In the Build an Atom simulation, implicit scaffolding is seen, for example, in the choice of buckets that cue students to pull out a proton, the skeleton of the atom that provides building framework, the labels and the mass and charge readouts that immediately respond as students add a proton. These simulations create an open exploratory environment where students can readily engage in exploration, ask their own questions, and discover key scientific ideas. Implicit scaffolding is where the selection and layout of controls as well as the visual feedback provided by the simulation help cue student interactions and interpretations. In our research on simulation design, we found that designing a simulation with implicit scaffolding results in a particularly powerful and flexible tool for learning. The Build an Atom simulation – currently used over 3 million times per year – provides a good example of this type of interactive learning tool. These simulations are free open educational resource, available at. Over the course of the grant, we developed 22 high-quality, interactive simulations covering for middle school physical science topics. In this NSF project, the PhET Interactive Simulations group at the University of Colorado Boulder and the AAALab at Stanford University worked together to produce and study learning from interactive simulations designed for middle school science classrooms. Their policies may differ from this site. Some links on this page may take you to non-federal websites. Some full text articles may not yet be available without a charge during the embargo (administrative interval). When clicking on a Digital Object Identifier (DOI) number, you will be taken to an external site maintained by the publisher. PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH The team will also publish research on how students learn from sims. Products will include the 35 sims with related support materials available for free from a website new technologies to collect real-time data on student use of sims and guidelines for the development of sims for this age population. Ten new simulations will then be developed to test these guidelines. In parallel, pull-out and classroom-based studies will investigate a variety of use models and their impact on learning. The goal will be to identify successful design alternatives and to formulate generalized design guidelines. Teachers and students will be interviewed to test for usability, engagement, interpretation, and learning across content areas. Working with teachers, the team will select 25 existing sims for study. The project will investigate: 1) how characteristics of simulation design (e.g., interface design, visual representations, dynamic feedback, and the implicit scaffolding within the simulation) influence engagement and learning and how responses to these design features vary across grade-level and diverse populations 2) how various models of instructional integration of a simulation affect how students interact with the simulation, what they learn, and their preparation for future learning 3) how these interactions vary across grade-level and diverse populations and 4) what critical instructional features, particularly in the type and level of scaffolding, are needed. The project will develop and study the impact of science simulations, referred to as sims, on middle school childrens' understanding of science and the scientific process. Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: Noah Podolefsky (Co-Principal Investigator).Daniel Schwartz (Co-Principal Investigator).Katherine Perkins (Principal Investigator) Michael Dubson (Co-Principal Investigator).REGENTS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO, THEĬhristopher Hoadley DRL Division Of Research On Learning EHR Direct For Education and Human Resources Expanding PhET Interactive Science Simulations to Grades 4-8: A Research-based Approach NSF Org:
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