Resources

Csikszentmihalyi’s Flow theory states that a balance between challenge and skill leads to high engagement, overwhelming challenge leads to anxiety or frustration, and insufficient challenge leads to boredom. In this paper, we test this theory within the context of student interaction with an intelligent tutoring system. Automated detectors of student affect and knowledge were developed, validated, and applied to a large data set. The results did not match Flow theory: boredom was more common for poorly -known material, and frustration was common both for very difficult material and very easy

This book brings together new media theorists, game designers, educators, psychologists, and industry professionals, including some of the contributors to the earlier volume, to look at how gender intersects with the broader contexts of digital games today: gaming, game industry and design, and serious games.

The pivotal 2009 National Academy of Engineering report on engineering in K-12 education states that the presence of engineering in pre-college education is an important phenomenon because of engineering’s impact on K-12 STEM education. The NAE report then explores a number of questions about the ways in which engineering is taught in K-12 classrooms, including issues such as the curricular and instructional resources used, interaction with other STEM subjects, and teacher preparation. This paper explores these and related questions surrounding the adoption of non-traditional engineering

The underwater environment presents novel challenges that can facilitate unique learning experiences for students engaged in robotics programs. Although the number of underwater educational robotics programs is small by comparison to other forms of K-12 robotics initiatives, several do exist, which have varying learning goals, implementation approaches, and tools. This chapter describes an underwater robotics program using LEGO® MINDSTORMS® components and related materials for middle and high school students. The program, known as WaterBotics™, has undergone an extensive, four-year research

This paper will examine a robotics curriculum that is impacting educators and youth in both formal, middle and high school classrooms as well as in a variety of informal learning environments. We have made comparisons between formal and informal learning environments in an effort to understand the varying impacts of this novel program on student learning of science concepts, their skills and abilities in applying engineering design and problem-solving, and their awareness and interest in engineering careers and the individuals who pursue these careers. Data from teachers, informal educators

Watch these three videos made by ITEST project GreenTECH! These videos give you insight into environmental engineering. In the first video, meet Adam, a mechanical engineer who works in an NYC power plant. The second video features Team Reakter, a team of green battery experts. Finally, the last video features Levi and Ozgem, two energy activists, who will show you how to get your community excited about saving energy.

ARC was asked by NSF to conduct a pilot project to review the research methodologies employed by a sample of projects funded by the REESE (Research and Evaluation on Education in Science and Engineering) program. ARC convened an expert panel in consultation with NSF to develop standards and a rubric for rating the rigor of REESE projects’ methodologies, with the ultimate goal of reporting on the methodologies employed in the REESE program overall.Panelists concurred that the guidelines provided in the American Educational Research Association’s (2006) Standards for Reporting on Empirical

This document contains information on what types of projects are a good fit for the NSF ITEST program. The slides were presented on September 3, 2014, during an NSF ITEST Solicitation Webinar hosted by the STELAR Center.

Through these role model videos, professionals' real world views and application of math show high school students just how relevant math is to their futures. Filmed on location, professionals tell students about how they use math in their careers and what math meant to them in high school. The role model videos are an important aspect of the"Scaling Up STEM Learning with the VCL" model. Teacher participants in this ITEST project were required to screen videos from this resource and engage their students in discussion about real world use of math and potential interest in STEM occupations. The

As a minority in the upper levels of the computing profession, women are sometimes mistreated through ignorance or malice. Some women have learned to respond with wit and panache.This article is part of a special issue of the Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) Newsletter.