Dear all,
We just wanted to share my excitement about a new award we have received
from the National Science Foundation. This is a relatively small but
highly competitive Phase I award that can lead to much larger Phase II and
Phase IIb funding. This project contributes towards end-user computing by
working on an Interactive 3D for Everyone
tool suitable for educational game design and computational science
applications.
National Science Foundation
Scalable Game Design:
Broadening Computer Science Participation with Low-Threshold, High-Ceiling
Design Environments
$100,000
2007
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Summary
This project will build a scalable game design environment including
curriculum to increase the participation of students in K-12 computer
science education. Partially due to the exaggerated fear of job outsourcing
enrollment in University-level computer science programs is dropping at an
alarming rate. Another, more fundamental problem is a broken pipeline effect
in which K-12 students simply fail to get interested in computer science
courses. Advanced placement courses offer a methodical introduction to
computer science but their focus on abstract programming without providing
motivating applications is resulting in dwindling participation. Multi media
courses are popular but often are little more than advanced PowerPoint
tutorials. Game design, when done in a scalable way, can provide an ideal
balance between motivational and academic concerns of computer science and
can be matched to the existing Fluency with Information Technology framework
by the National Academies of Sciences. Our research will explore scalable
design by building a low-threshold, high-ceiling design environment based on
Incremental 3D model creation and programming. The scalable design will
allow the effective design, development and deployment of an exceptionally
large spectrum of games ranging from simple 2D Frogger-type games to 3D The
Sims-type games.
The proposed technology is prone to increase the number K-12 students
interested in computer science resulting in larger enrollment in computer
science at a university level. Computer science education is essential for
US IT workforce training in order to remain internationally competitive. A
less abstract programming, more design based IT curriculum is likely to
increase the participation of women and minorities. The resulting
environment will be usable as a general
Interactive 3D for Everyone type of tool that can be employed as
simulation authoring tool for computational science and, through Web
integration (e.g. Google Earth), as computational cyberinfrastructure. The
user audience will include K-12 students, university students, scientists,
engineers and the general public interested in computational 3D
applications.
Andri Ioannidou, Ph.D.
Senior Project Manager
AgentSheets Inc.
6560 Gunpark Dr., Suite D
Boulder, CO 80301
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