Inclusively-designing sensory extensions for STEM inquiry learning

该项目研究了创新的感官扩展设备技术，以创建易于访问的学习材料，并使不同的学习者能够在科学和数学学习中使用多种模式。新技术将由具有不同需求的STEM学习者设计、制作、定制和个性化。人类通过多种感官方式进行思考和交流，包括视觉、声音、手势、运动和触觉。大多数科学和数学学习材料以视觉方式传达信息，通过图表和模拟等显示，导致学习体验的感官参与有限。对于许多有视觉或印刷障碍的学习者来说，视觉学习材料是无法获得的。即使对其他人来说，这些材料也限制了学习机会。感官扩展包括材料和设备，以实现对真实或虚拟环境的新的或增强的感知。常见的感官扩展设备包括眼镜（屈光透镜改善视力）和盖革计数器（听觉感知放射性衰变）。在一个包容性的共同设计过程中，项目团队将与学习社区的不同成员合作，共同设计灵活、自适应和个性化的技术，使新的感官体验（如声音、手势、运动和触摸）能够增强流行和广泛使用的交互式模拟学习工具。项目团队汇集了科罗拉多大学博尔德分校（PhET互动模拟和工艺技术实验室）的教育技术专家，以及为有学习障碍和视力障碍的青少年提供服务的合作伙伴组织。该项目将致力于为青年包容性设计创造新的学习材料、实践和流程，以及使用感官延伸技术作为学习资源的理论和框架。为了实现这一目标，该团队将调查(1)STEM学习环境中包容性探究学习中的教学和设计实践；(2)感官延伸装置的协同设计与进化；(3)包容性设计过程对学习者自我效能感和STEM认知的影响体验；(4)不同需要的青少年使用感官延伸装置进行STEM探究的学习经验。感官延伸设备有望在具有不同感官需求的学习者之间实现新形式的协作，并与现有的教育技术相结合，以扩大其包容性和可访问性，并丰富所有用户的学习体验。将收集丰富的数据，跟踪每个设计的轨迹，包括共同设计会议和使用的感官扩展设备的视频和音频记录，设计工件和小组活动的照片，共同设计师的反思和访谈，以及自我效能调查的回应。通过包容性的共同设计过程，该项目将努力推进对教育技术发展的平等主义过程的基本理解，拥抱感官多样性，并通过创建、定制和个性化他们自己的创新学习工具来赋予教育边缘化的学习者权力。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。

This project investigates innovative sensory extension device technologies to create learning materials that are accessible and enable diverse learners to use multiple modalities in science and mathematics learning. The new technologies will be designed, crafted, customized, and personalized by STEM learners with diverse needs. Humans think and communicate using multiple sensory modalities, including sight, sound, gesture, movement, and touch. Most science and mathematics learning materials convey information visually, with displays such as diagrams and simulations, resulting in learning experiences with limited sensory engagement. For many learners with visual or print-related disabilities, visual learning materials are inaccessible. Even for others, these materials constrain learning opportunities. Sensory extension incorporates materials and devices to enable new or enhanced perceptions of real or virtual environments. Familiar sensory extension devices include eyeglasses (refractive lenses improve vision), and Geiger counters (auditory perception of radioactive decay). In an inclusive co-design process, the project team will partner with diverse members of the learning community, together co-designing flexible, adaptive, and personalizable technologies, which enable new sensory experiences (e.g., sound, gesture, movement, and touch) to augment popular and widely used interactive simulation learning tools. The project team brings together experts in educational technologies at the University of Colorado Boulder (PhET Interactive Simulations and the Craft Tech Lab) and partner organizations serving youth with learning disabilities and visual impairments.This project will work to create new learning materials, practices and processes for inclusive design with youth, as well as theories and frameworks for the use of sensory extension technologies as learning resources. To accomplish this, the team will investigate (1) pedagogical and design practices within inclusive inquiry learning in STEM learning settings; (2) the co-design and evolution of sensory extension devices; (3) learners’ experiences of the impact of the inclusive design process on their own perceptions of self-efficacy and STEM; and (4) the learning experience of youth with diverse needs using sensory extension devices for STEM inquiry. The sensory extension devices are expected to enable new forms of collaboration among learners with differing sensory needs, and couple with existing educational technologies to expand their inclusive and accessible use and enrich the learning experience for all users. A rich corpus of data will be collected, tracking the trajectory of each design, including video and audio recordings of co-design sessions and the sensory extension devices in use, photographs of design artifacts and group activities, co-designer reflections and interviews, and self-efficacy survey responses. Through the inclusive co-design process, the project will work to advance foundational understanding of egalitarian processes of educational technology development, embrace sensory diversity, and empower educationally marginalized learners through the creation, customization, and personalization of their own innovative learning 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.