SBIR Phase I: Helping Students Acquire 21st Century Skills Through Immersive Group STEM Simulations

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will automate an experiential simulation learning lab by funding the technical conversion from what is essentially a hardwired product requiring a dedicated lab available to schools within a limited geographic area to a nationally available online product. Additionally, the funding will drive the technological innovation necessary to maintain the immersive, experiential nature of the existing prototype. The project will also allow for research on the underlying assumption of the product: will students be more engaged during content instruction if they are aware that they will be asked to apply their learning in an upcoming simulation? And, if so, will the improved engagement carry over to improved performance on summative assessments? Since the unique nature of the product places it in the middle of the educational technology continuum between digital content and assessment, using current market trends to estimate its sales potential is difficult. However, offering the product online will dramatically decrease its current price point, making the product economically attractive to thousands of teachers and schools across the United States seeking curriculum that engages students who learn best in a team-oriented environment and fosters skill in collaborative, multi-disciplinary problem solving. The intellectual merit of this project lies in the technological innovation that will convert the labor intensive, hardware dependent prototype into an automated online product while maintaining its immersive, engaging qualities. The main objective of the innovation is to create a powerful tool for the classroom teacher that can be implemented in a large lab or on a single computer. A corresponding objective is to determine how effectively the tool engages students in the subject matter and develops real life skills that are in high demand in the 21st century workplace. Teachers will be able to choose from three distinct platforms: Mission Control, a space exploration simulation; Leadership Summit, a global policy making simulation; and Ecosphere, a simulation of areas hidden to the human eye. While being technologically sophisticated, the product also needs to be simple to install and to require minimal training to operate. The product will incorporate multiple controls so that teachers can monitor their students? interactions and manage their progress for optimum effect. Finally, the innovation will also make use of the latest developments in commercially available sound and lighting enhancement products giving teachers control of the timing and level of external sounds and lights.