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Information on IES-Funded Research
Contract Open

Authentic Real-World Math Problem Solving in Tyto Online: Probability & Statistics

NCER
Program: Small Business Innovation Research
Award amount: $1,000,000
Project director: Lindsey Tropf
Awardee:
Immersed Games Inc
Year: 2025
Award period: 2 years (09/12/2025 - 09/11/2027)
Project type:
Phase II Development
Contract number: 91990025C0092

Purpose

Across education and the workforce, society increasingly depends on people who can reason with data, yet many middle-school students enter high school without the statistical literacy needed to make informed decisions or access emerging careers. This project addresses that gap by creating Tyto Online: Statistics & Probability, a supplemental product for grades 6–8 that situates statistics and probability in real-world problems (e.g., business and public health), supports sense-making through interactive data visualization and probability modeling, and scaffolds mathematical discourse. Aligned to CCSS-M and GAISE II, the goal is to improve students’ understanding, engagement, and confidence with data while giving teachers practical tools to facilitate discussion and formative assessment. By strengthening students’ capacity to interpret and use data, the project aims to advance educational outcomes and build the data-literate workforce communities need.

Project Activities

In Phase II, the team will complete development of Tyto Online: Statistics & Probability and evaluate it in school settings. Students will engage with interactive, story-driven quests set in a 3D game environment, tackling authentic challenges like helping a business owner analyze customer data to grow their café. These quests integrate data collection, visualization, and interpretation, immersing students in real-world contexts to deepen their understanding of statistics and data science.

Development will add statistics and probability mechanics (interactive graphing, modeling, and 3D manipulatives), an enhanced discourse system with student explanations and AI-prompted follow-ups, a teacher dashboard with formative insights, and student/teacher guides and professional development. Co-design cycles with students, teachers, and subject-matter experts will inform iterative improvements.

The research plan includes a classroom feasibility study to examine usability, fidelity, discourse, and teacher experience, followed by a randomized controlled pilot across multiple schools to estimate impacts on student learning in statistics and probability, engagement, and attitudes, as well as the quality of classroom discourse. Analyses of usage data, observations, assessments, surveys, and interviews will guide refinements and document implementation conditions. The project will produce a field-ready, evidence-based product and findings to support scale-up through licensing and direct adoption.

Questions about this project?

To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.

 

Tags

Education TechnologyK-12 EducationMathematicsStudents

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Questions about this project?

To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.

 

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