Using Advanced Technology to Enhance Learning and Teaching in Science Labs at Two-Year Colleges

利用先进技术加强两年制学院科学实验室的学习和教学

• 批准号: 2329563
• 负责人: Charles Xie
• 金额: $ 149.58万
• 依托单位: INSTITUTE FOR FUTURE INTELLIGENCE, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-01 至 2026-12-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2329563&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Using; Advanced; Technology; Enhance; Learning

This project will serve the national interest by enhancing the introductory STEM laboratory experience for students at eight two-year colleges across the country. Laboratory experiences are an indispensable part of science education and provide hands-on opportunities for students to understand the natural world and develop skills needed for scientific and technical careers. The project will design, implement, and assess a package of innovations based on using advanced thermal imaging technology to visualize chemical and physical phenomena. It will leverage low-cost, easy-to-use thermal cameras to ensure the materials developed are accessible and affordable. The scientific knowledge and analytical skills related to thermal imaging will be applicable to students' future work as the adoption of thermal imaging continues to accelerate in industry. The project will be led by the Institute for Future Intelligence (IFI), in partnership with Harold Washington College, Arizona Western College, and Cape Fear Community College. Five additional two-year colleges from around the country (Johnson County Community College, San Diego City College, Scottsdale Community College, Truckee Meadows College, and Wake Technical Community College) will provide additional field test sites for the study. Ultimately, this project aims to engage a large number of students and faculty from institutions that serve highly diverse student populations in high-tech laboratory activities that also leverage pedagogical strategies aimed at equity and inclusion. The project goals are to: 1) Design and implement scientific and pedagogical innovations empowered by advanced technology in the laboratory setting; 2) Build a community of practice to support continuous faculty professional development with technology; and 3) Conduct a multipronged research study to improve the products and generate knowledge significant to the STEM education community. Iterative improvement of the envisioned innovations over the duration of the project will be accomplished using a designed-based method. Additionally, this study will explore how thermal imaging techniques impact students' understanding and interest in STEM, how the technology developed supports improvement of laboratory instruction, and how to engage two-year faculty in a successful community of practice. These questions will be probed using a combination of qualitative and quantitative instruments based on a mixed-methods approach. A five-member advisory board will oversee project activities and an external evaluator will partner with the project team to provide both formative and summative feedback at regular intervals. The results will be disseminated broadly via publications, presentations, open-source platforms, and professional networks. The NSF program description on Advancing Innovation and Impact in Undergraduate STEM Education at Two-year Institutions of Higher Education supports projects that advance STEM education initiatives at two-year colleges. The program description promotes innovative and evidence-based practices in undergraduate STEM education at two-year colleges. This project is also supported by the NSF IUSE:HSI program, which has the goals of enhancing the quality of undergraduate STEM education, and increasing the recruitment, retention, and graduation rates of students pursuing associate’s or baccalaureate degrees 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.

该项目将通过为全国八所两年制大学的学生提供STEM入门实验室体验，服务于国家利益。实验室体验是科学教育不可或缺的一部分，并为学生提供了解自然世界和发展科学和技术职业所需技能的实践机会。该项目将设计、实施和评估一系列创新，基于使用先进的热成像技术来可视化化学和物理现象。它将利用低成本、易于使用的热像仪，以确保开发的材料是可获得的和负担得起的。随着热成像在工业中的应用不断加快，与热成像相关的科学知识和分析技能将适用于学生未来的工作。该项目将由未来情报研究所(IFI)领导，并与哈罗德·华盛顿学院、亚利桑那州西部学院和开普敦恐惧社区学院合作。来自全国各地的另外五所两年制大学(约翰逊县社区学院、圣地亚哥城市学院、斯科茨代尔社区学院、特鲁基草场学院和维克技术社区学院)将为这项研究提供额外的实地考点。最终，该项目旨在吸引大量学生和教职员工参与高科技实验室活动，同时利用旨在公平和包容的教学战略，这些机构服务于高度多样化的学生群体。该项目的目标是：1)在实验室环境中设计和实施由先进技术驱动的科学和教学创新；2)建立实践社区，以支持教师利用技术进行持续的专业发展；以及3)进行多管齐下的研究，以改进产品并产生对STEM教育界有意义的知识。将使用基于设计的方法在项目期间反复改进设想的创新。此外，本研究将探讨热成像技术如何影响学生对STEM的理解和兴趣，所开发的技术如何支持实验室教学的改进，以及如何让两年制教师参与成功的实践社区。这些问题将采用基于混合方法的定性和定量工具相结合的方法进行探讨。一个由五人组成的咨询委员会将监督项目活动，一名外部评估员将与项目小组合作，定期提供形成性和总结性反馈。结果将通过出版物、演示文稿、开放源码平台和专业网络广泛传播。NSF关于在两年制高等教育机构推进本科STEM教育的创新和影响的项目描述支持在两年制大学推进STEM教育倡议的项目。该课程描述促进了两年制大学本科生STEM教育的创新和循证实践。该项目也得到了NSF IUSE：HSI计划的支持，该计划的目标是提高STEM本科教育的质量，并增加STEM专科或学士学位学生的招生、留住和毕业率。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。