Event Information
The design of the Camp at College: World of Wonder program intentionally integrated Human-Centered Design, inquiry-based learning (IBL; Branch & Solowan, 2003), and the “5E Model” (Engagement, Explanation, Exploration, Elaboration, and Evaluation) (as cited in Duran & Duran, 2004) as complementary frameworks for building curriculum. Rather than operating as separate influences, these models informed each stage of the program—from the initial emphasis on empathy and problem identification, to cycles of prototyping and testing, to structured opportunities for reflection and elaboration. Human-Centered Design guided the iterative nature of the camp, ensuring activities began with learners’ perspectives and invited multiple rounds of invention (IDEO.org, 2015). Inquiry-based learning’s constructivist orientation positioned youth as knowledge-builders, supported by mentors who facilitated rather than directed learning (Pappas, 2014). The 5E model provided a backbone for pacing, ensuring a coherent flow across sessions and between the “in real life” classroom and VR environments. Together, these design decisions created a curriculum that fostered empowerment, offered equitable and affirming entry points for diverse learners, and positioned youth inquiry as central to imagining innovative futures and rethinking community challenges—hallmarks of responsive middle grades teaching (Bishop & Harrison, 2021)
This study leveraged a formative design approach (Reinking & Bradley, 2008) where feedback was gathered from participants for continuous development and improvement of the program model and curriculum. Reinking and Bradley (2008) describe formative design research as a systematic, iterative process of designing, implementing, and refining educational interventions in authentic contexts with the dual aim of improving practice and generating usable theory, with ongoing cycles of data collection and analysis guiding each subsequent design revision.
Participants in the pilot iteration of the program in spring 2025 were recruited from a youth leadership class at a local Title 1 middle school. Participants in the summer 2025 iteration came to the program from varying backgrounds, recruited through the research team’s connections with school and district leaders, as well as internal university mechanisms like hallway display monitors. Both iterations of the program were offered free of charge to participants. A convenience sample of study participants were recruited from program participants. Parent permission for camp, parent consent for the study, and youth assent for the study was provided to all research participants. Of the 27 youth who participated in the program from spring-summer 2025, 16 participated in the study. These youth were surveyed as they entered the program and in an ongoing manner, then interviewed at the conclusion of the program. In these interviews, we asked them questions such as their favorite part of camp, the purpose, and what they might change.
Multiple sources of data were collected, including individual interviews with youth, observational notes, screencasts of youth in game play, as well as parent/guardian surveys at the conclusion of the program. All individual interviews were conducted in person and were recorded and transcribed. Additional data points include pre- and post-surveys related to youth use of technology, and notebooks that youth used to record their thinking and learning throughout the program. Members of the research conducted thematic analysis (Saldaňa, 2014)read interview transcripts, noting ideas that were repeated by multiple participants, which constitute our preliminary themes. Using data analysis software (INVIVO) we aligned these themes with observations recorded by the research team in real-time, then we will enhance and enrich the themes through student artifacts and parent/guardian survey responses. The themes presented below represent our preliminary results focused on the curricular outcomes.
Preliminary findings from the interview and observation data indicate that the program design helped students take ownership of their learning by investigating community issues that mattered to them. Students engaged deeply in the inquiry process, showing creativity and persistence as they developed solutions. They moved fluidly between hands-on activities and virtual reality, using each space to extend and test their ideas. VR in particular served as a powerful tool for imagining “what if” scenarios and experimenting with possible solutions. Students also highlighted the importance of supportive mentors, noting that encouragement and feedback helped them feel confident to take risks and learn from mistakes. Finally, being on a college campus expanded their sense of what was possible, with many students expressing excitement about their futures and seeing themselves as capable of succeeding in higher education.
By the presentation of this session, we will have enriched these findings by analyzing student artifacts in relation to these themes as well as survey data. We hope to demonstrate the ways in which the curriculum mediated youth innovation.
This study highlights how a curriculum grounded in inquiry and virtual reality can design futures of learning for middle-grade students. By exploring community challenges and envisioning innovative solutions, youth discovered that their ideas were not only meaningful but also actionable. This curriculum fostered agency and empowerment—core qualities of effective, authentic learning. The program’s structure, which blended authentic inquiry tasks with technology-rich experiences, created equitable opportunities for learning by responding to each youth participant’s unique strengths, needs, and perspectives. Importantly, learning in a college setting with high-tech tools expanded students’ visions of their own futures, helping them imagine themselves as capable contributors to their communities.
Bishop, P. A., & Harrison, L. M. (2021). The successful middle school: This we believe. Association for Middle Level Education.
Branch, J. L. and Solowan, D.L. (2003). Inquiry-based learning: The key to student success. School Libraries in Canada, 22(4), 6-12. https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/inquiry-based-learning-key-student-success/docview/222549519/se-2
Duran, L. B., & Duran, E. (2004). The 5E instructional model: A learning cycle approach for inquiry-based science teaching. Science Education Review, 3(2), 49-58.
IDEO.org. (2015). The Field Guide to Human-Centered Design (1st ed.). IDEO.org.
Pappas, C. (2014). Instructional design models and theories: Inquiry-based learning model. eLearning Industry.
Reinking, D., Bradley, B. A. (2008). On Formative and Design Experiments. United Kingdom: Teachers College Press.
Saldana, J. (2014). Thinking qualitatively: Methods of mind. SAGE publications.
Other presentations in this group:
Back
Trips and Tours
