Meta!Blast: An Immersive Interactive Learning Module for Cell Biology

描述（由申请人提供）：这个项目的首要假设是，互动，动态的学习环境可以促进学生学习复杂的生物概念。为了解决这个假设，我们将开发Meta！Blast，细胞生物学的互动模块。学生将沉浸在一个三维的，生物准确的植物细胞。个别的生物概念将被解析成学生的任务，同时保持这些任务在整个环境的背景下。Meta！Blast将联合收割机复杂的模拟技术与精确的生物信息相结合，让学生探索和与细胞互动，并在此过程中发现细胞能量学，基因功能，细胞对病原体的防御以及区室化的后果。改变环境尺度的能力不仅可以让学生意识到细胞中的各个部分和过程，而且还可以让学生意识到它们如何共同工作以使整体发挥作用。我们的目标是： 目标1.在Meta！爆炸互动模块。 目标2.整合角色、音乐、情节和内置评估组件，以增强学习体验并提高学生参与度。 目标3和4。执行Meta的迭代形成性和总结性测试！以增强最终产品并充分评估我们的假设。 Meta！Blast开发基于美国国家科学院生命科学内容标准，9-12级。通过使用对话，交互式体验和内置评估来仔细构建科学内容，将增加体验的复杂性，并要求学生使用以前的信息来成功应对新的挑战。模块内评估工具将使教师能够监控学生的进步。当Blast被开发出来时，它将受到由学生和他们的老师组成的目标受众的外部形成性和总结性评价。目标受众将来自农村人口较多的爱荷华州和代表性不足群体比例较高的新墨西哥州。这些评估的结果将与Meta！Blast开发人员，并用于驱动模块的更改. 该项目将创建一个交互式软件模块，Meta！Blast，包含生物学上精确的3D细胞部分和分子，集成了情节和人物。该应用程序将动态地说明细胞和代谢生物学的现代概念，为学生的公共角色做好准备，并激励学生加入生物和医学教学和研究行业。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The overarching hypothesis of this project is that interactive, dynamic learning environments can facilitate student learning of complex biological concepts. To address this hypothesis, we will develop Meta!Blast, an interactive module on cell biology. Students will be immersed in a three-dimensional, biologically accurate plant cell. Individual biological concepts will be parsed into student tasks, while keeping these tasks in the context of the whole environment. Meta!Blast will combine sophisticated simulation technology with accurate biological information, to allow students to explore and interact with a cell and during this process to discover cellular energetics, gene function, cellular defenses against pathogens, and the consequences of compartmentation. The ability to change environmental scales can make the student aware of not only the individual parts and processes in the cell but how they work together to allow the whole to function. Our aims are: Aim 1. Expand the educational content in the context of the Meta!Blast interactive module. Aim 2. Integrate characters, music, plot, and built-in assessment components to enhance the learning experience and improve student engagement. Aims 3 and 4. Perform iterative formative and summative testing of Meta!Blast to enhance the final product and fully assess our hypothesis. The fundamental principles and content underlying Meta!Blast development are based on the Content Standards of the National Academy of Sciences for life science, grades 9-12. Careful scaffolding of science content through the use of dialogue, interactive experiences, and built-in assessments, will increase the complexity of the experience, and require students to use previous information to succeed at new challenges. In-module assessment tools will enable teachers to monitor student progress.As Meta!Blast is developed, it will be subjected to external formative and summative evaluations by target audiences consisting of students and their teachers. Target audiences will be drawn from Iowa, with its rural population, and from New Mexico, which has a high proportion of underrepresented groups. The results of these evaluations will be discussed with Meta!Blast developers, and used to drive changes in the module. This project will create an interactive software module, Meta!Blast, containing biologically accurate 3D cell parts and molecules, integrated with a plot and characters. The application will dynamically illustrate modern concepts in cell and metabolic biology, prepare students for their public role, and stimulate students to join the biological and medical teaching and research professions.