Fostering Enduring Interest in STEM through Exoplanet Education and Interactive Exploration and Creation of Potentially Habitable Worlds

作为加强非正式环境中学习的总体战略的一部分，推进非正式STEM学习（AISL）项目资助了用于各种环境的创新研究、方法和资源。据估计，银河系中可能有400亿颗地球大小的行星围绕着恒星的可居住区域运行。近几十年来，远程望远镜的重大进步使天文学家能够识别数千颗系外行星，发现新的系外行星现在已经司空见惯。公众对这些发现的兴奋感随着这些发现而增长，从而为激励新一代科学家和工程师开辟了新的可能性，他们可能梦想有一天能访问这些行星。该项目研究了如何使用交互式智能教育技术，让学习者探索甚至创造自己的系外行星，从而激发对STEM的兴趣。研究将在几个非正式的学习环境中进行，包括夏令营、课后项目、天文馆表演和在家。这种方法是基于关于地球的“如果”问题的想法（例如，“如果月球不存在会怎么样？”），旨在激发人们对STEM的兴趣，并围绕假设的科学问题进行探索性和详细的讨论，这些问题随后与寻找可居住的系外行星有关。学习者能够与地球的其他版本进行互动和探索科学准确的模拟，同时进行观察并为他们所看到的提出解释。以技术为基础的非正式学习体验，旨在激发和维持对STEM的兴趣，有可能堵塞泄漏的STEM管道，从而对美国科学和技术的未来产生深远的影响。该项目旨在通过多种方式推进设计技术科学，以促进人们对STEM和非正式天文学教育的兴趣。首先，该项目将为天文学和行星科学的探索性学习开发模拟。这些模拟将基于假设问题和已知系外行星的可行模型来呈现假设世界，从而使学习者有机会更好地理解寻找可居住世界的挑战，并了解在那里生存所需的条件。其次，将建立一个新的PBS NOVA实验室，专注于系外行星的教育。这项基于网络的活动有可能触及数百万学习者，并将帮助他们了解行星是如何形成的，以及支持生命的要求。使用该实验室的学习者将有机会发明自己的系外行星，并将其输出以进行第一人称探索。第三，该项目的研究人员将设计和实施基于人工智能的教学代理，以支持学习和提高兴趣。这些代理将与学习者一起居住在模拟环境中，充当教练和向导，并根据学习者的偏好进行文化响应和个性化设计。第四，将在菲斯克天文馆（科罗拉多州博尔德）进行以系外行星为重点的互动式天文馆展示，这将涉及与模拟的现场互动。最后，该项目将开发一个基于服务器的基础设施，用于跟踪和支持对STEM感兴趣的长期发展。这个后端将跟踪细粒度的行为，包括模拟中的移动、动作和通信。这些数据将揭示兴趣如何发展的模式，学习者如何参与自由选择的学习活动，以及他们如何在计算机模拟中与代理人和同伴互动。将采用一种基于设计的研究方法来评估这些不同的经历对激发兴趣和促进天文学学习的作用。因此，将考虑和评估对STEM感兴趣的一系列不同途径。随着时间的推移，研究将衡量这些经历是否有能力引发人们对STEM的兴趣，并促进再参与。创新在于将引人入胜的智能技术与发人深省的教学法结合起来，作为一种扩大不同青年学习者参与STEM的方法。项目研究和教育资源将通过同行评议的研究期刊、会议报告、科学博物馆、儿童博物馆、Fab实验室和天文馆等非正式STEM教育网络以及公共媒体（如公共电视台的NOVA科学节目网站）广泛传播给研究人员、设计师、开发人员和公众。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

As part of its overall strategy to enhance learning in informal environments, the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program funds innovative research, approaches and resources for use in a variety of settings. It is estimated that there could be 40 billion earth-sized planets orbiting in the habitable zones of stars in the Milky Way. Major advances in long range telescopes have allowed astronomers to identify thousands of exoplanets in recent decades, and the discovery of new exoplanets is a now a common occurrence. Public excitement for the discoveries grown alongside these discoveries, thus opening new possibilities for inspiring a new generation of scientists and engineers that may dream of one day visiting these planets. This project investigates the use of interactive, intelligent educational technologies to generate interest in STEM by allowing learners to explore and even create their own exoplanets. Research will occur across several informal learning contexts, including summer camps, after school programs, planetarium shows, and at home. The approach is based on the idea of "What if?"questions about Earth (e.g., "What if the Moon did not exist?"), designed to trigger interest in STEM and frame exploratory and elaborative discussions around hypothetical science questions that are subsequently linked to the search for habitable exoplanets. Learners are able to interact with and explore scientifically accurate simulations of alternative versions of Earth, while making observations and posing explanations for what they see. Technology-based informal learning experiences designed to act as triggers for and sustainment of interest in STEM have the potential to plug the leaky STEM pipeline, and thus have profound implications for the future of science and technology in the United States. The project seeks to advance the science of designing technologies for promoting interest in STEM and informal astronomy education in several ways. First, the project will develop simulations for exploratory learning about astronomy and planetary science. These simulations will present hypothetical worlds based on what-if questions and feasible models of known exoplanets, thus giving learners a chance to better understand the challenges of finding a habitable world and learning about what is needed to survive there. Second, a new PBS NOVA Lab will be developed that will focus on Exoplanet education. This web-based activity has the potential to reach millions of learners and will help them understand how planets are formed and the requirements for supporting life. Learners who use the lab will have an opportunity to invent their own exoplanets and export them for first-person exploration. Third, researchers on the project will design and implement Artificial Intelligence-based pedagogical agents to support learning and promote interest. These agents will inhabit the simulations with the learner, acting as a coach and guide, and be designed to be culturally responsive and personalized based on learner preferences. Fourth, interactive exoplanet-focused planetarium shows, that will involve live interaction with simulations, will take place at the Fiske Planetarium (Boulder, CO). Finally, the project will develop a server-based infrastructure for tracking and supporting long term development of interest in STEM. This back-end will track fine-grained behaviors, including movement, actions, and communications in the simulations. Such data will reveal patterns about how interest develops, how learners engage in free-choice learning activities, and how they interact with agents and peers in computer simulations. A design-based research methodology will be employed to assess the power of these different experiences to trigger interest and promote learning of astronomy. A range of different pathways for interest in STEM will therefore be considered and assessed. Research will measure the power of these experiences to trigger interest in STEM and promote re-engagement over time. Innovation lies in the use of engaging and intelligent technologies with thought-provoking pedagogy as a method for extended engagement of diverse young learners in STEM. Project research and educational resources will be widely disseminated to researchers, designers developers and the general public via peer-reviewed research journals, conference presentations, informal STEM education networks of science museums, children's museums, Fab Labs, and planetariums, and public media such as public television's NOVA science program website.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.