RCN-UBE INCUBATOR STEM BUILD: A network of undergraduates, faculty, and makers utilizing 3D printing to Build Understanding through Inclusive Learning Design

科学发现是一个团队的努力，受益于不同背景，观点和生活经验的个人的智力投入。美国STEM领域缺乏多样性意味着人才的流失，并减缓了科学的进步。为了增加美国STEM劳动力的多样性，有必要开发新的方法来教授复杂的概念，这些概念对所有学习者来说都是有效的。这个RCN-UBE网络将为教育工作者提供培训和资源，帮助他们创建交互式3D打印细胞和分子谜题，供大学生物课堂使用。这些3D模型旨在让所有学生都能使用，包括残疾学生，使盲人或视力受损的学生能够沿着他们的视力正常的同学一起学习细胞和分子过程。因为它们被设计成广泛可访问的，已发表的研究表明，这些模型增加了所有学生对困难生物概念的理解。研究人员将招募三个基于地理的团队，包括教师，3D打印专家（“制造者”）和本科生研究助理，参加北卡罗来纳州州立大学的培训峰会。每个团队将由来自三个不同机构的成员组成，并将合作创建一个触觉教学工具引导的探究学习（TTT-GIL）活动，该活动将在团队的所有三个机构实施。在峰会期间，团队将接受3D设计和打印，通用设计学习（UDL），面向过程的指导探究学习（POGIL）和评估的培训。回到家乡机构后，团队将继续原型设计和完善他们的模型，教师设计活动和评估，本科研究生与制造商合作生产物理模型。每个小组将评估他们的TTT-GIL活动在至少三个不同的教室设置的有效性。研究人员将评估参与该项目对教师教学实践，本科生STEM身份和坚持以及制造商在其家乡机构提供的培训的影响。该项目由生物基础设施部生物科学理事会和本科教育部教育和人力资源理事会共同资助，作为应对本科生物学教育中的愿景和变革所带来的挑战的努力的一部分：行动呼吁（网址：//visionandchange/finalreport/）该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值进行评估，更广泛的影响审查标准。

Scientific discovery is a team effort that benefits from the intellectual input of individuals with diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and lived experiences. Lack of diversity in STEM fields in the US represents a loss of talent and slows the progress of science. To increase the diversity of the STEM workforce in the US, it is necessary to develop new ways of teaching complex concepts that are engaging and effective for all learners. This RCN-UBE network will provide training and resources to educators to help them create interactive 3D-printed cellular and molecular puzzles for use in college biology classrooms. These 3D models are designed to be accessible to all students, including those with disabilities, making it possible for blind or visually impaired students to learn about cellular and molecular processes along with their seeing classmates. Because they are designed to be broadly accessible, published studies have shown that these models increase understanding of difficult biological concepts for all students.The researchers will recruit three geographically-based teams of faculty, 3D printing experts (“makers”), and undergraduate research assistants to attend a training summit at NC State University. Each team will be composed of members from three different institutions and will collaborate to create a Tactile Teaching Tool-Guided Inquiry Learning (TTT-GIL) activity that will be implemented at all three institutions in the team. During the summit, teams will receive training in 3D design and printing, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Process-Oriented Guided Inquiry Learning (POGIL), and assessment. Upon returning to home institutions, teams will continue prototyping and refining their models, with faculty designing the activity and assessment, and undergraduate research students working with makers to produce the physical models. Each team will assess the effectiveness of their TTT-GIL activity in at least three different classroom settings. The researchers will evaluate the effect of participation in this project on faculty teaching practices, undergraduate students’ STEM identity and persistence, and training provided by makers at their home institutions. This project is being jointly funded by the Directorate for Biological Sciences, Division of Biological Infrastructure, and the Directorate for Education and Human Resources, Division of Undergraduate Education as part of their efforts to address the challenges posed in Vision and Change in Undergraduate Biology Education: A Call to Action (http://visionandchange/finalreport/).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.