C3PO: Customizable Computer Coaches for Physics Online

在这个项目中，研究人员需要通过开发一个基于网络的教练系统，为入门物理学生提供有效的解决问题的指导。该系统超越了目前可用的教育工具，其潜力，以帮助学生成为更好的问题解决者，以及由教师教学范围广泛的学生进行调整。这对于那些标准教学不足以满足的学生来说可能非常重要。由于可再现的细粒度的解决问题的指导提供的教练，建议的工作可以有助于知识基础上如何设计有效的解决问题的指导，无论这种指令是基于计算机的。该系统的主要特点，被称为可定制的计算机教练物理在线（C3PO），是他们（1）为学生提供教练的可推广的非线性决策过程，这是至关重要的专家般的解决问题，而学生练习解决问题，（2）为教师提供定制的问题，指导和反馈给学生的能力。研究人员将与来自不同大专院校的五名物理教师合作，开发C3PO教练并修改底层软件。教师将与项目团队合作，构建教练并将系统集成到自己的课程中，同时收集数据以评估教练的可行性，可用性，有用性和潜在的教育影响。然后，这些数据将用于开发和准备C3PO系统，以便在一个不断改进的周期中进行大规模传播。由于以系统的方式处理新问题的逻辑专家式框架对所有STEM领域都很重要，因此该项目有助于发展未来准备充分的STEM劳动力。它有可能在其他STEM领域和多个学科中产生类似的努力。

In this project the investigators address the need to provide introductory physics students with effective problem-solving instruction by developing a web-based coaching system. This system goes beyond currently available educational tools in its potential to help students become better problem solvers as well as to be adapted by instructors teaching a wide range of students. This could be very significant for students for whom standard instruction is insufficient. Because of the reproducible fine-grained problem-solving instruction delivered by the coaches, the proposed work can contribute to the knowledge base on how to design effective problem-solving instruction, whether or not this instruction is computer-based. The key features of the system, called Customizable Computer Coaches for Physics Online (C3PO), are that they (1) provide students with coaching on the generalizable non-linear decision-making processes that are critical to expert-like problem-solving while the students practice solving problems, and (2) provide instructors with the ability to customize the problems, guidance, and feedback given to students. The investigators will collaborate with five physics instructors from diverse post-secondary institutions to develop C3PO coaches and revise the underlying software. The instructors will work with the project team, building coaches and integrating the system into their own classes, while gathering data to assess the feasibility, usability, usefulness, and potential educational impact of the coaches. This data will then be used to develop and prepare the C3PO system for large-scale dissemination in a continuous cycle of improvement. Since a logical expert-like framework for approaching novel problems in a systematic way, is important to all STEM fields, this project contributes to the development of a well-prepared STEM workforce of the future. It has the potential to spawn similar efforts in other STEM fields and across multiple disciplines.