I-Corps: Developing technology for social-emotional learning for young children

The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is making social and emotional learning (SEL) accessible and fun for children worldwide. Social and emotional learning starts at home and caregivers play a significant role in SEL. Social and emotional development at preschool and kindergarten ages is particularly important because even though social and emotional skills are progressive, developing these skills at these early ages helps children get ready for school, and perform better academically and socially.

While some children have various play and collaboration opportunities at their home and preschools, some do not. The project will not only help children develop SEL skills, but also help parents and teachers learn more about social and emotional development.

This I-Corps project includes a new learning technology for social-emotional learning. It will enable children to transform abstract emotions into tangible objects they can learn from and share. The technology uses artificial intelligence to recognize the objects created by the children and then creates digital content that strengthens social-emotional intelligence.

This technology can be used to strengthen child engagement with existing learning tools. The resulting data will benefit social-emotional learning research and will help children develop skills that are crucial for their current and future wellbeing. The technology approaches the world of social and emotional learning through a constructionist approach where learners will be able to interact with abstract thoughts and emotions.

Most existing technologies in this space do not require user engagement and use passive learning techniques. With this technology, children are empowered and excited to actively participate and engage, while parents can discover insights and trends into their children's day to day experiences and emotional expression habits.

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.