3C Institute
A growing body of research concludes that elementary school children’s academic and social success in middle school depends on social preparation as well as academic readiness. To prepare children for a successful transition to middle school, research indicates effective social interventions must: (1) be adaptable to individual students’ needs, and (2) provide teachers and other program implementers with clear and immediate feedback about each child’s progress toward social goals.
With Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding, we’ve developed Hall of Heroes, an innovative Intelligent Social Tutoring System (ISTS) — an engaging game that dynamically adapts content to individual students and documents their progress toward specific measurable social goals. We’ve rigorously tested Hall of Heroes to ensure usability, feasibility, and effectiveness in meeting student outcomes.
Hall of Heroes allows players to navigate customizable avatars through challenging social situations in a virtual middle school for superheroes. The social tutoring adapts to students’ choices, focusing on their individual social needs and keeping the game appropriately challenging. Players’ actions are recorded for teacher monitoring and reporting through Centervention, the online implementation support center.
Department of Education
ID: ED-IES-13-C-0041
PI: Melissa DeRosier, PhD, Ashley Craig
TERM: 05/13 – 05/15
US Department of Education
ID: ED-IES-12-C-0036
PI: Melissa DeRosier, PhD, Rebecca Sanchez
TERM: 06/12 – 12/12
Students navigate a virtual school, engaging with other middle-school characters to solve realistic social challenges. The software dynamically adapts content to individual students.
Hall of Heroes measures student performance via embedded metrics and assessments on key concepts and strategies. Educators can generate reports showing learning trends and suggesting additional strategies.
The implementation center includes account management, game deployment, progress & performance monitoring, report generation, and additional resources to help students achieve real world success.
Dr. Childress obtained her PhD in psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Prior to coming to 3C Institute, she served as a research associate and a postdoctoral fellow in the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill working on a longitudinal imaging study aimed at identifying the early markers of autism through behavioral and imaging methodologies. She has 19 years of autism research experience, during which she has examined the behavioral, personality, and cognitive characteristics of individuals with autism and their family members. Dr. Childress also has experience developing behavioral and parent report measurement tools, coordinating multi-site research studies, and collecting data from children and families. She has taught courses and seminars in general child development, autism, and cognitive development at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
