Developing a STEM Education Tabletop Roleplaying Game for Informal Science Learning

This Integrating Research and Practice project uses an iterative approach to develop a STEM tabletop role-playing game for informal science learning. The project supports the development of game materials, which include freely available rules and learning-centered adventures. The game targets players ages 15 and older and includes content from biology, chemistry, engineering, mathematics, and physics. Players acquire STEM content by engaging in gaming mechanics, player-driven customization, and claim-evidence-reasoning to resolve challenges and support scientific thinking. The project will also produce professional development material and workshops focused on student learning and informal learning settings. This project is informed by the game-based learning theoretical framework and uses descriptive data, observation, player artifacts, post-game discussions, playtest feedback, and follow-up interviews to examine the impact of tabletop role-playing games on informal STEM learning. The specific goals of this project will be examined through the following research questions: 1) What is the impact on participants' sense of STEM identity? To what extent does this impact differ among participant demographics? 2) In what ways can informal learning facilitators use an educational tabletop role-playing game to further their reach and impact? In what ways does facilitation align with or branch from facilitation of public engagement? How can facilitation be characterized as a model of informal education? 3) What factors support or inhibit the uptake of a tabletop role-playing game as a method of informal STEM education? This project is funded by the Advancing Informal STEM Learning (AISL) program, which seeks to advance new approaches to, and evidence-based understanding of, the design and development of STEM learning in informal environments. This includes providing everyone multiple pathways for accessing and engaging in STEM learning experiences. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.