NSF POSE: Phase II: SceneryStack: Inclusive Interactive Media Open-Source Ecosystem (OSE) for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education

Web-based educational content has evolved into rich, graphical, and highly interactive experiences, becoming an integral resource for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education. While these advances result in more engaging, immersive, and usable content for some, they also establish barriers for a significant portion of the population, including learners and educators with sensory, mobility, or cognitive disabilities.

A truly accessible interactive Web learning experience requires the expansion of input modalities (beyond the mouse or touch-based events) and output modalities (beyond visual representations and sound effects) to include a broad palette of multimodal features that match the full span of human diversity. In 2023, the PhET Interactive Simulations project at the University of Colorado Boulder launched SceneryStack, an open-source solution for creating accessible Web-based interactive media, such as interactive graphics, simulations, and games.

SceneryStack consists of powerful software code libraries and design patterns, with dynamic visual, auditory, and haptic displays and diverse input capabilities. Vast multimodal capabilities available in one coordinated software development framework create new pathways for unprecedented accessibility, creativity, and innovation through Web-based media.

This POSE Phase II project focuses on expanding the SceneryStack community, improving documentation and onboarding processes, and enacting inclusive governance practices. Through strategic partnerships, community events, and a focus on sustainability, this project fosters a robust ecosystem of developers, educators, and researchers. SceneryStack facilitates accessible implementation through a growing list of accessible design patterns, to support a more inclusive, interactive, online experience.

This collaborative environment not only advances the accessibility and innovation potential of interactive media, but also serves as a model for inclusive design in educational technologies. By advancing an open-source ecosystem approach to invite and engage a global community of designers and developers, this project will impact the growing community of designers, developers, researchers, and content creators putting diversity at the center of educational technology design, and in-turn benefit a multitude of end-users with inclusive Web technologies.

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.