Collaborative Research: Engaging Blind and Visually Impaired Youth in Computer Science through Music Programming

合作研究：通过音乐编程让盲人和视障青少年参与计算机科学

• 批准号: 2300632
• 负责人: Stephanie Ludi
• 金额: $ 42.93万
• 依托单位: University of North Texas
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-06-01 至 2026-05-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2300632&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Engaging; Blind; Visually

Many digital platforms for learning computer science have been designed for sighted people, resulting in a limited number of accessible opportunities for blind and visually impaired youth to learn computer science. This project will address this opportunity gap when blind and visually impaired youth, their caregivers, their educators, and software developers iteratively co-design and evaluate a digital learning environment that teaches computer science through music programming. In this learning environment, youth (ages 12-17) will write code to compose music and to remix music samples from popular contemporary artists. Specifically, this project will result in a more accessible version of EarSketch, a widely-used online platform for learning to code through music programming. This project will also result in associated professional learning and teaching materials for educators of blind and visually impaired youth. Research will explore whether and how the digital learning environment results in numerous positive outcomes among the youth who use it. Ultimately, this project is likely to address the underrepresentation of blind and visually impaired people in computing fields through resulting in an accessible, engaging, freely-available, widely-disseminated platform for learning to code through auditory mediums.Blind and visually impaired youth, their families, educators, educational researchers, software developers, and music programmers will be involved in the iterative co-design and evaluation of an accessible digital learning environment that teaches coding through music programming. Participatory design studies will explore the elements of the digital learning environment that afford music programming and computing education for learners who are blind or visually impaired. These design studies will entail thematic analyses of interviews, focus groups, and concurrent protocols with educators at schools for the blind, blind or visually impaired youth in middle or high schools, and their caregivers. Observation studies of blind or visually impaired software developers and music programmers will provide further information about elements of accessible coding platforms. Additionally, mixed methods research will explore whether and how the digital learning environment fostered content knowledge gain, interest development, feelings of belonging, and intent to persist in computer science among middle and high school students who are blind or visually impaired. Analyses of validated pre- and post-surveys, as well as student interaction logs and interviews, will provide information relative to whether and how the learning environment fostered positive outcomes in these domains. The no-cost, field-tested, empirically based learning environment will be widely disseminated through numerous professional networks for researchers and practitioners. Additionally, teachers from schools for the blind across the country will have opportunities to participate in professional learning sessions on how to use the learning environment and its associated curricular materials. This project is funded by the Discovery Research preK-12 (DRK-12) program, which 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 project is co-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 project is co-funded by the CS for All: Research and RPPs program. This program aims to provide all U.S. students with meaningful opportunities to participate in computer science education in their schools at the Prek-12 levels. Computer science, in this program, includes use of computational tools, but also the broad range of understandings, competencies, and skills needed to apply computation in our digital world. These are often referred to as computational literacy.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.

许多学习计算机科学的数字平台都是为视力正常的人设计的，因此盲人和视障青年学习计算机科学的机会有限。该项目将解决这个机会差距，当盲人和视障青年，他们的照顾者，他们的教育工作者和软件开发人员迭代共同设计和评估通过音乐编程教授计算机科学的数字学习环境。在这个学习环境中，青少年（12-17岁）将编写代码来创作音乐并重新混合当代流行艺术家的音乐样本。具体来说，这个项目将产生一个更容易访问的EarSketch版本，这是一个广泛使用的在线平台，用于通过音乐编程学习编码。该项目还将为盲人和视力受损青年的教育工作者提供相关的专业学习和教学材料。研究将探讨数字学习环境是否以及如何在使用它的青年中产生许多积极的结果。最终，该项目可能会解决盲人和视障人士在计算领域代表性不足的问题，通过建立一个可访问的、有吸引力的、免费提供的、广泛传播的平台，通过听觉媒介学习编码。盲人和视障青年，他们的家人，教育工作者，教育研究人员，软件开发人员和音乐程序员将参与迭代共同设计和评估一个可访问的数字学习环境，通过音乐编程来教授编码。实验性设计研究将探索数字学习环境的元素，为盲人或视力受损的学习者提供音乐编程和计算教育。这些设计研究将涉及对访谈、焦点小组和与盲校教育工作者、盲校或中学视力受损青年及其照顾者的并行协议进行专题分析。对盲人或视力受损的软件开发人员和音乐程序员的观察研究将提供有关无障碍编码平台要素的进一步信息。此外，混合方法研究将探讨数字学习环境是否以及如何促进盲人或视障中学生的内容知识获得，兴趣发展，归属感和坚持计算机科学的意图。经过验证的前和后的调查，以及学生互动日志和访谈的分析，将提供有关的信息，学习环境是否以及如何促进这些领域的积极成果。免费的，实地测试，经验为基础的学习环境将广泛传播通过众多的专业网络的研究人员和从业人员。此外，全国各地盲人学校的教师将有机会参加专业学习课程，学习如何使用学习环境及其相关课程材料。该项目由Discovery Research preK-12（DRK-12）计划资助，该计划旨在通过研究和开发创新资源，模型和工具，显着提高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教育的基础研究以及为拟议项目提供理论和经验依据的先前研究和开发工作的基础上。该项目由学生和教师创新技术体验（ITEST）计划共同资助，该计划支持建立对实践，计划元素，背景和过程有助于增加学生的知识和兴趣在科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）和信息和通信技术（ICT）的职业生涯。这个项目是共同资助的CS为所有：研究和RPPs计划。该计划旨在为所有美国学生提供有意义的机会，让他们在Prek-12级别的学校参与计算机科学教育。计算机科学，在这个程序中，包括使用计算工具，但也广泛的理解，能力和技能，需要在我们的数字世界中应用计算。该奖项反映了NSF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。