Research Initiation Grant: Investigating the use of Simulation and Gaming in Sustainable Energy Education

这项工程教育研究启动拨款将允许由工程师、计算机科学家和教育心理学家组成的研究团队探索使用严肃的电子游戏来教授工程专业学生在可持续能源的背景下进行系统设计的概念。研究小组将使用负担能力理论来指导开发，并衡量在两种不同环境中对学生学习的影响。该项目的更广泛的意义和重要性将是为设计可在工程课堂上广泛应用的替代教育方法提供信息，并更好地向社会广泛提供与可持续能源相关的选择和权衡方面的信息。拟议的教育媒体有可能接触到广泛的学生群体，其中许多人目前在STEM学科中的代表性不足。该项目与NSF的战略目标重叠，即通过培养一支具有新能力和专业知识的工程队伍来改造边境。此外，NSF为社会创新的目标是通过建设国家公民通过工程应对社会挑战的能力来实现的。

This engineering education research initiation grant will allow the research team--consisting of engineers, computer scientists, and educational psychologists--to explore using serious electronic games to teach engineering students the concepts of system design in a context of sustainable energy. The research team will use affordance theory to guide the development and measure the impact on student learning in two different environments.The broader significance and importance of this project will be to inform the design of alternative educational methods that can be widely applied both in the engineering classroom and to better inform a broad section of society about the choices and tradeoffs associated with sustainable energy. The proposed educational medium has the potential to reach a broad cross-section of students, many who are in groups currently under-represented in STEM disciplines. This project overlaps with NSF's strategic goal of transforming the frontiers through preparation of an engineering workforce with new capabilities and expertise. Additionally NSF's goal of innovating for society is enabled by building the capacity of the nation's citizenry for addressing societal challenges through engineering.