Developing a Digital Sketching Application That Delivers Personalized Feedback to Improve Student Learning and Engagement in Micropaleontology

该项目旨在通过改进本科地球科学教育来服务于国家利益。它专注于微体古生物学，这是对岩石、沙子和其他地质样品中的微体化石的研究。有关样本中微化石的类型和数量的信息有助于了解地球的历史。它还在石油、工程、采矿和其他行业中有应用。该项目将开发新的教材和互动软件应用程序，帮助学生学习如何识别微化石。这款名为FossilSketch的应用程序将帮助学生在触摸屏设备上绘制准确的微化石数字草图。一旦学生使用FossilSketch绘制了微化石的初步草图，该软件将使用人工智能算法为草图提供自动、即时的反馈。通过努力提高草图的准确性，学生们将发展识别真实样本中的微化石所需的知识和观察技能。这一掌握不仅有助于学生学习微古生物学，还将增强他们在本科研究项目中使用微古生物学的能力。因此，该项目有可能在不增加教员工作量的情况下加强地球科学教育。此外，通过支持学生的成功，它还可以扩大学生对地球科学专业和职业的参与。FossilSketch将成为首个将笔触技术与草图识别原理相结合的微古生物学教学工具，以培养本科生。应用程序将集中在有孔虫和介形虫，这两个分类类群在地质和环境研究中最活跃地使用。本项目旨在考察这种基于草图识别的辅导系统对学生理解和保留微古生物学概念的影响。它还将衡量该系统对学生对地球科学的兴趣和自我效能感的影响。FossilSketch系统将基于网络，独立于平台，因此它可以在所有设备上运行，并可供广大受众使用。将开发针对微化石的新型草图识别算法，以适应微化石独特的形态多样性，支持提高草图识别的准确性和速度，并为学生和教师提供改进的反馈机制。德克萨斯农工大学的几门地球科学课程将评估FossilSketch的课堂使用情况。项目成果和FossilSketch软件将通过项目网站、专业发展讲习班和出版物共享。该项目得到了NSF改善本科生STEM教育计划：教育和人力资源计划的支持，该计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育效率。通过参与的学生学习路径，该计划支持有前景的实践和工具的创建、探索和实施。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by improving undergraduate geoscience education. It focuses on micropaleontology, which is the study of microscopic fossils in rocks, sand, and other geological samples. Information about the type and number of microfossils in a sample is useful for understanding the history of the earth. It also has applications in oil, engineering, mining, and other industries. This project will develop new teaching materials and an interactive software application to help students to learn how to identify microfossils. This application, called FossilSketch, will help students make accurate digital sketches of microfossils on touch-screen devices. Once a student has made an initial sketch of a microfossil using FossilSketch, the software will use an artificial intelligence algorithm to provide automated, instantaneous feedback on the sketch. By working to improve the accuracy of their sketches, students will develop the knowledge and observational skills needed to identify microfossils in real samples. This mastery will not only help students learn micropaleontology, but also enhance their ability to use micropaleontology in undergraduate research projects. Thus, the project has the potential to enhance geosciences education without increasing faculty workload. In addition, by supporting student success, it can also broaden participation of students in geosciences majors and careers.FossilSketch will be the first teaching tool in micropaleontology that combines pen-and-touch technology with principles of sketch recognition to train undergraduate students. The application will focus on Foraminifera and Ostracoda, the two taxonomic groups most actively used in geological and environmental studies. This project aims to examine the impact of this sketch-recognition based tutoring system on students' comprehension and retention of micropaleontological concepts. It will also measure the impact of the system on students' interest and self-efficacy in geosciences. The FossilSketch system will be web-based and platform independent, so that it can work on all devices and be accessible to a wide audience. Novel, microfossil-specific sketch recognition algorithms will be developed to accommodate the distinct morphological diversity of microfossils, support increased sketch-recognition accuracy and speed, and provide improved feedback mechanisms for students and instructors. The classroom use of FossilSketch will be assessed in several geoscience courses at Texas A&M University. Project outcomes and the FossilSketch software will be shared through the project website, professional development workshops, and publications. This project is supported by the NSF Improving Undergraduate STEM Education Program: Education and Human Resources Program, which supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.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.