Collaborative Research: Embodied Interactive Environment for Advancing Data Sensing and Computational Thinking Skills in the Built Environment

随着建筑业朝着采用数据传感技术的方向发展，需要创造和维持一支拥有实施技术和分析结果数据以支持决策的技能的劳动力队伍。同样重要的是提高所有K-12学生对科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)职业选择的认识，发展他们对数据传感技术应用的理解，并提高他们操作和使用数据的计算思维技能。本项目旨在研究一种身临其境的基于虚拟现实的学习环境，以发展中学生应对建筑挑战所必需的计算思维技能，并提高学生对建筑行业STEM相关职业的参与度和态度。该项目由学生和教师创新技术体验计划(ITEST)资助，该计划支持的项目旨在加深对实践、计划要素、背景和过程的理解，有助于提高学生对科学、技术、工程和数学(STEM)以及信息和通信技术(ICT)职业的知识和兴趣。这项研究将开发一个数据传感学习环境(称为DASLET)，以调查如何利用数据传感技术发展学生的计算思维，以应对建筑行业的挑战，并提高他们对STEM相关职业的参与度和态度。在DASLET中，学生可以学习如何在虚拟建筑工地上安全地使用不同的数据传感技术，将传感器数据转换为计算规则，并提取有意义的信息来支持决策。这项研究将首先开发一个基于虚拟现实的学习环境，可以促进与数据传感技术的有形互动，以使中学生掌握应对建筑风险的技能。下一步，将与中学教师密切合作，制定策略，使数据传感技术在建筑和建议的学习环境中的应用适应中学课程。研究团队将使用混合方法和多层次建模，与大约40名教师和120名学生一起实施DASLET，并开发理论来解释学习环境中的具体化互动如何增强学生的计算思维，提高对数据传感技术的参与度，以及对建筑环境中的数据传感和STEM相关职业的兴趣。DASLET的发展将涉及行业从业者和来自不同群体的教师，包括女性和代表性不足的少数群体。它将在学校和夏令营实施，这些学校和夏令营服务于STEM中代表性不足的群体的学生。这一奖项反映了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。

As the construction industry gears toward adopting data sensing technologies, there is a demand for creating and sustaining a workforce with skills for implementing the technologies and analyzing the resulting data to support decision-making. It is also essential to improve awareness of this Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) career option among all K-12 students, develop their understanding of the applications of data sensing technologies and improve their computational thinking skills in manipulating and using data. This project aims to investigate an immersive virtual reality-based learning environment for developing middle school students’ computational thinking skills necessary to address construction challenges and improving students’ engagement and attitudes towards STEM-related careers in the construction industry. This project is funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers. This research will develop a DAta Sensing Learning EnvironmenT (called DASLET) to investigate how students’ computational thinking can be developed in addressing construction industry challenges with data sensing technologies and improve their engagement and attitudes toward STEM-related careers. Within DASLET, students can learn how to safely work with different data sensing technologies on a virtual construction site, translate sensor data into computational rules and extract meaningful information to support decision-making. The research will first develop a virtual reality-based learning environment that can facilitate tangible interaction with data sensing technologies to equip middle school students with skills for addressing construction risks. Next, working closely with middle school teachers, strategies will be developed for adapting applications of data sensing technologies in construction and the proposed learning environment to the middle school curriculum. Using mixed methods and multilevel modeling, the research team will implement DASLET with approximately 40 teachers and 120 students, and develop theories to explain how embodied interaction within the learning environment can enhance students’ computational thinking, improve engagement with data sensing technologies, and interest in data sensing and STEM-related careers in the built environment. The development of DASLET will involve industry practitioners and teachers from diverse groups including females and underrepresented minorities. It will be implemented in the schools and summer camps that serve students from groups that are underrepresented in STEM.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.