This $2,462,116 Project Grant award from the National Science Foundation's (NSF) STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076) will fund the development of three "virtual research laboratories" to support middle school student learning of scientific practices and development of science identity. The University of Wisconsin-Madison's Field Day Lab will create these game-inspired, immersive virtual labs focused on life sciences research in polar regions. The project will use a co-design process with teachers and students, particularly from schools with majority Hispanic student populations, to develop the virtual labs and associated bridging curriculum. The project aims to study how these virtual labs can bridge student thinking between abstract and specific science practices, connect remote research to local contexts, and support Hispanic student audiences. Extensive testing, data analytics, and assessment tool development will inform the iterative design process. A quasi-experimental study with 360 students and online experiments with 70,000 students nationwide are planned to evaluate the impact.
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