SBIR Phase I: Collaborative game approach to support classroom instruction of difficult-to-teach science concepts

This SBIR Phase I project will enable teachers to present difficult, but necessary to learn, science concepts using a collaborative game approach that will significantly increase student engagement and understanding. The project will focus on improving the instruction of photosynthesis and cell respiration, processes which are multi-phasic, largely invisible, comprised of a complex and interdependent set of interactions, and required by science standards. By giving teachers and learners the confidence to undertake complicated science subjects, the project aims to increase secondary student involvement and interest in STEM, and help build the core scientific knowledge and higher order thinking skills they will need to address the challenges of the 21st Century. The research is based on well-documented pedagogical approaches to effective science instruction, which include scaffolded curricula, formative assessments, hands-on project-based challenges, and peer learning which arises from collaborative problem solving. Developing a more immersive and practicable learning method upholds the NSF's mission to promote exceptional science education and will help attract and prepare more students for STEM-based careers. This work fills a market need for educational technology tools that allow science teachers to focus on their true area of expertise, teaching their students. This SBIR Phase I project proposes to utilize the full range of sensors and actuators of touch-screen devices in order to design a sequence of coordinated physical interactions that model the chemical-based biological processes of photosynthesis and cell respiration. The primary innovation is translating these complicated biological processes - some sequential, others concurrent - into a collaborative game that requires individuals and small groups to interact to perform a series of intuitive, concrete, coordinated, and repeatable physical actions to solve scientific challenges. Since concepts involving complex chemically-oriented processes are more difficult to teach, often promulgate common misconceptions, and typically dampen student interest, the key research goal is to create a working prototype that supports teachers, accurately transmits scientific knowledge, and actively engages students. The project will determine the effectiveness of the collaborative game approach using feedback from a cohort of high school biology teachers. Phase II will refine and expand the approach and conduct classroom efficacy testing and validation. The result will be an instructional tool that adapts to the educator's style and classroom structure, provides content that meets relevant state and national standards, and delivers the kind of engaging interaction that propels students to master science-oriented content.