N-Sector: Neuroscience Mystery Game

描述(由申请人提供)：本提案描述了一款创新的、基于网络的、教育的、神秘的视频游戏N Sector的开发和评估，该游戏将在教室内外吸引广泛不同的高中生，增加他们对神经科学的知识，并促进他们对神经科学的兴趣，将其作为职业道路。这款游戏将由一个多方面的谜团组成，在一系列剧集中包含较短的谜团。每一集都需要玩家帮助一位或多位神经学家解决一个引人注目的问题。要解决每一集中包含的问题和谜题，需要查询神经科学图书馆，并通过正在申请专利的笔记链接系统促进基于证据的推理，该系统促进批判性思维。游戏的解决方案将需要解开最后一集和之前所有剧集的谜团。这些情节将包括年轻人感兴趣的情况，并将涉及定义现代神经科学的令人兴奋的广泛工作。这包括对大脑重塑或神经可塑性的新观点；这些变化如何与大脑成像揭示的记忆有关；干细胞在神经发生中的作用；大脑-机器接口，通过它皮质活动可以控制外部事件；神经元死亡和神经变性的作用；以及传统元素，如突触功能、动作电位和神经传递。这些都是令人兴奋的话题，有可能激励年轻人。第一阶段的评估将在四所人口结构不同的高中进行，旨在测试这样一种假设，即精心制作的视频悬疑游戏可以激励所有学生学习神经科学，而不受人口统计因素的影响；它可以成功，同时需要大量阅读和推理具有实质性内容的主题；它可以显著提高玩家对神经科学一个或多个子学科的兴趣。此外，还将寻找关于认知和动机机制对观察到的结果负责的证据，例如，强调内容掌握与游戏表现。如果这款激动人心但同时具有教育意义的电子游戏支持我们的假设，那么广泛的应用可能会对人们对神经科学的兴趣和理解产生影响，进而可能会影响到更广泛背景下的科学教学。将激励性视频游戏与严肃的、基于探究的图书馆内容搜索相结合，并使用发现的证据来确定哪些替代假设得到支持，哪些被排除，这是创新、原创和独特的。N部门将通过分销商出售给学区和个别学校，并通过互联网订阅出售给个人 基于密码保护的访问。 与公共卫生的相关性：随着美国领导地位的下滑，它正面临着一场教育危机，需要认真考虑能够吸引和激励各种青年进行批判性学习和思考的创新方法。N Sector通过创建一款创新的、基于网络的教育视频游戏直接满足了这一需求，该游戏将吸引数字原住民一代，传授神经科学家揭示我们大脑如何工作的惊人方式，并引导玩家对神经科学产生兴奋和对该领域的兴趣。如果预期的结果得以实现，这种方法可以扩展到科学和教学的其他领域。)

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal describes development and evaluation of an innovative, web-based, educational, mystery video game, N Sector that will engage a wide diversity of high school students in and out of classrooms, increase their knowledge of neuroscience, and promote their interest in neuroscience as a career path. The game will consist of a multi-faceted mystery incorporating shorter mysteries in a sequence of episodes. Each episode will require that the player help one or more neuroscientists solve a compelling problem. Solutions to the problems and puzzles incorporated into each episode will require inquiry of a neuroscience library and evidence-based reasoning facilitated by a patent-pending note-linking system that promotes critical thinking. Solution of the game will require solving the mysteries in the final and all preceding episodes. The episodes will include situations that are interesting to youth and will involve the wide breadth of exciting work that defines modern neuroscience. This includes the new views of brain remodeling or neuroplasticity; how these changes relate to memory as revealed by brain imaging; the role of stem cells in neurogenesis; brain-machine interfaces by which cortical activity can control external events; the role of neuronal death and neurodegeneration; and traditional elements like synaptic function, action potentials, and neurotransmission. These are exciting topics with the potential to motivate youth. Phase I evaluation will be conducted in four, demographically diverse high schools and will be designed to test the hypothesis that a carefully crafted video mystery game can motivate all students to learn about neuroscience regardless of demographics; that it can succeed while requiring substantial reading and reasoning about topics with substantive content; and that it can significantly enhance the interest of players in one or more sub-disciplines of neuroscience. Additionally evidence will be sought as to cognitive and motivational mechanisms responsible for observed outcomes, e.g. emphasis on content mastery versus game performance. If this motivating but simultaneously educationally serious video game supports our hypothesis, wide deployment could have an impact on interest and understanding of neuroscience and, by extension of the approach, perhaps to science teaching in a broader context. Combining a motivating video game with serious, inquiry-based library searching of content and using the discovered evidence to determine which of alternative hypotheses are supported and which are ruled out is innovative, original and unique. N Sector will be sold to school districts and individual schools through a distributor, and to individuals through the Internet on a subscription basis with password-protected access. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: With its leadership position slipping, the United States of America is facing an educational crisis that demands serious consideration of innovative approaches able to engage and motivate a wide diversity of youth to learn and think critically. N Sector directly addresses this need by creating an innovative, web- based, educational video game that will appeal to the digital native generation, teach the astonishing ways that neuroscientists are uncovering how our brains work, and lead players to become excited about neuroscience and interested in the field. If anticipated outcomes are realized, the approach could be extended to other fields of science and teaching.)