SBIR Phase II: A STEM curriculum platform using augmented reality for real-time collaboration and problem solving

小型企业创新研究(SBIR)第二阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是使用增强现实(AR)来激活丰富且可测量的STEM体验，例如面向世界任何地方的任何儿童的工程设计项目。预计到2025年，全球AR市场和教育AR市场将分别达到2000亿美元和600亿美元，年增长率为40%。下一代科学标准支持这样一个前提，即学生应该通过从事科学家和工程师等工作来学习科学和工程技能。根据美国STEM 2026报告，几乎所有的工作部门和职位都需要有效的STEM教育的核心能力。提出的技术集成了增强现实和嵌入式数据收集和分析，用于在课堂环境中对STEM项目进行实时评估。通过衡量过程和结果，该项目可以更好地培养增长心态。拟议的特点将加强这些关键的教学方法，以促进STEM学习，并使学生具备基本的STEM职业准备技能。这个小型企业创新研究第二阶段项目建议将增强现实整合到工程设计过程中，同时培养对员工成功至关重要的更高水平的技能，并衡量关键的学习过程和技能。数据的收集、存储、复制、分析和算法开发虽然建立在研究的基础上，但仍然是教育增强现实领域的技术风险来源。该系统鼓励学生承认和反思自己的情绪，并采取综合的方法来衡量学生在合作活动中的社交和情绪学习(SEL)。这项研究将确定这些活动如何以及在多大程度上支持小学生：1)发展设计思维和协作实践；2)在协作环境中提高社交和情感技能；3)影响学生在科学和工程方面的内容知识、兴趣和自我效能。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。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is to use augmented reality (AR) to activate rich and measurable STEM experiences such as engineering design projects for any child anywhere in the world. The market for AR globally and specifically in education is projected to reach over $200 B and $60 B respectively by 2025 by growing at 40% annually.Next Generation Science Standards support the premise that students should be learning the skills of science and engineering by engaging in work like that of scientists and engineers. According to the US STEM 2026 report, core competencies from effective STEM education will be demanded in nearly all job sectors and positions. The proposed technology integrates augmented reality and embedded data collection and analysis for real-time assessment for STEM projects in a classroom environment. By measuring both processes and outcomes, this project can better nurture growth mindsets. The proposed features will reinforce these key pedagogical approaches to promote STEM learning and prepare students with essential STEM career readiness skills. This Small Business Innovation Research Phase II project proposes to integrate augmented reality into the engineering design process while nurturing higher-level skills essential for workforce success and measuring key learning processes and skills. The data collection, storage, reproduction, analyses and algorithm development, while founded in research, remain sources of technical risk in the field of educational augmented reality. The proposed system encourages students to acknowledge and reflect on their emotions and takes an integrated approach to measuring students social and emotional learning (SEL) during collaborative activities. The research will determine how and to what extent do these activities support elementary students to: 1) develop design thinking and collaborative practices; 2) improve social and emotional skills in collaborative settings; and 3) impact students’ content knowledge, interest and self-efficacy in science and engineering.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.