SBIR Phase I: Agency, a Web-based Alternative Reality Game for Environmental Education

这项小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目旨在激励中学生从事科学研究。具体来说，许多学生对环境教育缺乏兴趣，很大程度上是因为他们花在室内从事数字媒体的时间增加了。通过开发“代理”这款虚拟现实游戏（ARG），该项目将利用学生？对电子游戏和社交技术的兴趣激励他们花更多的时间在户外参与公民科学。在《代理》中，学生们使用在线技术将自己转变为超级代理，他们必须走到户外，在社区中采取实际行动才能玩游戏。学生通过对他们的活动进行同侪排名来获得分数。在学校通过3次迭代开发出一级Agency后，研究人员将使用学生学习成果的前后测试，以及学生对积极环境行为动机和户外活动时间的问卷调查进行可行性研究。将包括来自观察和教师访谈的定性数据。由于ARG在教育中的应用尚处于起步阶段，本项目将通过确定导致可持续和激励教育ARG的因素来填补研究空白，并展示ARG对增加科学理解和户外活动时间的影响。这个项目更广泛的影响/商业潜力是它对教师和学生的潜在吸引力，因为arg具有高度的激励性质。此外，通过精心研究的教学设计，本项目将开发一个完整的系统，以满足教师的需求。需要产生技术丰富和刺激的活动，同时帮助学生达到国家科学标准。《Agency》与其他ARGs的不同之处在于，它在6-8年级的州科学课程标准中建立了坚实的基础，涉及生态系统和流域，以及科学实践。此外，程序？s的在线工具允许学生和教师以可重复和异步的方式有效地与科学数据和内容进行交互，这在以前的教育ARG中从未发现过。通过为期9个月的以标准为基础的课程，以及一个将学生与内容、其他教室、专家以及当地和全球媒体联系起来的数据库，学生们在获得环境素养的同时，掌握了观察、预测、测试、行动和报告的科学技能。这种产品可以很容易地与现有的环境教育课程或科学教科书联系起来，为面向K-12学校的产品增加价值。当学生玩代理时，他们将享受实践科学的冒险和负责任的环境行为的重要性。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project seeks to motivate middle-school students to engage in science. Specifically, many students lack interest in environmental education, due largely to the increased time they spend indoors engaging in digital media. Through the development of Agency, an Alternate Reality Game (ARG), this project will leverage students? interest in video games and social technologies to motivate them to spend more time outdoors engaging in citizen science. In Agency, students use online technologies to transform themselves into super-agents who must go outdoors and take real action in their communities in order to play. Students gain points through peer-ranking of their activities. After developing one level of Agency through 3 iterations in schools, the researchers will conduct a feasibility study using pre/post tests of student learning outcomes, and student-questionnaires on motivations toward positive environmental behavior and time spent outside. Qualitative data from observations and teacher interviews will be included. Because of the infancy of the use of ARGs in education, this project will fill a research void by identifying the factors that lead to a sustainable and motivating educational ARG, and demonstrating the impact ARGs have on increasing science understanding and time spent outdoors.The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is its potential appeal to teachers and students because of the highly motivating nature of ARGs. Additionally, through careful and researched instructional design, this project will develop a complete system that meets teachers? needs to produce technologically rich and stimulating activities, while helping students meet state standards for science. What sets Agency apart from other ARGs is its strong foundation in the 6-8th grade state science curriculum standards around ecosystems and watersheds, as well as scientific practices. Additionally, the program?s online tools allow students and teachers to effectively interact with science data and content in a repeatable and asynchronous manner, never found before in an educational ARG. Through the 9-month, standards-based curriculum, as well as a database connecting students to content, other classrooms, experts, and local and global media outlets, students are scaffolded in their scientific skills of observing, predicting, testing, acting, and reporting while gaining environmental literacy. This product could easily be linked to existing environmental education curriculums or science textbooks, adding value to products marketed to K-12 schools. As students play Agency they will enjoy the adventure of practicing science and the importance of responsible environmental behavior.