Collaborative Research: StudyCrafter: An AI-Supported Platform for Engaging Learners to Conduct Research with Human Subjects

该项目旨在通过studycraft（一个利用人工智能（AI）帮助学生为涉及人类受试者的研究做准备的创新平台）转化和广泛传播技术，以支持研究方法教育，从而为国家利益服务。它的目的是通过提供一个积极的学习环境，让学生可以轻松地创建基于场景的研究，然后将它们部署到网上，从参与者那里收集数据，从而改善目前的本科生研究方法教育。studycraft将支持学生获得和应用研究方法技能，因为他们建立了自己的原创研究。课堂上真实的人类受试者研究机会是难以捉摸的，尽管它们对未来的从业者很重要。项目团队将利用人工智能增强studycraft平台，从最初的研究框架到结果分析，提高学生的计算思维和数据科学技能。该项目将使用迭代设计方法来改进平台，同时通过试点测试人员和早期采用者的协调网络将其使用范围从2所大学扩展到11所大学。该项目的目的是通过扩展studycraft，迭代开发一个灵活和可扩展的本科研究方法教育模式，包括：(1)可以帮助学生分析数据的工具，(2)以学生为中心的课程，为教师提供互动内容，教授相关知识和技能，(3)人工智能辅助指导，以支持学生的研究；(4)自动提示和脚手架的方法，鼓励学生批判性地反思他们的研究。该项目以主动学习为基础，将通过人工智能增强平台解决当前研究方法教育中缺乏真实研究经验的问题，并研究学生的情感、认知和逻辑结果。NSF IUSE: EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过参与学生学习轨道，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建，探索和实施。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 aims to serve the national interest by transforming and broadly disseminating technology to support research methods education through StudyCrafter, an innovative platform that uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to help students prepare for research involving human subjects. Its intent is to improve current undergraduate research methods education by providing an active learning environment where students can easily create scenario-based research studies and then deploy them online to collect data from participants. StudyCrafter will support students in acquiring and applying research methods skills as they build their own original research studies. Authentic human subjects research opportunities in the classroom are elusive, despite their importance for future practitioners. The project team will augment the StudyCrafter platform with AI to improve students’ computational thinking and data science skills from the initial framework of a study to the analysis of results. The project will use an iterative design approach to improve the platform while expanding its use from two to eleven universities through a coordinated network of pilot testers and early adopters. The aim of this project is to iteratively develop a flexible and scalable educational model for undergraduate research methods education by extending StudyCrafter to include: (1) tools that can assist students in analyzing their data, (2) student-centered curricula giving instructors interactive content to teach relevant knowledge and skills, (3) AI-assisted coaching to support students with their research; and (4) automatic prompts and scaffolding methods to encourage students to critically reflect on their research. Grounded in active learning, this project will address the lack of authentic research experiences in current research methods education through an AI augmented platform, and study the affective, cognitive, and logistic outcomes for students. 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.