In collaboration with Gigantic Mechanic, we are studying the impact of a novel classroom-based, role-playing game called VOXPOP, which teaches the historical and current legislative process of the United States.
In VOXPOP, students take on the roles of historical figures and re-enact significant events in U.S. legislative history. A tablet-based application guides their online and face-to-face activities as they engage in collaborative argumentation, debate, and reasoning.
Our team created assessments and is analyzing classroom and interview data to capture the impact of the curriculum and technology design on students’ civic and historical reasoning and engagement.
This is a Phase 1 project (March 2018-January 2019) funded by the U.S. Department of Education / Institute of Education Sciences’ Small Business Innovation Research program.
See also
- Gigantic Mechanic
- Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate
- Senate Immersion Module
- DOE/IES SBIR
Opportunities for participation:
- Conduct quantitative and qualitative analyses on existing data (classroom audio/video, student and teacher and designer interviews and artifacts, surveys).
- Survey literature on students’ historical thinking and civic engagement.