Special Project - Developing Virtual Content for STEM Career and Technical Education

参加先进技术教育课程的学生需要培养与行业相关的动手技能和能力，以便作为熟练技术人员从事入门级工作。因此，技术教育必须为所有学生服务，包括那些正在工作或照顾他人的学生，以及那些因交通不便或其他原因无法在校学习的学生。此外，技术教育还必须为高中和大学服务，因为它们负担不起这种培训所需的昂贵的动手设备。该项目将为三个不同的STEM职业和技术教育项目开发增强虚拟现实内容。预计这些资源将使学生能够在任何有足够互联网接入的地方学习实际操作技能。这些资源除了扩大受教育的机会之外，还有望带来其他好处。已经证明，使用AVR的学生学习完成任务的速度比只使用传统方法的学生快两倍以上。这种加快的学习速度在STEM任务中尤为明显。因此，本项目开发的AVR资源也可用于改善面对面学习者的学习效果。东爱荷华社区学院增强和虚拟现实（AVR）系在开发应用程序方面具有丰富的经验，这些应用程序使用AVR技术来增强大学和劳动力教育中的传统教学实践。AVR项目既是一个面向有兴趣学习如何使用AVR技术的大专学生的教育项目，也是一个内部软件开发单位，开发人员在学院委托的AVR项目中工作。该项目将汇集学生和大学AVR专家，与商业和行业主题专家合作，为stem相关的职业和技术教育项目开发大约30个AVR模块，包括汽车技术、柴油技术、供暖、通风和空调技术。完成的AVR模块将由学生通过Oculus Quest耳机使用。项目评估活动将评估AVR模块对学生学习成果的影响，包括动手技能的发展。学生通过AVR学习的结果将与亲自学习的结果进行比较。AVR模块将在学院网站上免费提供，并在stem相关的职业和技术教育领域传播，以便全国各地的高中和社区大学学生能够实现真正的远程实践学习。该项目由先进技术教育计划资助，该计划侧重于为推动国家经济的先进技术领域培养技术人员。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。

Students enrolled in advanced technology education programs need to develop industry relevant hands-on skills and competencies to be considered for entry level jobs as skilled technicians. Thus, technical education must serve all students, including those who are working or caregiving and those who have transportation or other limitations to learning on campus. In addition, technical education must also serve high schools and colleges that cannot afford the expensive hands-on equipment needed for this training. This project will develop Augmented Virtual Reality content for three different STEM Career and Technical Education programs. It is expected that these resources will enable students to learn hands-on skills from any location with adequate internet access. These resources are also expected to have benefits beyond broadening access to education. It has been demonstrated that students who use AVR can learn to do a task more than twice as fast as students who use only traditional methods. This increased pace of learning is particularly noted for STEM tasks. Thus, the AVR resources developed by this project may also be used to improve the learning outcomes of in-person learners.The Eastern Iowa Community College Augmented and Virtual Reality (AVR) Department has experience in developing applications that use AVR technologies to enhance traditional pedagogical practices in college and workforce education. The AVR program is both an education program for postsecondary students interested in learning how to use AVR technologies and an internal software development unit in which developers work on College-commissioned AVR projects. This project will bring together students and college AVR experts to work with business and industry subject matter experts to develop approximately thirty AVR modules for STEM-related career and technical education programs in Automotive Technology, Diesel Technology, and Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning Technology. The completed AVR modules will be used by students via Oculus Quest headsets. Project evaluation activities will assess the impact of the AVR modules on student learning outcomes, including the development of hands-on skills. The outcomes of students learning through AVR will be compared to those learning in person. The AVR modules will be available without charge on the College website and disseminated in STEM-related career and technical education fields so that high school and community college students across the country can achieve authentic hands-on learning remotely. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.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.