Advancing STEM Learning with Interactive Educational Games for Blind and Visually Impaired Children

The rapid advancements in technology offer exciting possibilities to bridge the Braille literacy gap. E-braille tools like dynamic tactile displays hold immense potential for enhancing the learning experience for blind and visually impaired children. These devices provide dynamic access to digital information in Braille format, making learning and engagement interactive and efficient for blind and visually impaired children.

There is a substantial need for cutting-edge haptic assistive technologies that support Braille learning for people with blindness and visual impairments. This project seeks to transform the educational landscape for blind and visually impaired children by leveraging refreshable braille displays for engaging and accessible STEM games specifically designed for elementary school children with blindness and visual impairments.

These games serve a dual purpose: enhancing essential STEM skills and ultimately advancing Braille literacy. To provide research guidance towards designing and implementing educational STEM games accompanied with an affordable refreshable Braille display (RBD) specifically for elementary school children with blindness and visual impairment, the project utilizes the initially developed prototypes featuring tactile buttons and audio feedback to interface with computers, tablets, or smartphones.

The objective is to equip children with blindness and visual impairment with educational technology experiences that are on par with those accessible to their sighted peers of the same age group.

The goals of this project are to: 1) Design and develop inclusive, interactive educational games for STEM education that utilize a cost-effective RBD, specifically aimed at improving Braille literacy for children with blindness and visual impairments. 2) Evaluate the effectiveness of these Braille-based educational games in enhancing essential skills in STEM education for blind and visually impaired children. 3) Investigate user experience and accessibility to refine and optimize the educational games for maximum engagement and learning outcomes among blind and visually impaired children. The project goals are directed by these research questions: 1) How does varying the spacing between Braille characters and lines in 3D-printed sets impact individuals with blindness and visual impairment’s ability to accurately and comfortably discern individual characters and shapes? 2) When presented with fundamental shapes (e.g., square, triangle, circle) using the same spacing as Braille configurations, how effectively can individuals with blindness and visual impairment detect and identify these shapes? 3) Which specific configuration of spacing between characters, between lines, or both provides the optimal balance for users in terms of ease of reading Braille characters and shape recognition on a Braille display?

This research is organized into three comprehensive phases: the design and development of inclusive, interactive STEM educational games, the evaluation of their effectiveness in real scenarios, and the investigation of user experience and accessibility to optimize engagement and learning outcomes. Data collection and analysis will encompass both quantitative and qualitative elements.

Quantitative data will be derived from pre-test and post-test scores, which will be analyzed using statistical methods such as paired t-tests, independent t-tests, and ANOVA. Qualitative data will be collected through structured questionnaires and interviews, providing deeper insights into the usability, accessibility, and overall user experience of the STEM games.

This combined methodology ensures a thorough and balanced analysis of the usability, accessibility, and educational effectiveness of the interactive STEM games for blind and visually impaired children.

This project is funded by the Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) program, which supports projects that build understandings of practices, program elements, contexts and processes contributing to increasing students' knowledge and interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and information and communication technology (ICT) careers.

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.