Enabling Modeling and Simulation-Based Science in the Classroom: Integrating Agent-Based Models, Real World Sensing and Collaborative networks

这个为期四年的全面研究和开发项目开发并评估了将三种基于计算的技术整合到课程模块中的有效性：基于代理的建模（ABM）、现实世界感知和协作课堂网络。该团队汇集了来自西北大学、范德比尔特大学和斯坦福大学的研究人员，并与商业伙伴Inquire Learning合作。涉及的STEM学科是初中和高中阶段的生命科学和物理科学，特别是进化、种群生物学/生态学、分子动力学理论和电磁学。该项目分两个阶段进行：第一阶段是设计实验，迭代创建纯abm和增强abm模块，由来自七所学校的14名教师进行现场测试。在第二阶段，进行了一项实验，旨在提供定量数据，以帮助表征干预的各个组成部分的不同效果，并为未来的功效和规模研究做好准备。40至80名教师参加了实验，并被分配到即时或滞后治疗。选择这四个主题领域是因为它们在科学上很重要；它们对学生来说很难，会引发严重的误解；它们适用于复杂系统和建模方法；先前的工作已经为pi准备了关于这些主题的高质量课程材料。评估工作由咨询委员会的一名成员领导，该委员会的成立是为了对项目评估提供指导。这些产品是关于学生的成就、参与和态度的研究成果，这是在科学中深入使用计算建模技术的结果。此外，还部署并通过广泛的教育社区网络传播了四个充分开发的课堂准备模块和教师支助材料。

This four-year Full Research and Development project develops and assesses the effectiveness of integrating three computation-based technologies into curricular modules: agent-based modeling (ABM), real-world sensing, and collaborative classroom networks. The team brings together researchers from Northwestern, Vanderbilt and Stanford universities in collaboration with a commercial partner, Inquire Learning. The STEM disciplines addressed are life sciences and physical sciences at middle and high school levels, specifically Evolution, Population Biology/Ecology, Kinetic Molecular Theory, and Electromagnetism.The project proceeds in two phases: The first phase is a design experiment for the iterative creation of ABM-only and enhanced-ABM modules field tested with fourteen teachers drawn from seven schools. In the second phase, an experiment is conducted that aims at providing quantitative data to help characterize the different effects of various components of the intervention and to prepare the way for future efficacy and scaling research. Between 40 and 80 teachers participate in the experiment and are assigned to immediate or lagged treatments. The four topic areas were selected because they are scientifically important; they are difficult for students, provoking significant misconceptions; they are amenable to a complex-systems and modeling approach; and prior work has prepared the PIs to develop high-quality curricular materials on these topics. The evaluation is led by a member of the advisory board which is constituted to provide guidance on the project evaluation. The products are research findings on the achievement, engagement and attitudes of students as a result of the deep use of computational modeling technologies in science. In addition, four fully developed classroom-ready modules with teacher support materials are deployed and disseminated through a broad network of educational communities.