Using Augmented Reality and Integrated Social Learning to Deepen College Students' Understanding of Molecular Processes

该项目旨在通过帮助学生更好地了解涉及生物分子的过程来服务于优秀本科教育的国家利益。生物教科书和教材使用二维静态图像来展示复杂的三维分子和随着时间发生的分子事件。因此，学生经常需要帮助来理解这些过程，如蛋白质折叠、蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用、DNA复制和RNA转录。这些过程发生的规模与人类的日常体验截然不同，这使得理解它们变得更加困难。该项目旨在使用网络增强现实(AR)技术，使学生能够在人类尺度上看到分子及其相互作用。AR技术还将允许多个用户控制分子的3D表示，使学生能够作为一个小组一起学习分子及其相互作用。该项目旨在研究AR体验如何在分子水平上改变学生对分子和过程的理解，并测试在网络增强现实环境中，社交互动是否会改善学生的学习。一旦该项目开发的材料和软件准备好在课堂上使用，它们将通过知识共享许可免费提供。该项目的目标是通过开发直观的方式让学生参与到分子尺度现象中来促进STEM教育。为此，该项目将利用AR作为一种工具，将分子现象带入生活，并将它们呈现在促进积极参与和长期学习的社会背景中。联网的AR耳机将允许多个用户从多个角度查看和控制共享的3D模拟，直通可视化将创建一个安全和自然的社交中介AR环境。小组中的每个学生都将有一个独特的角色和对相关信息的个性化访问，确保在探索一系列课程和挑战的过程中，由学生领导的协作努力发展他们对分子现象的概念和定量理解。3D模拟将对学生对相关参数的控制做出实时反应，并将包括不断更新的图形和其他数学表示。该项目的研究目标是通过测试两种教学策略的效果来调查将头盔AR技术融入STEM教育的最佳实践：学生参与协作社交互动和参与3D教学环境。项目的成功将通过对四个学习成果的量化评估来衡量：对事实的理解的准确性；专家语言的使用；定量推理的流利性；以及使用三维例子或类比交流复杂空间关系的倾向。这项研究的长期目标是创建免费可用的社会中介AR教学资源，加深学生对分子尺度现象和量化关系的理解，这些现象和数量关系是所有年级STEM课程不可或缺的。通过这些互动环境中的网络互动，社会中介的AR有可能增加STEM学习的公平机会，为农村地区的学生提供教育机会，并在其他造成无障碍挑战的情况下提供教育机会。NSF IUSE：EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生的STEM教育的有效性。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 in excellent undergraduate education by helping students better understand processes involving biological molecules. Biology textbooks and teaching materials use two-dimensional static images to show complex three-dimensional molecules and molecular events that occur over time. As a result, students often need help to understand these processes, such as protein folding, protein-protein interactions, and DNA replication, and RNA transcription. These processes occur on a scale that is starkly different from everyday human experience, making understanding them even more challenging. This project intends to use networked augmented reality (AR) technology to make molecules and their interactions visible to students on a human scale. AR technology will also allow multiple users to control 3D representations of molecules, enabing students work together as a group to learn about molecules and their interactions. The project intends to examine how the AR experience alters students’ understanding of molecules and processes at the molecular level, as well as test whether student learning is improved by social interactions in a networked augmented reality environment. Once the materials and software developed by the project are ready for classroom use, they will be made freely available via Creative Commons licensing.The goal of this project is to advance STEM education by developing intuitive ways for students to engage with molecular-scale phenomena. To do so, the project will harness AR as a tool to bring molecular phenomena to life and to present them in a social context that promotes active engagement and long-term learning. Networked AR headsets will allow multiple users to view and control a shared 3D simulation from multiple points of view, and pass-through visualization will create a safe and naturally socially mediated AR environment. Each student in a group will have a unique role and individualized access to relevant information, ensuring a collaborative student-led effort to develop their conceptual and quantitative understanding of molecular phenomena as they explore a series of lessons and challenges. The 3D simulations will react in real time to student control of relevant parameters and will include continuously updating graphs and other mathematical representations. The research goal of this project is to investigate best practices for incorporating head-mounted AR technology in STEM education by testing the effects of two teaching strategies: student engagement in collaborative social interactions and engagement with 3D instruction environments. Project success will be measured by quantitative assessment of four learning outcomes: accuracy of factual understanding; use of expert language; fluency of quantitative reasoning; and tendency to communicate complex spatial relationships using 3D examples or analogies. The long-term goal of the research is to create freely available socially mediated AR instructional resources that deepen students’ understanding of molecular-scale phenomena and quantitative relationships that are integral to STEM courses across all grade levels. Through networked interactions within these interactive environments, socially mediated AR has the potential to increase equitable access to STEM learning, by providing educational opportunities for students across rural regions and in other situations that creaet accessibility challenges. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program 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.