Transaction Description:
SECONDARY CAREER AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION (CTE) IS FACING SIGNIFICANT CHALLENGES, INCLUDING TEACHER SHORTAGES, INEFFICIENT TEACHING METHODS, AND A LACK OF QUALIFIED TEACHERS LEAVING STUDENTS DISENGAGED AND UNPREPARED FOR POST-SECONDARY LIFE. INNOVATIVE AND ACCESSIBLE APPROACHES TO EDUCATION ARE URGENTLY REQUIRED TO EQUIP STUDENTS WITH PRACTICAL SKILLS TO PREPARE THEM FOR A RAPIDLY CHANGING WORLD. GRADED GAMING IS REVOLUTIONIZING EDUCATION BY DEVELOPING A PLATFORM THAT COMBINES GAMIFICATION, VIRTUAL REALITY (VR), AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI) TO PROVIDE EQUITABLE, HANDS-ON LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES IN NUTRITION-SCIENCES. THE PLATFORM'S AI TEACHER WILL HELP STUDENTS ENGAGE WITH CONTENT AND DEVELOP SKILLS THROUGH VR GAMING AND INSTRUCTION ALIGNED WITH THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FOOD AND AGRICULTURE'S (NIFA) FUNDING OPPORTUNITY IN TOPIC AREA 8.5 - FOOD SCIENCE AND NUTRITION (USDA-NIFA-SBIR-009962). IN PHASE I, WE WILL DEVELOP AND TEST A VR-SIMULATED COURSE MODULE IN ADVANCED FOODS AND NUTRITION AND INTEGRATE AN AI TEACHER TO GUIDE STUDENTS THROUGH THE MODULE. WE WILL PROVIDE AN IMMERSIVE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY THAT TEACHES HEALTHY NUTRITIONAL CHOICES TO COMBAT DIET-RELATED CHRONIC DISEASE WHILE OFFERING REAL-TIME STUDENT FEEDBACK THROUGH THE AI TEACHER. THE CENTRAL HYPOTHESIS IS THAT OUR AI-LED VR SIMULATION WILL HAVE ROBUST FUNCTIONALITY, EXCELLENT USABILITY FOR EDUCATORS/STUDENTS, AND HIGH LEVELS OF STUDENT ENGAGEMENT THAT WILL RESULT IN A POWERFUL, USER-FRIENDLY, AND CAPTIVATING EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE. WE WILL ASSESS THIS USING 3 METRICS: 1) SYSTEM USABILITY SCALE, 2) STUDENT KNOWLEDGE ACQUISITION, AND 3) POSITIVE STAKEHOLDER FEEDBACK. AT THE END OF PHASE I, WE EXPECT TO HAVE COMPLETED AND EVALUATED THE FEASIBILITY AND USABILITY OF THE VR MODULE. IN ADDITION, OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO HAVE DEVELOPED A PRODUCT THAT WILL: 1) PROMOTE LIFELONG HEALTH TO END-USERS, 2) CULTIVATE CULINARY SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE, 3) FOSTER FOOD SUSTAINABILITY, 4) FOSTER CAREER READINESS, 5) INCREASE COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT WITH LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES, 6) INCREASE CRITICAL AND ANALYTICAL THINKING SKILLS FOR END-USERS, AND 7) INCREASE CULTURAL COMPENTENCE AROUND DIVERSE FOOD TRADITIONS THAT PROMOTE INCLUSIVITY AND UNDERSTANDING WITHIN COMMUNITIES.
