs.The Discovery Research preK-12 program (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.