Inclusively-designing sensory extensions for STEM inquiry learning

该项目研究创新的感觉延伸设备技术，以创建可访问的学习材料，并使不同的学习者能够在科学和数学学习中使用多种方式。新技术将由STEM学员根据不同的需求进行设计、制作、定制和个性化。人类使用多种感官形式进行思考和交流，包括视觉、声音、手势、运动和触觉。大多数科学和数学学习材料以视觉方式传达信息，通过图表和模拟等展示，导致学习体验与有限的感官接触。对于许多有视觉或印刷障碍的学习者来说，视觉学习材料是无法获得的。即使对其他人来说，这些材料也限制了学习机会。感觉延伸结合了材料和设备，以实现对真实或虚拟环境的新的或增强的感知。人们熟悉的感觉延伸设备包括眼镜(屈光镜片改善视力)和盖革计数器(听觉上对放射性衰变的感知)。在包容性的联合设计过程中，项目团队将与学习社区的不同成员合作，共同设计灵活、自适应和可个性化的技术，使新的感官体验(如声音、手势、运动和触摸)能够增强流行和广泛使用的交互式模拟学习工具。该项目团队汇集了科罗拉多大学博尔德大学的教育技术专家(Phet互动模拟和手工艺技术实验室)以及为有学习障碍和视觉障碍的青少年服务的合作组织。该项目将致力于为青少年的包容性设计创造新的学习材料、实践和过程，以及将感官延伸技术用作学习资源的理论和框架。为此，该小组将调查(1)STEM学习环境中包容性探究学习的教学和设计实践；(2)感觉延伸装置的共同设计和演变；(3)学习者关于包容性设计过程对其自我效能感和STEM知觉的影响的体验；以及(4)具有不同需求的青少年使用感觉延伸装置进行STEM探究的学习经历。这些感觉延伸设备预计将在具有不同感觉需求的学习者之间实现新的合作形式，并与现有的教育技术相结合，以扩大其包容性和可获得性的使用，并丰富所有用户的学习体验。将收集丰富的数据语料库，跟踪每个设计的轨迹，包括合作设计会议和正在使用的感觉延伸设备的视频和音频记录，设计文物和小组活动的照片，合作设计师的反思和采访，以及自我效能调查回应。通过包容性的联合设计过程，该项目将致力于促进对教育技术发展的平等主义过程的基础性理解，拥抱感官多样性，并通过创造、定制和个性化他们自己的创新学习工具来增强教育边缘学习者的能力。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project investigates innovative sensory extension device technologies to create learning materials that are accessible and enable diverse learners to use multiple modalities in science and mathematics learning. The new technologies will be designed, crafted, customized, and personalized by STEM learners with diverse needs. Humans think and communicate using multiple sensory modalities, including sight, sound, gesture, movement, and touch. Most science and mathematics learning materials convey information visually, with displays such as diagrams and simulations, resulting in learning experiences with limited sensory engagement. For many learners with visual or print-related disabilities, visual learning materials are inaccessible. Even for others, these materials constrain learning opportunities. Sensory extension incorporates materials and devices to enable new or enhanced perceptions of real or virtual environments. Familiar sensory extension devices include eyeglasses (refractive lenses improve vision), and Geiger counters (auditory perception of radioactive decay). In an inclusive co-design process, the project team will partner with diverse members of the learning community, together co-designing flexible, adaptive, and personalizable technologies, which enable new sensory experiences (e.g., sound, gesture, movement, and touch) to augment popular and widely used interactive simulation learning tools. The project team brings together experts in educational technologies at the University of Colorado Boulder (PhET Interactive Simulations and the Craft Tech Lab) and partner organizations serving youth with learning disabilities and visual impairments.This project will work to create new learning materials, practices and processes for inclusive design with youth, as well as theories and frameworks for the use of sensory extension technologies as learning resources. To accomplish this, the team will investigate (1) pedagogical and design practices within inclusive inquiry learning in STEM learning settings; (2) the co-design and evolution of sensory extension devices; (3) learners’ experiences of the impact of the inclusive design process on their own perceptions of self-efficacy and STEM; and (4) the learning experience of youth with diverse needs using sensory extension devices for STEM inquiry. The sensory extension devices are expected to enable new forms of collaboration among learners with differing sensory needs, and couple with existing educational technologies to expand their inclusive and accessible use and enrich the learning experience for all users. A rich corpus of data will be collected, tracking the trajectory of each design, including video and audio recordings of co-design sessions and the sensory extension devices in use, photographs of design artifacts and group activities, co-designer reflections and interviews, and self-efficacy survey responses. Through the inclusive co-design process, the project will work to advance foundational understanding of egalitarian processes of educational technology development, embrace sensory diversity, and empower educationally marginalized learners through the creation, customization, and personalization of their own innovative learning 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.