SCC-CIVIC-PG Track B: Digital Backpack: Enabling Offline Web-based Content Access to Promote Student Academic Resiliency in Acute and Chronic Disaster Situations

当学校作为社区救灾计划的一部分转向远程学习时，家庭互联网的缺乏是一个极其严重的问题。生活在部落社区的学生经历了一些最严重的“家庭作业差距”，那里的家庭往往缺乏可靠的宽带连接，学生的辍学率在全国最高。正是在这种情况下，该项目提出了数字背包（DigiPack），一个机会主义的内容交付网络和移动的应用程序，主动上传，下载和存储数字学习材料的设备，只要他们获得互联网连接。DigiPack将使学生的移动的设备能够自动获取和存储数字教育内容，他们可以在家里离线工作。当遇到互联网连接时，在家离线工作时生成和标记的上传内容会自动传输。 这允许学生充分利用前往热点的旅行，并允许与在线学习进行更随意的互动;而不是必须记住每当他们在热点时需要下载，上传和互动的所有内容的列表，学生可以专注于参与互动学习活动（例如，与教师的视频通话），并且DigiPack自动处理可以异步参与的内容。我们将与星星学校合作，这是一所位于亚利桑那州Leupp的纳瓦霍族西南角的公立preK-8特许学校，计划和试点纳瓦霍族的DigiPack系统。该项目的研究和公民参与活动的愿景侧重于了解纳瓦霍学生和教育工作者在亚利桑那州Leupp的具体教育内容需求。这项研究将（i）确定DigiPack必须在Leupp社区支持的特定教育信息需求;（ii）辨别DigiPack CDN节点和接入点应放置在Leupp的何处，以使学生及其家庭获得最佳利益;以及（iii）共同设计DigiPack移动的应用程序用户界面和后端服务支持，以确保部署有效且可用。 为此，项目团队将与由Leupp家庭、教育工作者和ISP运营商组成的社区咨询委员会（CAB）合作，指导DigiPack界面和服务的设计选择，以便最好地满足社区的学习需求。该项目的方法将整合来自参与式行动研究的最佳实践，包括基于资产的社区开发和精益用户体验设计，以与社区成员共同研究。该奖项反映了NSF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。

The lack of home Internet availability is extremely problematic when schools shift to remote learning as part of community disaster response plans. Some of the most severe “homework gaps” are experienced by students living in tribal communities, where households often lack reliable broadband connectivity and students experience the highest dropout rates in the nation. It is in this context that this project proposes Digital Backpack (DigiPack), an opportunistic content delivery network and mobile app that proactively uploads, downloads, and stores digital learning material to devices whenever they obtain an Internet connection. DigiPack will enable students’ mobile devices to automatically fetch and store digital education content that they can work on offline at home. Content generated and tagged for upload while working offline at home is automatically transferred when Internet connectivity is encountered. This allows students to make the most of trips to hotspots and allows for more casual interaction with online learning; rather than having to remember a list of all the content that needs to be downloaded, uploaded, and interacted with whenever they are at a hot spot, students can focus on engaging in interactive learning activities (e.g., video calls with a teacher) when connectivity is available and DigiPack automatically handles content that can be engaged with asynchronously. We will partner with STAR School, a public preK-8 charter school located in the southwestern corner of Navajo Nation in Leupp, AZ, to plan and pilot the DigiPack system in Navajo Nation. This project's vision for research and civic engagement activities focuses on understanding the specific educational content needs of Navajo students and educators in Leupp, AZ. This research will (i) identify the specific educational information needs that DigiPack must support in the Leupp community; (ii) discern where DigiPack CDN nodes and access points should be placed in Leupp for optimal benefit to students and their families; and (iii) co-design the DigiPack mobile app user interface and back end service support to ensure that a deployment is effective and usable. To this end, the project team will work with a community advisory board (CAB) comprised of Leupp families, educators and ISP operators to guide the design choices for DigiPack interfaces and services such that they best serve the learning needs of the community. This project's approach will integrate best practices from participatory action research, including asset-based community development and Lean UX design to work with community members as co-researchers.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.