AERA Showcases NSF-Funded Research at USA Science and Engineering Festival
AERA Showcases NSF-Funded Research at USA Science and Engineering Festival
 
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April 2014
 

AERA was among 700 exhibitors participating in the USA Science and Engineering Festival held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., on April 26-27. The AERA exhibit featured SAVE Science, a National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project led by Diane Jass Ketelhut, associate professor of science, technology, and math education at the University of Maryland.

SAVE Science is a series of game-based modules that assess students’ knowledge of science through virtual environments. SAVE Science assessment modules are currently implemented in middle school science classrooms in the Mid-Atlantic region. Funded by the NSF’s Directorate for Education and Human Resources, the games also provide a context for students to learn about, and use the basic elements of, scientific inquiry.


The science festival, a big draw in the D.C. region, attracted 350,000 visitors, including children and parents, teachers, and other interested adults. Over two days, more than a 1,000 children visited the AERA booth, taking time for a hands-on opportunity to use the science modules on iPads and computers. Students also left behind their thoughts on how science can be learned through video games.

Ketelhut was joined by several members of her research team: doctoral students Kelly Mills, Xiaoyang Gong, and Ashley Coon from the University of Maryland, and postdoctoral fellow Minjung Ryu of Johns Hopkins University.

The USA Science and Engineering Festival is a high profile opportunity to support science and science learning in the community. AERA was among a handful of social science groups that exhibited at the festival this year. The event has been held biennially since 2010, with AERA participating in 2012 and 2014. 

Along with Ketelhut, Brian Nelson at Arizona State University is principal investigator of the project. The game-based problem-solving modules are downloadable and available without charge. Visit www.savescience.net for more information. 



 
 
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