Collaborative Research: Improving STEM Learning through Interactive RoboBooks

通过互动机器书改善STEM学习是塔夫茨大学、S工程教育推广中心和应用特殊技术中心的合作项目。该项目将为有学习障碍和/或行为/情感障碍的高中生开发一个新颖的交互式网络使能工作空间，将提高他们对化学和物理的科学理解。第一阶段将专注于为拟议的研究准备RoboBook技术，在工具中嵌入支持和支架，目标是改善残疾学生的科学学习体验。在美国国家科学基金会资助的合作研究项目(DRL-0730260)中创建的专业知识和资产将被用于该项目，在该项目中，CAST、经济合作与发展中心和密歇根大学正在为初中生开发科学课程的UDL方法。它们是1)开发一个开源的UDL探究科学系统，使科学课程能够转变为包含UDL功能的数字支持版本，2)创建设计UDL科学材料的指南，以及3)从测试的教学材料开发四个UDL化学和生物单元的范例，并评估这些范例对有学习障碍和没有学习障碍的初中生和高中生的好处。除了准备具有嵌入式支架和支架的技术外，在该项目的这个阶段还将开发精确的物理和化学课程单元。芬威高中和波士顿艺术学院的一小部分教师将被纳入该项目，在具体支持和课程材料的设计方面提供建议。这些教师和另外一名教师将于2010年夏天接受培训，以便在2010年秋季将RoboBooks应用到他们的科学课堂上。每所参与学校的两名教师将在第二阶段与团队合作。第二阶段的重点是收集针对高发残疾学生而设计的RoboBooks的整体效果的试验数据。这一阶段将涉及来自芬威高中和波士顿艺术学院的两名教师。将在四个教室进行一项试点研究，以衡量书籍的影响以及学习(内容和过程)收获和对科学的投入。推动这项试点研究的主要研究问题将是：1.高发残疾学生如何在高中物理和化学课堂上使用互动RoboBook？2.学生和教师认为RoboBook中嵌入的哪些支持和支架有用？3.相对于使用更传统资源的内容，RoboBook的使用如何影响学生的参与度？4.使用RoboBook可以合理地归因于学生层面的态度益处？5.使用RoboBook可以归因于哪些认知益处？不同的实施如何影响学习结果？哪些背景变量促进或阻碍了学生水平的学习收益？试点研究将采用以下措施：嵌入RoboBooks的学生和教师问卷，以获得对可用性和内容呈现的反馈；由项目工作人员和外部评估者协助对教师和学生进行访谈，以收集更多定性反馈；以及科学评估前/后评估。此外，还将进行课堂观察，以观察残疾学生使用RoboBook的做法。戴维斯广场研究协会将进行形成性和终结性独立评估。

The Improving STEM Learning Through Interactive RoboBooks is a collaborative project between Tufts University?s Center for Engineering Educational Outreach and the Center for Applied Special Technology, Inc. This project will develop RoboBooks, a novel interactive cyberenabled workspace for high school students with learning disabilities and/or behavioral/emotional disabilities that will improve their science understanding in chemistry and physics.Phase 1 will focus on preparing the RoboBook technology for the proposed research by embedding supports and scaffolds into the tool with the goal of improving the science learning experience for students with disabilities. Expertise and assets created in an NSF-funded collaborative research project (DRL-0730260) in which CAST, EDC and the University of Michigan are developing UDL approaches to science curricula for middle and high school students will be leveraged for this project. They are 1) developing an open source UDL Inquiry Science System that enables science curricula to be transformed into digitally supported versions that incorporate UDL features, 2) creating guidelines for designing UDL science materials, and 3) developing four UDL exemplars of chemistry and biology units from tested instructional materials and evaluating the benefits of these exemplars for middle and high school students with and without learning disabilities. In addition to preparing the technologies with embedded supports and scaffolds, the development of precise curricular units in physics and chemistry will take place during this phase of the project. A small cohort of teachers from Fenway High School and Boston Arts Academy will be incorporated into the project to advice in the design of the specific supports as well as the curricular materials. These teachers, along with one additional teacher, will be trained in the summer of 2010 to implement RoboBooks in their science classrooms in Fall 2010. Two teachers from each participating school will work with the team in Phase 2.Phase 2 of the project focuses on collecting pilot data on the overall effectiveness of RoboBooks as designed for students with high incidence disabilities. This phase will involve two teachers each from Fenway High School and Boston Arts Academy. A pilot study will be conducted with four classrooms to measure impact of the books as well as learning (content and process) gains and engagement in science. The primary research questions driving the pilot study will be:1. How do students with high incidence disabilities use interactive RoboBooks in high school physics and chemistry classes?2. Which supports and scaffolds embedded in RoboBooks do students and teachers find useful?3. How does the use of the RoboBooks affect student engagement relative to content using more traditional resources?4. What are the student-level attitudinal benefits reasonably ascribable to using RoboBooks?5. What cognitive benefits can be ascribed to the use of the RoboBooks? How do different implementations affect learning outcomes? What contextual variables facilitate or impede student-level learning benefits?The pilot study will employ the following measures: student and Teacher questionnaires embedded in RoboBooks to obtain feedback on usability and content presentation; interviews with teachers and students facilitated by the project staff and the external evaluator to gather more qualitative feedback; and pre/post science assessments. In addition, classroom observations will be conducted to observe the practices of use students with disabilities engage in with RoboBooks. Davis Square Research Associates will conduct the formative and summative independent evaluation.