SBIR Phase I: Interactive Multi-Touch Collaborative Table for Classrooms

坦普尔曼自动化（TA）和塔夫茨工程教育与推广中心（CEEO）提议将TA的开放式架构触摸桌用于STEM教育应用。STEM-Table ?将多点触控计算应用于协作学习、基于项目的工程教育、组内个人技能评估以及跨科学可视化和增强现实。这些应用程序将利用学生？对触摸界面的自然迷恋，并通过使用多触摸特定的课程模块指导他们完成STEM教育目标。在SBIR的资助下，将开发一套多点触摸工具集和活动/课程，这些工具集和活动/课程将在多点触摸桌环境中设计，为STEM教育提供更多的科学活动。该项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是STEM-Table(1)为不同的教室带来高端互动体验；(2)使开箱即用（工程）和最终结果（教学）科学学习成为可能；(3)将为STEM协作活动提供新的范例，同时减少教师工作量和有针对性的技能评估。本研究的智力价值在于将多点触控桌面环境与ceo的教育经验相结合。通过共同努力，一种新的课堂互动模式将被创造出来，为学生提供理解科学所需的途径、支持和支架，并为STEM的创造性机会感到兴奋。

Templeman Automation (TA) and Tufts Center for Engineering Education and Outreach (CEEO), propose using TA's open-architecture touch-table for STEM educational applications. The ?STEM-Table? applies multi-touch computing to collaborative learning, project-based engineering education, individual-within-group skills assessment, and across-sciences visualization and augmented reality. These applications will leverage students? natural fascination towards touch interfaces and direct them through STEM educational goals using multi-touch-specific curriculum modules. With the benefit of SBIR funding, a multi-touch toolset and activities/curriculum will be developed that are designed within the multi-touch table environment to provide augmented science activities for STEM education. The broader impact/commercial potential of this project is that STEM-Table (1) brings high-end interactive experiences to diverse classrooms; (2) enables out-of-the-box (engineering) and end-result (instruction) science learning; and (3) will provide a new paradigm for collaborative STEM activities while providing teacher workload reduction and targeted skills assessment.The intellectual merit of the proposed research lies in the melding of the multi-touch table environment with the educational experience of the CEEO. Working together, a new model of classroom interaction will be created to provide the access, supports, and scaffolds that students need to make sense of science and become excited by STEM's creative opportunities.