SBIR Phase I: Trains of Thought, a novel game-based learning curriculum module to teach STEM and entrepreneurship skills

这个SBIR第一阶段项目提出设计和演示思路的可行性，这是一种新颖的基于游戏的学习课程模块，用于向高中生教授STEM（科学，技术，工程和数学）和创业技能。这个项目有很大的智力价值。美国从幼儿园到12年级（K-12）的STEM教育已经落后于全球标准（国家科学委员会，2007年;美国劳工部，2007年），目前的教育实践还不足以让我们的学生做好在全球经济中竞争的准备。《思想列车》探索了基于游戏的学习在这个问题上的新应用。该方法结合了（1）经过验证的教育研究，为未来的学习做准备（Schwartz Martin，2004）和引导体验式学习与脚手架（Hmelo-Silver，邓肯，Chinn，2007）;（2）现有的，流行的，开源的商业模拟视频游戏;（3）人工智能体验管理（Weyhrauch，1996），（Roberts，2011），（Mott Lester，2006），以平衡教育目标与引人入胜的游戏玩法，保持流畅感。该项目基于新兴的教育研究成果，为基于游戏的学习开发了一种全新的方法。如果成功的话，这一努力应该为K-12教室中使用游戏教授STEM和创业设定新的标准。拟议的研究，课程模块和附带的游戏软件的更广泛/商业影响可以帮助扭转美国STEM和创业教育下降的趋势。这种影响直接支持我们未来的商业领袖推动美国的创新和我们国家的长期经济繁荣。有效的基于游戏的学习的变革性概念有可能接触到基于STEM的创业企业中代表性不足的人口-包括女性，非洲裔美国人，西班牙裔和拉丁裔人口-通过为学生提供新的方式来参与，互动和学习核心教育内容。从所提出的努力中获得的知识也对科学和教育界的设计和应用基于游戏的学习具有重要意义。我们的原则，开发方法和评估结果可以形成一个模型，用于开发各种主题的额外课程模块，从而在更广泛的背景下提高美国STEM和创业教育的有效性。这些结果也可能刺激新的研究工作，以完善和扩展我们在基于游戏的学习中的发现，在未来的努力中创造更有效的STEM和创业教育。

This SBIR Phase I project proposes to design and demonstrate the feasibility of Trains of Thought, a novel game-based learning curriculum module to teach STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and entrepreneurship skills to high school students. This project has significant intellectual merit. US kindergarten through twelfth grade (K-12) STEM education is falling behind global standards (National Science Board, 2007; US Department of Labor, 2007), and current educational practice is not doing enough to prepare our students to compete in the global economy. Trains of Thought explores new applications of game-based learning to this problem. The approach combines (1) proven educational research in preparation for future learning (Schwartz & Martin, 2004) and guided experiential learning with scaffolding (Hmelo-Silver, Duncan, & Chinn, 2007); (2) an existing, popular, open source business simulation video game; and (3) artificial intelligence experience management (Weyhrauch, 1996), (Roberts, 2011), (Mott & Lester, 2006) to balance educational objectives with engaging gameplay, maintaining a sense of flow. The project builds upon emerging educational research results to develop a fundamentally new methodology for game-based learning. If successful, this effort should set new standards for the use of games for teaching STEM and entrepreneurship in K-12 classrooms.The broader/commercial impact of the proposed research, curriculum module, and accompanying game software can help to reverse the trend of declining US STEM and entrepreneurship education. This effect directly supports our future business leaders in driving American innovation and our nation's long-term economic prosperity. The transformative concept of effective game-based learning has the potential to reach out to under-represented demographics in STEM-based entrepreneurial businesses - including women, African-American, Hispanic, and Latino populations - by providing students new ways to engage, interact, and learn from core educational content. The knowledge gained from the proposed effort also has significant implications to the scientific and educational communities for the design and application of game-based learning. Our principles, methods of development, and evaluation outcomes may form a model for developing additional curriculum modules on a variety of subjects, therefore increasing effectiveness of US STEM and entrepreneurship education in a wider context. These results may also spur new research efforts to refine and extend our findings in game-based learning, creating more effective STEM and entrepreneurship education in future efforts.