Polar Explorer - A Virtual Learning Environment for Polar Science Education

北亚利桑那大学、亚利桑那州立大学、亚利桑那大学和科罗拉多大学博尔德分校的科学家将合作开发一种名为Polar Explorer的数字学习环境，用于这一参与式学生学习：第三级项目。在这个基于Web的身临其境的环境中，学生将探索难以进入的极地环境，并通过笔记本电脑、台式机或移动设备了解极地科学。北极是一个偏远、变化迅速的地区，温度和日照都有极大的变化。北极的大部分地区被永久冻土覆盖，这是一层永久冻结的土壤或沉积物。在过去的三十年里，北极变暖的速度是世界其他地区的两倍，永久冻土已经开始融化。融化的永久冻土会向大气中释放大量之前冻结的温室气体，从而加快气候变化的步伐。它还可能威胁当地居民的粮食安全和清洁水，导致景观遭到侵蚀，建筑物和道路倒塌，并增加发生野火的风险。因此，气候变暖正在改变北极，这种转变通过对基础设施、全球气候和公共卫生的影响威胁到美国的国家安全。因此，公众必须了解北极正在发生怎样的变化，以及为什么这些变化会对美国和世界其他地区产生重大影响。然而，由于北极的偏远和难以接近，教授学生关于永久冻土及其后果的知识是具有挑战性的。极地系统也是复杂的，极地环境的变化发生在许多不同的尺度上，这可能是大脑难以理解的。极地探险家的互动虚拟实地考察将利用智能辅导系统和虚拟现实技术，让学生做科学，而不仅仅是被告知科学。使用现实的、科学准确的风景和学习经验，学生将体验和学习北极环境，就像他们亲身经历那里一样--无论学生的社会经济背景、身体能力或学业准备水平如何。通过创新的学习设计和虚拟现实技术，极地探险家为改善STEM教育提供了一种新颖和变革性的方法；这种方法将培养好奇心和与地方的联系，并将产生关于STEM教和学的新知识。该项目的目标是设计、建造、部署和评估极地探险家在提高学生对永久冻土、其动态以及永久冻土退化对生态系统、基础设施、气候和社会的影响的概念性知识方面的有效性。极地探险家将包括一套围绕交互式虚拟实地旅行(IVFT)构建的学习体验(LX)，通过由真实北极地形数据生成的高分辨率渲染景观连接起来。七个以地点为基础的LX将涵盖北极探索、永久冻土动态、变化景观的土著观点以及永久冻土融化对基础设施、碳反馈和人类健康的影响等主题。学生将拥有通过LX选择学习路径的自主权，LX将利用虚拟现实技术、引人入胜的叙事、不同的真实极地科学家群体以及真实世界的数据和地点为学生的学习提供背景。智能辅导系统将使学生的体验个性化，并帮助解决知识中的概念差距。极地探险家的iVFT将有效地促进积极的、基于探究的学习，并解决极地科学固有的实质性可获得性挑战。预计学生将：(1)增长他们的极地科学学科知识；(2)检验和区分多个标度；(3)提高他们对极地科学跨学科联系的理解。极地探险家将在HTML5上运行，HTML5拥有无处不在的支持。学生主导探索的设计将针对关键的本科生STEM入门课程的学生，如地质学、地球科学、气候和生物学。总体而言，将通过分析学生的学习结果以及形成性和总结性评估来评估该项目，这些评估衡量基于iVFT的LX在满足项目目标方面的有效性。该项目将就iVFT和适应性数字学习环境以及相关的学习设计方法促进STEM学习的程度提供亟需的衡量标准。重点将放在基于iVFT的学习体验如何帮助学生跨规模工作，并理解STEM概念和学科之间的联系。该项目由极地项目办公室和本科生教育部门共同支持，响应了尊敬的同事来信(NSF 19-086)，呼吁努力支持学生和公众参与极地研究。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。

Scientists at Northern Arizona University, Arizona State University, the University of Arizona, and the University of Colorado at Boulder will collaborate to develop a digital learning environment called Polar Explorer for this Engaged Student Learning: Level III project. In this web-based, immersive environment, students will explore inaccessible polar environments and learn about polar science from their laptops, desktops, or mobile devices. The Arctic is a remote, rapidly changing region with extreme variations in temperature and sunlight. Much of the Arctic is underlain by permafrost, a layer of soil or sediment that is perennially frozen. Over the past three decades, the Arctic has warmed at twice the rate of the rest of the world and permafrost has started to thaw. Thawing permafrost can release enormous amounts of previously frozen greenhouse gases to the atmosphere, accelerating the pace of climate change. It can also threaten the food security and clean water of local residents, lead to the erosion of landscapes, the collapse of buildings and roads, and increased risk of wildfires. Thus, climate warming is transforming the Arctic, and this transformation threatens U.S. national security through its impacts on infrastructure, global climate, and public health. It is therefore imperative for the general public to understand how the Arctic is changing and why these changes have significant consequences for the U.S. and the rest of the world. However, teaching students about permafrost and its consequences is challenging because of the remoteness and inaccessibility of the Arctic. Polar systems are also complex and changes in polar environments occur on many different scales that can be difficult for the mind to grasp. Polar Explorer’s interactive, virtual field trips will leverage intelligent tutoring systems and virtual reality technologies to allow students to do science, rather than just being told about science. Using realistic, scientifically-accurate landscapes and learning experiences, students will experience and learn about the Arctic environment much like they would if they were physically there — regardless of a student’s socioeconomic background, physical ability, or level of academic preparation. Through innovative learning design and virtual reality technologies, Polar Explorer provides a novel and transformative approach for improving STEM education; one that will cultivate a sense of curiosity and connection-to-place and will generate new knowledge about STEM teaching and learning. The goal of this project is to design, build, deploy, and evaluate the effectiveness of Polar Explorer at increasing student conceptual knowledge of permafrost, its dynamics, and the consequences of permafrost degradation on ecosystems, infrastructure, climate, and society. Polar Explorer will consist of a suite of Learning Experiences (LXs) built around interactive Virtual Field Trips (iVFTs), connected via a high-resolution rendered landscape generated from real Arctic terrain data. Seven place-based LXs will cover topics of Arctic exploration, permafrost dynamics, indigenous perspectives on changing landscapes, and impacts of permafrost thaw on infrastructure, carbon feedbacks, and human health. Students will have autonomy in choosing their learning path through the LXs, which will leverage virtual reality technology, an engaging narrative, a diverse population of real polar scientists, and real-world data and places to provide context to student learning. An intelligent tutoring system will individualize the student experience and help address conceptual gaps in knowledge. Polar Explorer’s iVFTs will effectively promote active, inquiry-based learning and resolve the substantial accessibility challenges inherent to polar science. It is predicted that students will: (1) increase their polar science disciplinary knowledge; (2) examine and differentiate multiple scales; and (3) improve their comprehension of transdisciplinary connections in polar science. Polar Explorer will run on HTML5, which has ubiquitous support. The design of the student-driven exploration will target students in critical undergraduate introductory STEM courses, such as geology, earth science, climate, and biology. Overall the project will be assessed by analyzing student learning outcomes, and by formative and summative evaluations that measure the effectiveness of the iVFT-based LXs in meeting project goals. This project will provide much needed metrics on the degree to which iVFTs and adaptive digital learning environments, and the associated approach to learning design, promote STEM learning. Specific focus will be placed on how iVFT-based learning experiences help students work across scales and understand connections across STEM concepts and disciplines. This project, jointly supported by the Office of Polar Programs and the Division of Undergraduate Education, responds to the Dear Colleague Letter (NSF 19-086) calling for efforts that support the engagement of students and the public in polar 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.