SBIR Phase I: Helping Students Acquire 21st Century Skills Through Immersive Group STEM Simulations

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目将通过资助技术转换，使一个体验式模拟学习实验室自动化，从本质上是一个需要在有限地理区域内的学校提供专用实验室的硬连线产品到全国可用的在线产品。此外，这笔资金将推动必要的技术创新，以保持现有原型的沉浸式体验性质。该项目还将允许对产品的潜在假设进行研究：如果学生意识到他们将被要求在即将到来的模拟中应用他们的学习，他们是否会在内容教学中更投入？如果是这样的话，参与程度的提高是否会影响总结性评估的表现？由于该产品的独特性质使其处于数字内容和评估之间的教育技术连续体的中间，因此使用当前的市场趋势来估计其销售潜力是困难的。然而，在线提供该产品将大大降低其目前的价格点，使该产品在经济上对美国各地成千上万的教师和学校具有吸引力，这些教师和学校寻求的课程吸引了那些在团队导向的环境中学习效果最好的学生，并培养了合作、多学科解决问题的技能。这个项目的智力价值在于技术创新，它将劳动密集型、依赖硬件的原型转换为自动化的在线产品，同时保持其沉浸式、引人入胜的品质。这项创新的主要目标是为课堂教师创建一个强大的工具，可以在大型实验室或单台计算机上实现。相应的目标是确定该工具如何有效地吸引学生参与主题，并培养21世纪工作场所高需求的现实生活技能。教师将可以从三个不同的平台中进行选择：太空探索模拟任务控制；领导力峰会，全球政策制定模拟；以及模拟人眼看不到的区域的生态球。虽然技术先进，但该产品还需要安装简单，并且需要最少的培训才能操作。该产品将包含多个控件，以便教师可以监控他们的学生。相互作用并管理其进程以获得最佳效果。最后，这项创新还将利用最新发展的市售音响和灯光增强产品，使教师能够控制外部音响和灯光的时间和水平。

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will automate an experiential simulation learning lab by funding the technical conversion from what is essentially a hardwired product requiring a dedicated lab available to schools within a limited geographic area to a nationally available online product. Additionally, the funding will drive the technological innovation necessary to maintain the immersive, experiential nature of the existing prototype. The project will also allow for research on the underlying assumption of the product: will students be more engaged during content instruction if they are aware that they will be asked to apply their learning in an upcoming simulation? And, if so, will the improved engagement carry over to improved performance on summative assessments? Since the unique nature of the product places it in the middle of the educational technology continuum between digital content and assessment, using current market trends to estimate its sales potential is difficult. However, offering the product online will dramatically decrease its current price point, making the product economically attractive to thousands of teachers and schools across the United States seeking curriculum that engages students who learn best in a team-oriented environment and fosters skill in collaborative, multi-disciplinary problem solving. The intellectual merit of this project lies in the technological innovation that will convert the labor intensive, hardware dependent prototype into an automated online product while maintaining its immersive, engaging qualities. The main objective of the innovation is to create a powerful tool for the classroom teacher that can be implemented in a large lab or on a single computer. A corresponding objective is to determine how effectively the tool engages students in the subject matter and develops real life skills that are in high demand in the 21st century workplace. Teachers will be able to choose from three distinct platforms: Mission Control, a space exploration simulation; Leadership Summit, a global policy making simulation; and Ecosphere, a simulation of areas hidden to the human eye. While being technologically sophisticated, the product also needs to be simple to install and to require minimal training to operate. The product will incorporate multiple controls so that teachers can monitor their students? interactions and manage their progress for optimum effect. Finally, the innovation will also make use of the latest developments in commercially available sound and lighting enhancement products giving teachers control of the timing and level of external sounds and lights.