FSU researchers receive NSF grant to study teaching practices in virtual reality
Florida State University researchers have received a nearly $600,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to investigate teaching practices for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) using mixed reality simulations and virtual students. ...
“There are two major issues that affect the preparation of STEM teachers: accessible and scalable practicum experiences and the lack of interdisciplinary STEM experiences in teacher preparation programs,” Ke said. ...
To address these problems, the research team — which includes fellow FSU faculty members Sherry Southerland, professor of science education, and Xin Yuan, professor of computer science — will develop and study an open-source, multiplayer simulation-based learning platform for preservice STEM teachers.
This enactive, virtual environment for teaching practice, known as EVETeach, uses reflective practice and topic-specific professional knowledge, mixed-reality simulations and virtual agent design, as well as real-time performance data mining.
The three-year project will encompass experiments to study and refine the intervention program as well as study its impact on the development of professional knowledge of preservice teachers and their conceptualization of interdisciplinary STEM education. It will also generate a framework for a learning system that provides more comprehensive support for the development of future STEM teachers.
See the full story here: https://news.fsu.edu/news/2021/06/21/fsu-researchers-receive-nsf-grant-to-study-teaching-practices-in-virtual-reality/
