A collaborative effort between Edmonds Community College, University of Washington, and the Bothell and Edmonds School District, the SPRITE Project seeks to attract underrepresented groups, particularly girls and women, to STEM through research-based educational activates centered on computer gaming. The project is named after the animated character, SPRITE that moves around a computer screen. Secondary and post-secondary students will learn mathematics and physics by building computer animated scenes and games which incorporate art, music, and communication. Over the course of the three years, 100 students and close to 200 teachers will be directly served by the project.
Project partners include high schools, community colleges, universities, professional organizations and the computer game industry. Retreats, summer institutes and ongoing support for college and high school faculty, as well as summer day camps for high school students and incoming freshmen, will be offered. Graduate students will provide assistance and support during the summer activities and will be available as aids to teachers during the school year. Project curriculum for all sessions will feature new industry-guided modules developed by high school and college faculty in association with game industry representatives to investigate mathematics, physical science and computer technology. By project end, 40 curriculum modules for use in traditional classrooms will be available. A longitudinal evaluation will track enrollments and retention in science and mathematics form 10th grade through two years for both participants and non-participants. The evaluation will also investigate gender differences.
