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Society’s increased reliance on technology has simultaneously increased the demand for people who can develop and design these new advancements. This has led to an influx of students looking to learn how to code and gain the technological skill set that is currently among the most marketable. Learning to code is challenging; without the right tools, resources, and assistance, it can be tough to build the foundation needed to understand key computer science fundamentals. The existing web platforms focused on assisting K-12 learners are competitive from an educational and technical perspective. There is a huge lack of virtual educational platforms that can deliver resources to students with disabilities through innovative accessible features and provide guidance to K-12 teachers that are trying to support this area. This lack of guidance is especially evident when examining resources available to teachers about increasing access and engagement of struggling learners including students with disabilities. The motivation of this paper is to introduce a prototype of a centralized portal, Accessible Virtual Learning, that implements user experience strategies and accessible usability principles aiming to be accessible to any student and also educators who need guidance on finding suitable materials. The success of this portal relies heavily on its ability to allow teachers and self-directed learners to facilitate curriculums effectively while maximizing student engagement, ease of learning, and digital assistance for students at various ages with different learning abilities, both physical and cognitive. 

The National Academy of Engineering’s “Fourteen Grand Challenges for Engineering in the Twenty-First Century” identifies challenges in science and technology that are both feasible and sustainable to help people and the planet prosper. Four of these challenges are: advance personalized learning, enhance virtual reality, make solar energy affordable and provide access to clean water. In this work, the authors discuss developing of applications using immersive technologies, such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) and their significance in addressing four of the challenges. The Drinking Water AR mobile application helps users easily locate drinking water sources inside Auburn University (AU) campus, thus providing easy access to clean water. The Sun Path mobile application helps users visualize Sun’s path at any given time and location. Students study Sun path in various fields but often have a hard time visualizing and conceptualizing it, therefore the application can help. Similarly, the application could possibly assist the users in efficient solar panel placement. Architects often study Sun path to evaluate solar panel placement at a particular location. An effective solar panel placement helps optimize degree of efficiency of using the solar energy. The Solar System Oculus Quest VR application enables users in viewing all eight planets and the Sun in the solar system. Planets are simulated to mimic their position, scale, and rotation relative to the Sun. Using the Oculus Quest controllers, disguised as human hands in the scene, users can teleport within the world view, and can get closer to each planet and the Sun to have a better view of the objects and the text associated with the objects. As a result, tailored learning is aided, and Virtual Reality is enhanced. In a camp held virtually, due to Covid-19, K12 students were introduced to the concept and usability of the applications. Likert scales metric was used to assess the efficacy of application usage. The data shows that participants of this camp benefited from an immersive learning experience that allowed for simulation with inclusion of VR and AR. 

This work in progress paper describes results from a NSF Research in the Formation of Engineers grant. The overarching objective of this research is to understand how framing engineering as an altruistic profession affects the engineering identity development of low socioeconomic status (SES) African American 8th - 10th grade students from an urban area within a predominantly rural Southern state. While there has been significant focus on increasing STEM knowledge and career interests for underrepresented minority (predominantly African American) low SES students from rural regions of these states, less focus has been paid to engineering specifically and to urban areas in this region. Little is known about how the intersections of race, poverty, local environment, and regional culture affect this group’s perceptions of potential engineering career pathways. This research seeks to understand the effects of different interventions on students’ self-efficacy and interest in engineering. In the first part, the effects of an existing Saturday STEM program were investigated. In the second part, the effects of a camp and mentoring program which highlights the positive societal impacts of engineering are being investigated. This paper highlights the structure of these programs and findings to date