SBIR Phase I: Stackmaps: A Metacognitive Learning Support Tool To Empower Students In STEM

该SBIR第一阶段项目将研究和开发方法，为成人专业人士和年轻成人学生提供技能和自信，以追求科学，技术，工程和数学（STEM）领域的学习和职业。今天，社会的很大一部分人认为在技术部门代表性不足。因此，有些人对技术的自信心很低。在美国对技术工人的需求日益增加的时候，美国需要社会各阶层的贡献，而不仅仅是那些过去享有特权的阶层，以满足这种需求并保持美国在全球创新经济中的竞争优势。让美国各阶层的人参与进来，将使创新型公司能够利用更多样化的创造力来源，为当今的问题制定更好的解决方案，并创造更多的就业机会。当人们将自己视为某项技术技能的未来实践者时，就有可能以更深入、更充实、更持久的方式学习主题。本发明的商业化将增加在线学习平台的保留率，不仅在教育公司内而且在雇佣所产生的人才的公司内推动收入。所提出的技术是创新的，因为不存在支持元知识开发与技术技能获取相结合的商业可用软件工具。这种创新是有风险的，因为没有人证明通过自动化软件对元认知产生积极影响甚至在单一学习课程中也是可能的。本研究的目标是提供在在线学习平台背景下增强STEM学习者自我效能感的技术。该项目结合了数字个性化和教育心理学研究的最佳实践，以提供响应学习者偏好和学习者态度属性的定制内容。拟议的研究将通过随机试验证明，与对照人群相比，接受有针对性干预的学生的动机和参与程度有所提高。使用调查工具，研究人员将测量自我效能，寻求挑战和目标设定行为的变化。由于研究团队在开发经过验证的教育干预措施方面拥有独特的经验，这些干预措施可以提高各种学习领域的自我效能，因此拟议技术中的算法和方法将难以被竞争对手复制。该SBIR项目将提供算法和基于网络的自动干预，帮助所有STEM学习者体验与STEM主题的个人参与，并在学习任务中获得授权。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并被认为值得通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估来支持。

This SBIR Phase I project will study and develop methods to provide adult professionals and young adult students with the skills and self-confidence to pursue studies and careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields. Today, a large segment of society identifies as being underrepresented in the technology sector. Some individuals experience low technology-related self-confidence as a result. At a time when the United States has an increasing demand for technology workers, the country needs contributions from all segments of society, and not simply those segments which have been privileged in the past, to meet this demand and maintain U.S. competitive advantage in the global innovation economy. Engaging people from the full spectrum of the United States population will enable innovative companies to leverage more diverse sources of creativity, build better solutions to today's problems, and create more jobs. When people see themselves as future practitioners of a technical skill, it is possible to learn topics in a deeper, more fulfilling, and more enduring manner. Commercializing this invention will increase online learning platform retention rates, driving revenue not only within educational companies but within the companies who hire the resulting talent.The proposed technology is innovative because no commercially-available software tools exist which support metacognitive development in tandem with technical skill acquisition. This innovation is risky because no one has proven that having a positive influence on metacognition through automated software is even possible during single learning session. The goal of this research is to deliver techniques for enhancing the self-efficacy of STEM learners within the context of online learning platforms. The project combines best practices in digital personalization and educational psychology research to deliver customized content responsive to learner preferences and learner attitude attributes. The proposed research will demonstrate, via a random trial, increased levels of motivation and engagement in students who receive targeted interventions as compared with a control population. Using survey instruments, the researchers will measure changes in self-efficacy, challenge-seeking, and goal-setting behavior. Because the research team has unique experience in developing proven educational interventions which enhance self-efficacy across a variety of learning domains, the algorithms and methods inside the proposed technology will be difficult for competitors to replicate. This SBIR project will deliver algorithms and automated, web-based interventions to help all STEM learners experience personal engagement with STEM topics and find empowerment in the task of learning.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.