SBIR Phase I: Astro-Engineer: Implement Problem-based Serious Games Approach to Engage Middle School Students in Engineering Design Challenges Related to Colonizing Space

这个小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第一阶段研究项目建议设计、开发和进行Astro-ENGINEER的可用性和可行性测试，Astro-ENGINEER是一个基于问题的商业质量严肃的游戏模块，带有嵌入式脚手架，旨在吸引中学生(7年级和8年级)参与与殖民空间相关的工程设计挑战。SBIR项目的整个第一阶段和第二阶段将是设计、开发和评估全套五个严肃的游戏模块和嵌入式迷你游戏作为学习支架，以及教师指南，以感兴趣并吸引中学生学习应用于真正的工程设计挑战的工程问题解决方法，应用科学和数学来解决这些挑战，并提高学生对工程、工程技术和相关STEM主题、课程和职业的兴趣。通过让中学生参与基于真实工程挑战的严肃游戏模块，这些模块映射到学术工程标准并与项目捆绑在一起，引领课程，中学生将在以下方面表现出显著的增长：1)与特定的工程设计概念、任务和基于与殖民空间有关的挑战的问题解决方法相关的学习结果；2)与应用特定数学和科学技能来解决这些工程挑战的能力相关的学习成果；3)对工程、工程技术和相关STEM主题、课程和/或职业的兴趣。虽然这些成果的重点是所有学生，但特别强调接触代表性不足的人群(妇女、少数群体和有能力的人)。该项目将有助于改善关于如何有效地为STEM教育设计严肃游戏的知识库，特别是教授工程设计过程，以支持学生的兴趣和学习，并吸引工程学中代表性不足的人群。该项目将通过事后测试、观察、调查和采访两个班级的中学生来测试Astro-ENGINEER的可用性和可行性，并将分析数据以评估对特定感兴趣人群的影响。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I research project proposes to design, develop and conduct usability and feasibility testing on Astro-Engineer, a problem-based, commercial quality serious game module with embedded scaffolds to interest and engage middle school (7th and 8th grade) students in engineering design challenges related to colonizing space. The overall Phase I and II components of this SBIR project will be to design, develop and evaluate the full suite of five serious game modules with embedded mini games that serve as learning scaffolds, as well as a Teachers Guide, to interest and engage middle school students in learning engineering problem-solving approaches applied to authentic engineering design challenges, applying science and math to solve these challenges, and increasing student interest in engineering, engineering technology and related STEM topics, courses, and careers.By engaging middle school students in problem-based serious game modules based on authentic engineering challenges that are mapped to academic engineering standards and tied to the Project Lead the Way curriculum, middle school students will demonstrate a significant increase in: 1) learning outcomes related to specific engineering design concepts, tasks and problem solving approaches based on challenges related to colonizing space; 2) learning outcomes related to the ability to apply specific math and science skills to solve these engineering challenges; 3) interest in engineering, engineering technology and related STEM topics, courses and/or careers. While the focus for these gains is on all students, there is a particular emphasis on reaching under-represented populations (women, minorities, and persons with abilities). This project will help improve the knowledge base on how to effectively design serious games for STEM education, and specifically to teach the engineering design process, in such a way as to support student interest and learning, and to attract underrepresented populations in engineering. The project will test the usability and feasibility of Astro-Engineer with two classes of middle school students using a pre-post test, observation, surveys and interviews, and data will be analyzed to assess impact on specific populations of interest.