Award Data

The project team will develop the EdMod platform for special education practitioners to enter and track information specific to IEPs, such as diagnosis classification, goals, and data collection of those goals. The platform will then generate research-based strategies for teachers to support students with or at risk for disabilities during classroom instruction or in testing. The platform will pre ...

In this project, the team will develop a performance-based lab for the high school level. The Inq-ITS Performance Based Labs for High School Physics and Physical Science will integrate "using mathematics" practices with other science practices to study physics/physical science phenomena. An accompanying teacher dashboard will generate immediate, diagnostic, and actionable alerts driven by algorith ...

Through previous research and development, the team created a teacher platform that suggests research-based strategies for supporting students with special needs or targeted skill gaps. This project will develop a prototype of a dashboard for teachers to create, access, and track student's Individual Educational Plans (IEPs). At the end of Phase I, in a pilot study with six middle school special e ...

Through a previous grant award from the U.S. Department of Education, researchers developed Read for Success, an intervention designed to stem the summer slide among struggling readers. This project will develop a prototype of Mix Libris, an Augmented Reality (AR) enhanced mobile literacy platform designed to support and motivate grade 3 students in acquiring and improving literacy skills. Mix Lib ...

Through previous grant awards from IES and the National Science Foundation and an ED/IES SBIR award, researchers developed a virtual laboratory with performance-based simulations aligned to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) in physical, life, and earth science for middle school, as well as a dashboard to provide teachers real-time formative and summative assessment reports on students doing ...

The final product is Cyberchase Fractions Quest—a math game based on the storyline of PBS children's television series, Cyberchase. In the game, students in grades 3 and 4 will apply learning fractions within three contexts: areas and regions (such as shapes), sets (groups of objects), and on a number line. The game will identify specific areas where students struggle and will introduce challeng ...

This project team will fully develop and test AlphaBear 2, a vocabulary learning game for grade 4 to 7 students. Vocabulary is a prerequisite for academic success, as it is linked to stronger performance across academic subjects and improved reading comprehension. It is more difficult for students to participate in educational activities without understanding the key vocabulary associated with tha ...

In prior projects, including a 2015 ED/IES SBIR award, the team developed two immersive multiplayer virtual game environments. In Eco and Colony, middle school students collaboratively apply scientific practices within the virtual worlds to address challenges, such as the availability of resources and energy and maintaining clean water. With this Phase I funding, the team is developing a prototype ...

Through previous development grants from IES and the National Science Foundation, researchers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute developed 16 virtual laboratory simulations and 57 inquiry activities aligned to Next Generation Science standards in physical, life, and earth science. This project will develop Inq-Blotter, a dashboard to provide teachers real-time formative and summative assessment re ...

In prior research and development, the team developed AlphaBear, a mobile gaming app where students are challenged to spell words which are then used to create humorous sentences. This project will develop and test a prototype for use specifically by English Learners. The prototype will formatively assess students' vocabulary, adjust gameplay to the skill levels of individual students, and provide ...