"Blueprint of Life" Genomic Literacy Tool: An interactive to enhance genetic and genomic understanding with middle/high school students and their teachers through personal genetics and human disease

遗传学和基因组学信息在现代生活中的日益普及，需要一个同样相关和 教育下一代的方法。此外，教育干预，帮助关闭 迫切需要解决STEM领域代表性不足的人口群体的参与和成就差距问题。在这 NIGMS第二阶段SBIR项目，d 'Vinci Interactive与杰克逊实验室合作，建议 开发和评估“生活蓝图”在线教育解决方案的全功能原型， 将基因组学融入初中和高中的课堂。该解决方案的特点是， NGSS对齐的补充课程，教授个性化的分子遗传学的关键概念 医学，生物信息学工具的使用，病毒基因组（特别是关于COVID-19大流行）， 遗传学科学的职业生涯，以及遗传学研究的伦理。课程将通过在线 学生学习门户旨在提供引人入胜、鼓舞人心、易于访问 具有包容性，与学生的生活相关，具有沉浸式3D/VR基因组探索模块等功能 和沉浸式虚拟实验室环境（它们共同代表了项目技术的核心）。 创新），吸引代表性不足的人口群体的创意内容，西班牙语 课程版本和适应性学习技术。教育工作者将有机会获得学习管理 系统，在线课堂工具，很容易实现虚拟和课堂上，和一个行政 用于实时报告学校和学区学生学习进度的仪表板。其目的是 第二阶段的项目是要表明，该解决方案提供了以下学习者的好处：（1）有效掌握 基因组学/遗传学和个性化医疗的基础知识，（2）有效理解伦理和 遗传学/基因组学的医疗保健影响，（3）对学生的动机影响，通过促进对 基因组学/STEM教育和职业，（4）对代表性不足的人产生强大的学习和激励影响 人口群体。 WestEd将进行 为了核实这些目标的实现情况，外部研究和评价伙伴， 一项随机对照试验（750名来自高血压教室的9年级学生） （b）在充分发展的教育解决方案方面，为教育不足的学生提供更多的机会。支持目标1-3，如果 治疗组的学生表现出评估前与评估后的表现改善（以 信息保留（目标1），对科学实际应用的态度（目标2），以及对 追求额外的基因组学/STEM教育和基因组学/STEM职业生涯（目标3）），在统计学上更大 在对照组中观察到的改善。如果治疗组中的性能，则支持目标4 与人口统计因素（即男性与女性，少数民族与非少数民族学生）无关。总的来说， 在这个项目中提出的吸引人和鼓舞人心的学习解决方案将有助于更好地准备明天的 医疗保健消费者和科学家，促进STEM教育和实践的更大多样性。

The increasing prevalence of genetics and genomics information in modern life calls for an equally relevant and engaging solution to teach the next generation. Additionally, educational interventions that help close the participation and achievement gap of underrepresented demographic groups in STEM are sorely needed. In this NIGMS Phase II SBIR project, d’Vinci Interactive, in collaboration with The Jackson Laboratory, proposes to develop and evaluate a full-function prototype of the “Blueprint of Life” online educational solution, which is aimed at embedding genomics into middle school and high school classrooms. The solution will feature an expanded, NGSS-aligned supplemental curriculum that teaches key concepts around molecular genetics of personalized medicine, use of bioinformatics tools, the viral genome (particularly with regard to the COVID-19 pandemic), careers in genetics science, and the ethics of genetics research. The curriculum will be delivered via an online student learning portal designed to provide learning experiences that are engaging, inspirational, accessible, inclusive, and relevant to students’ lives, with features such as an immersive 3D/VR genome exploration module and an immersive Virtual Laboratory environment (which together represent the core of the project’s technical innovation), creative content that appeals to underrepresented demographic groups, a Spanish-language curriculum version, and adaptive learning technology. Educators will have access to a Learning Management System, online classroom tools that are easy to implement both virtually and in-class, and an Administrative Dashboard for real-time school and school-district level reporting on student learning progress. The aims for this Phase II project are to show that the solution delivers the following learner benefits: (1) effective mastery of the fundamentals of genomics/genetics and personalized medicine, (2) effective understanding of the ethical and healthcare implications of genetics/genomics, (3) motivational impact on students, by promoting interest in genomics/STEM education and careers, (4) strong learning and motivational impact on underrepresented demographic groups. WestEd, will conduct To verify the attainment of these aims, the external research and evaluation partner, a Randomized Controlled Trial (with 750 9th grade students from classrooms with high populations of underserved students) on the fully developed educational solution. Aims 1-3 are supported if students in the treatment group show a pre- versus post-assessment performance improvement (measured in terms of information retention (Aim 1), attitudes towards the practical use of science (Aim 2), and interest in pursuing additional genomics/STEM education and a genomics/STEM career (Aim 3)) that is statistically larger than the improvements observed in the control group. Aim 4 is supported if performance in the treatment group is uncorrelated with demographic factors (i.e. males vs. females and minority vs. non-minority students). Overall, the engaging and inspirational learning solution proposed in this project will help better prepare tomorrow’s healthcare consumers and scientists and promote greater diversity in STEM education and practice.