Collaborative Research - Improving STEM Learning through Interactive RoboBooks

“通过互动机器人图书改善STEM学习”是塔夫茨大学和美国塔夫茨大学之间的合作项目。美国工程教育推广中心和应用特殊技术中心。该项目将开发RoboBooks，这是一种新颖的交互式网络工作空间，适用于有学习障碍和/或行为/情感障碍的高中生，将提高他们对化学和物理科学的理解。第一阶段将专注于为拟议的研究准备RoboBook技术，通过在工具中嵌入支持和支架，以改善残疾学生的科学学习体验。美国国家科学基金会资助的合作研究项目（DRL-0730260）中，CAST、EDC和密歇根大学正在为初高中学生开发科学课程的UDL方法，该项目将利用该项目所创造的专业知识和资产。他们正在1)开发一个开源的UDL探究科学系统，使科学课程能够转换为包含UDL功能的数字支持版本；2)创建设计UDL科学材料的指导方针；3)从经过测试的教学材料中开发四个化学和生物单元的UDL范例，并评估这些范例对有或没有学习障碍的初高中学生的益处。除了用嵌入式支架和支架准备技术外，在项目的这一阶段还将进行物理和化学精确课程单元的开发。来自芬威高中和波士顿艺术学院的一小群教师将被纳入该项目，以提供具体支持和课程材料设计方面的建议。这些教师和另外一名教师将在2010年夏季接受培训，以便在2010年秋季在他们的科学课堂上使用机器书。在第二阶段，每所参与学校的两名教师将与团队一起工作。该项目的第二阶段侧重于收集为高残疾学生设计的RoboBooks的整体有效性的试点数据。这一阶段将有两名教师分别来自芬威高中和波士顿艺术学院。将在四个教室进行一项试点研究，以衡量这些书籍的影响以及学习（内容和过程）的收获和对科学的参与。推动试点研究的主要研究问题是：1。高发残疾学生如何在高中物理和化学课堂上使用互动式robobook ？学生和老师认为机器人书中嵌入的哪些支撑和支架是有用的？相对于传统资源，机器书的使用如何影响学生的参与度？使用RoboBooks对学生的态度有什么好处？使用机器书能带来哪些认知上的好处？不同的实现方式如何影响学习成果？哪些上下文变量促进或阻碍了学生水平的学习益处？试点研究将采用以下措施：在RoboBooks中嵌入学生和教师问卷，以获得关于可用性和内容呈现的反馈；在项目工作人员和外部评估人员的协助下与教师和学生进行访谈，以收集更多的定性反馈；以及前后科学评估。此外，还将进行课堂观察，观察残疾学生使用robobook的情况。戴维斯广场研究协会将进行形成性和总结性独立评估。

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.