COMPANY PROPRIETARY © 2007 by SCRA. All Rights Reserved Tackling the Mounting Challenges of Enticing Our Nation’s Youth to Pursue STEM-Related Careers

COMPANY PROPRIETARY © 2007 by SCRA. All Rights Reserved

Tackling the Tackling the MountingMounting

Challenges of Challenges of Enticing Our Nation’s Enticing Our Nation’s

Youth to Pursue Youth to Pursue STEM-Related STEM-Related

CareersCareers


SCRA is:

A non-stock, tax-exempt 501(c)3 non-profit R&D organization established in 1983

Now a nationally-recognized builder and leader of multi-organizational research consortia that are tackling some of the nation’s most challenging issues

Comprised of approximately 200 Associates with FY07 revenues approaching $93M

Corporate HQ in Columbia with primary operations in Charleston and Clemson; satellite offices located in Washington, DC, and Dayton, OH

Who We Are

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SCRA Delivers Results:

$14 saved for every $1 invested...The average return that our customers typically realize for each major program that we execute

$6.9B... The total economic Impact made by SCRA in South Carolina from 1983 through 2006

$1.2B...Predicted contribution to the state’s economy for 2007

15,000...The approximate number of jobs SCRA has helped create as a result of our programs

Who We Are

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The Fundamental Problem

Regardless of teachers’ dedication and enthusiasm, the majority of students just do not get excited about having to learn math and science

Many teachers lack an adequate understanding of math and science...they can only “teach by the book”

Students generally lack an appreciation of why math and science will ever be important in their lives, causing them to question the need to exert the effort required to adequately learn what are already difficult subjects

Spending a lot of money to place computers and software in the classroom is not proving to solve the problem, nor is revising curricula

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The Fundamental Problem

“Only 29 percent of 4th grade students, 32 percent of 8th grade students, and 18 percent of 12th grade students performed at or above proficient levels in science.”

“About 30 percent of high school mathematics students and 60 percent of those enrolled in physical science have teachers who either did not major in the subject in college or are not certified to teach it.”

The problem begins early, so…

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A few sobering metrics extracted from the National Academies’ report, Rising Above the Gathering Storm:

What If…

Would be so engaging and captivating it would all but guarantee that students would be excited about learning math and science?

Was transportable to wherever schools are located, so every school will have the opportunity to benefit from it?

Was self-contained so that students would be assured of receiving consistent instruction on how to use the learning tools it offers—and teachers assured that the students are effectively using those tools?

Was modular so that capacity could be expanded by adding additional modules as needed to satisfactorily address the enrollment of the school being visited?

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There could be a teaching resource made available to grade schools that:

COMPANY PROPRIETARY ® By SCRA.All Rights Reserved

What If…

Had extensive performance monitoring and measurement so that the progress being achieved by each student could be accurately tracked?

Provided instruction that was totally aligned with educational standards and was fully compliant and consistent with classroom curricula?

Was customizable to allow each student to progress at an acceptable yet realistic and comfortable pace?

Allowed teachers to transform their existing lesson plans into a more exciting format

The better question is ‘Why Not?’7

There could be a teaching resource made available to grade schools that:


SCRA Has An Evolved Solution

We propose a mobile, virtual reality-enabled classroom where the student is able to see, hear, and even “touch” examples of how math and science are key to solving every day problems. Not computer-based teaching or video instruction, this is immersive education where the student is plunged into exciting, real-world STEM scenarios where he or she must interact with others, make decisions, and experience the consequences of those decisions in order that experiential learning can be achieved.

In addition, our approach is not “one and done”. Ours is one of positive reinforcement with frequent visits to the same schools to allow students to progress, at their own pace, through a progressive series of virtual reality scenarios that allows them to retain what they learn.

10COMPANY PROPRIETARY ® By SCRA.All Rights Reserved

…and It’s Going to Make Math and Science Fun

for Students

We call it the Über-Box® …


Why “Über”?

Über : The ultimate, above all, the best, top, something that nothing is better than. (www.urbandictionary.com)

Also: Über is a gaming term for a player or object that is considered superior. For example, a player who has accumulated the most points or spoils available in a game could be referred to as über. Rare or powerful items themselves are also frequently called über. (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uber)

It is a term that today’s generation of grade schoolers

use in their everyday lingo.12COMPANY PROPRIETARY ® By SCRA.

All Rights Reserved


Our Über Goals

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To increase/improve student: Interest in math and science Math and science skills/abilities Retention of math and science concepts Overall attitude towards school

To be successful in motivating and better preparing at-risk youth for attending college

To become a nationally-recognized resource for investigating and applying emerging education research initiatives to practical applications

To gain experience with implementing new and effective approaches to measuring student performance

Ultimately, to see a significant increase in the numbers of HS graduates pursuing

STEM majors in college

How It Would Work Grades 5-8 are expected to be the primary group

for gaining maximum benefit from the Über-Box®

The Über-Box® would visit a school on a periodic basis, as determined by school and student needs

Once it arrives at the school it can be set up within 2 hours, remaining on the trailer or off-loaded

A class of up to 20 students (initial estimate) enters the Über-Box® for the period of learning determined as appropriate for the lesson

The VR immersive instruction will be designed to augment and reinforce the classroom curriculum


How It Would Work (cont.) The detail and complexity of the VR scenarios can be

tailored to the grade level being taught and to the individual capability of each student

VR scenarios can be localized to the area where the instruction is being delivered (e.g., Lowcountry SC students could be immersed into a design team working on the Ravenel Bridge, whereas the Upstate students could join BMW’s automotive design team)

Students can be given follow-on class/homework assignments that will prep them for the next visit by the Über-Box® and maintain continuity

Whatever the scenario, it will be fun. It will be exciting. It will be life-like. And it will cause the students to want

to come back for more. 15COMPANY PROPRIETARY ® By SCRA.

All Rights Reserved

Key Features Housed within standard 40’ ISO containers 20 (estimate) virtual learning stations, each with

state-of-the-art virtual reality simulators for “immersing” the students into real-world math or science applications in varying scenarios

Aesthetic wall, floor, and ceiling coverings; lockable storage; built-in audio/visual tools

HVAC, all-around insulation, AC power distribution, fire suppression, track lighting, dual exits

Provision for joining multiple containers together in order to accommodate increased class sizes as necessary


How It Might Look

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HVAC

Storage

VR Server

Virtual Learning Stations

VRServer

Storage



Candidate Tools

VR Glasses

The student straps on glasses like these in

order to become immersed in a virtual world of learning and

exploration

Gamepad

If there’s one thing most students can relate to

it’s one of these. This is what they will use to

navigate through their virtual environments

Head Tracker

Allows the student to visually experience his virtual environment in 360o panoramic detail

No computer, no monitor—they don’t seem to be getting the job

done18


Taking It To A Higher LevelThe Über-Box® can be taken from “leading edge” to “Über edge” capability by adding a Computer Automated Virtual Environment (CAVETM)An immersive virtual reality

environment where projectors are directed at multiple displays

Virtual worlds can be traversed through the gamepad

Interaction (picking up objects, pushing buttons, etc.) can be through gamepad or VR gloves

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Taking It To A Higher Level This “XTreme” Über-Box® would serve as a

motivational tool that would be used to encourage students to attain an even higher level as they progress in their learning

As each student exhibits a requisite level of advancement—attained at their own pace—they would be allowed to progress to an incredibly exciting and entertaining session in the XTreme Über-Box®

An additional customized 40’ ISO container would be required, which would house three CAVE systems

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HVAC

Storage

VR Server

Cave #1 Cave #2 Cave #3

Taking It To A Higher Level

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The Impact

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Assume 10 Über-Box® systems are produced. If each is deployed 36 weeks during the school year:

36 weeks/year x 5 days/week x 5 classes/day = 900 classes/year

900 classes/year x 20 students/class = 18,000 students/year

18,000 students/year x 10 systems = 180,000 students/year

That figure equates to each child spending just one hour in the Über-Box® over the course of the school year. However, the envisioned deployment methodology is to have each Über-Box® pay multiple visits to the assigned schools in its region during the school year. For example, if the visit frequency is determined to be monthly (for a 9-month school year), then:

= 20,000 students would be fully “Über-ized” (since the same students participate in each visit)

180,000 students/year

9 visits/year


The Impact (cont.)

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In addition, the Über-Box® systems can be used to augment science and math camps being conducted during the summer months:

10 weeks/summer x 5 days/week x 5 classes/day = 250 classes/summer

250 classes/summer x 20 students/class = 5,000 students/summer

5,000 students/summer x 10 systems = 50,000 students/summer

For the camp environment these would most likely be single visits for each child. However, these one-time experiences would be ideal for familiarizing younger children with VR-based teaching so that when they start the school year they will already be anticipating their next visit to the Über-Box®.

More Boxes = More Excited Students!


In Closing…

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There are three crucial ROIs that will be determined for our proposed program: FROI, SROI, and EROI

Financial ROI—our revenue and fee objectives must be met (although for SCRA it’s so we can continue to perform important R&D)Though of equal or higher importance is the:

Social ROI—a social problem of major magnitude (i.e., the diminishing STEM skill base in the U.S.) must be effectivelyresolved via a sustainable solutionAnd the resulting ability to influence the:

Environmental ROI—there will be measurable improvement in efficacy across a broad discipline (i.e., education) with prolonged positive impact on economic development


SummaryWe sincerely appreciate your time and attention. As a result of this discussion it is our hope that:

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We have accurately articulated SCRA’s perspective on education, notably the STEM-related issues and the urgent need to reverse current trends

We have successfully enabled you to fully understand our Über-Box® concept, its merits, and the program we would like to see executed

You are sufficiently interested in further investigating/ discussing how we proceed from this point forward

You conclude that there is excellent partnership potential in delivering a solution to affect change


Do You Have Any Questions?

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Documents

COMPANY PROPRIETARY © 2007 by SCRA. All Rights Reserved Tackling the Mounting Challenges of Enticing Our Nation’s Youth to Pursue STEM-Related Careers