This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II research project will support middle school students in learning STEM concepts and problem solving through the use of a problem-based curriculum and video game with embedded scaffolds (e.g., guidance, tools, resources). The project will focus on the design, development, and testing of the usability, feasibility, and implementation of the Virtual Astronaut Learning Platform (VALP), an immersive, problem-based video game approach to improving STEM learning outcomes. The three-part model will combine the latest in learning sciences research and design with the best in commercial game play, and includes a new serious game-learning methodology - Mission Based Learning; a new game genre, First Person Explorer; and an approach - STEaM, which integrates creativity into STEM activities. The research will include iterative design and rapid prototype testing in school settings during Year 1 and a full-scale quasi-experimental design field test in Year 2. Additionally, the research will examine learning gains related to STEM concepts and problem solving approaches, changes in attitudes towards STEM-related careers, and changes in student self-efficacy related to science inquiry and technology; and will help to advance knowledge related to effective educational game design and implementation.
The Virtual Astronaut Learning Platform will result in a commercial quality 3D game environment that supports single player and collaborative multi-player learning activities. VALP is a collection of game-based STEM learning environments that will be sold as a supplement to existing curriculum and textbooks, thus enhancing the availability of engaging and effective STEM learning activities for students. VALP learning activities are being mapped to national STEM standards and will include a teacher's guide to ensure appropriate integration into the larger STEM curriculum. Set 50 years in the future and based on realistic future science and technology capabilities, VALP will enable students to see how space will be explored in their lifetime, and how STEM content provides them with the knowledge and tools they need to solve real problems in space. Findings from the design process as well as from the learning outcomes research will add to the growing body of research related to effective embedded scaffolding techniques, problem-based learning approaches, and STEM learning and game-based learning approaches for diverse populations.
This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project has focused on creating video game infused curriculum that teaches students about complex STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) topics including the engineering design process, nanotechnology, aerospace engineering, and STEM careers. The resulting suite of products, called Mission Control, is designed to provide STEM education that is highly engaging for students, based on research and best practices in learning (i.e., inquiry, scaffolding), designed based on commitments to diversity, and based on emerging and exciting topics in STEM. The overall goals of Mission Control are to increase access, interest, engagement, motivation, and learning in STEM for students, particularly those in underrepresented populations. The Mission Control Platform provides always-on access to STEM games and curricula that students can use at school, in out-of school time (OST) programs, and at home. Since video games are played by virtually all students, we can reduce STEM barriers by reaching out to students on their own terms – through video games and supporting hands-on, inquiry-based curriculum. By designing games based on principles of learning by doing (Lave & Wenger, 1991) and problem centered learning (Savery & Duffy, 1994; Annetta, Cook, & Schultz, 2007), as well a high quality curriculum, we can help ensure that game mechanics and activities are mapped to standards-based STEM topics, objectives and content. The focus of Mission Control is on space-themed settings and challenges set fifty years in the future. This particular context was chosen to engage and interest both genders, as well as diverse populations. In an evaluation consisting of surveys and focus groups with 250 youth, our team discovered these two themes, space and the future, were the most universally appealing topics across ages, genders and diverse populations. To ensure the Mission Control games and other learning resources effectively supports student engagement and learning, we have used research from the learning sciences (i.e., inquiry, problem based learning, scaffolding) to design technology-based STEM learning that students want to use, while helping increase their interest and improve learning outcomes in STEM. Within this SBIR project, our focus has been to define and develop Mission Control. This family of products and processes is designed around the following components: A common brand name that multiple products can leverage to help customers understand they are related to each other. Recurring characters and locations, and common backstory that link the various products together. These games have the same theme but vary the game mechanics (rules of play, game style) based on the kinds of content being taught. A suite of STEM video games, interactive ebooks for mobile devices, web materials, teachers guides, and student materials covering middle and high school ages. An integrated service and support portal for providing customers, IT support personnel and other users with needed help in using and deploying the products. Mission Control Dashboard, a web-based system that includes tools for license/account management for schools and classes, tools for teachers to see student progress in the games, and student tools for monitoring progress. Mission Control was developed in collaboration with NASA and makes use of authentic NASA data and projected technology capabilities. Development and testing was conducted in partnership with other partners including Project Lead the Way and the Indiana 21st Century Community Learning Centers (21st CCLC), which focuses on afterschool and summer programming for disadvantaged youth.
