Data Science & Analytics
Preservice Educators Reimagining Core Experiences in Physics Teaching (PERCEPT)
Description
PERCEPT builds upon an educational innovation—haptically-enabled science simulations (HESSs)—and seeks to extend theory to explain their impact on a persistent challenge in STEM education: elementary school teachers’ lack of comfort with and avoidance of core/fundamental physics concepts, including forces. Research has shown that elementary school teachers do not have a firm grasp of what forces are and struggle to reason about foundational physics concepts such as using the idea of forces as interactions. These ideas are "stepping stone" concepts for much of physics learning and a disciplinary core idea in the Next Generation Science Standards. PERCEPT attends to the interfaces between teaching and learning and the mediation of STEM learning through iterative use-inspired research to provide foundational knowledge for a new model of teaching and learning core physics concepts using haptic force-feedback devices combined with state-of-the-art game engine software.
RENCI's Role
David Borland is Co-PI and lead developer of the haptically-enabled science simulations developed for the project.