ALCHEMIE AWARDED FEDERAL GRANT
TO IMPROVE ACCESSIBILITY FOR SCIENCE STUDENTS WITH VISUAL CHALLENGES

TROY, MICH.  June 25, 2020—Alchemie, an education technology company based in Troy, Mich., has recently been awarded a $200,000 Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) grant by the U.S. Department of Education/Institute of Education Sciences (IES) to expand its technology research to create a multi-sensory augmented reality (AR) system to assist students with visual impairments.  

“With this grant, Alchemie will research multi-sensory learning for all students, but particularly for those who have visual challenges,” said Julia Winter, CEO of Alchemie. “This type of breakthrough technology is especially critical since learning has moved online during COVID-19. Through the intersection of accessibility, online learning, and augmented reality, we can transform the learning experience for science students everywhere.” 

The Alchemie team has built a suite of research-backed digital learning tools for higher education science with over $1.4M in funding from the National Science Foundation SBIR program.

  Alchemie’s IES Phase I project creates an inclusive system for all STEM students, and in particular blind or visually impaired (BVI) students. Those with visual disabilities will be able to access content in the same fashion as their sighted peers through integrated audio feedback.Phase II will see the system expand to other concepts in chemistry, physics,math, and three-dimensional manipulatives.  

The project will produce a web application that will incorporate audio-based AR to provide real-time feed back to its users as they interact with physical objects. During Phase I, Alchemie’s research team will develop custom computer vision algorithms to recognize molecules built with white-board magnets and create a set of learning challenges to guide students with audio cues.

 While educational content is rapidly being transformed into digital-only, online systems, embedded interactive learning tools are not as accessible for BVI students. This new multi-sensory AR learning system will be low-cost and will be readily available for use on devices that students and schools already own, and which will in turn directly match Alchemie’s existing digital-only interactive tools. 

The use of physical manipulatives helps all students access spatial and abstract ideas through embodied learning, by training through movement partnered with cognition providing lasting connection to concepts. Multi-sensory learning combining visual, audio, and kinesthetic modalities aid in memory enhancement and information retention from written material.

 The proposed Alchemie AR learning system will create assistive technology not as an afterthought or add-on, but as a key feature of the product, and BVI students will have similar learning experiences as their peers to increase confidence,engagement, and academic persistence.

ABOUT ALCHEMIE  
The Alchemie platform of interactive learning tools combines outstanding design with a game-based approach to present tough concepts for science and engineering in an innovative, engaging way. Rote memorization and multiple-choice questions are transformed into experimentation and meaningful learning with research-backed, competency-based assessments. Alchemie’s digital learning technology can be readily embedded into all modes of content delivery,including emerging technology such as augmented and mixed reality devices. More information can be found at alchem.ie.

MEDIA CONTACT:  Colleen Robar, 313-207-5960, crobar@robarpr.com