Diffusion and osmosis are central concepts in biology, both at the cellular and organ levels. The... more Diffusion and osmosis are central concepts in biology, both at the cellular and organ levels. They are presented several times throughout most introductory biology textbooks (e.g., Freeman, 2002), yet both processes are often difficult for students to understand (Odom, 1995; Zuckerman, 1994; Sanger et al., 2001; and results herein). Students have deep-rooted misconceptions about how diffusion and osmosis work, especially at the molecular level. We hypothesized that this might be in part due to the inability to see and explore these processes at the molecular level. In order to investigate this, we developed new software, OsmoBeaker, which allows students to perform inquiry-based experiments at the molecular level. Here we show that these simulated laboratories do indeed teach diffusion and osmosis and help overcome some, but not all, student misconceptions.
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on International Conference For the Learning Sciences Volume 3, 2008
Participants in Augmented Reality (AR) games are equipped with location-aware handheld computers,... more Participants in Augmented Reality (AR) games are equipped with location-aware handheld computers, allowing players to physically move throughout a real world location while simultaneously triggering virtual information based on their physical location. Researchers are only beginning to understand how to leverage the pedagogical strengths of location-based AR games. This paper includes case studies for two separate research projects: Researchers from MIT will present "Zoo Scene Investigators: Challenges of Designing a Mystery Themed AR Game for Students Ages 10-14 in a U.S. Zoo". Researchers from Futurelab will present "Crafting mediascapes for a Zoo Setting using Create-A-Scape with Singaporean Primary School Students".
Promises and Perils of Using Digital Tools in Informal Science Learning Environments: Design Considerations for Learning
In this panel, six informal science projects discuss how instructional and technological design e... more In this panel, six informal science projects discuss how instructional and technological design elements interact with the unique affordances and constraints of informal environments to impact learning. A central goal of the panel is to engage colleagues in examples that illustrate design decisions that inform research trajectories to move the field of CSCL forward in the design of informal learning environments.
Proceedings of the 2005 conference on Computer support for collaborative learning learning 2005: the next 10 years! - CSCL '05, 2005
ABSTRACT Through an iterative design process involving museum educators, learning scientists and ... more ABSTRACT Through an iterative design process involving museum educators, learning scientists and technologists, and drawing upon our previous experiences in handheld game design and a growing body of knowledge on learning through gaming, we designed an interactive mystery game called Mystery at the Museum (the High Tech Whodunnit), which was designed for synchronous play of groups of parents and children over a two to three hour period. The primary design goals were to engage visitors more deeply in the museum, engage visitors more broadly across museum exhibits, and encourage collaboration between visitors. The feedback from the participants suggested that the combination of depth and breadth was engaging and effective in encouraging them to think about the museum's exhibits. The roles that were an integral part of the game turned out to be extremely effective in engaging pairs of participants with one another. Feedback from parents was quite positive in terms of how they felt it engaged them and their children. These results suggest that further explorations of technology-based museum experiences of this type are wholly appropriate.
Walking down by the river's shore it is hard to believe that as recently as a hundred years ago t... more Walking down by the river's shore it is hard to believe that as recently as a hundred years ago this bank of the river was dry land. Today all of this land is frequently under water as a result of increasingly wild weather events. Looking across the river you see the steady red light on the tower indicating that yet again, rain is in the forecast and people need to be ready to move to higher ground. Traveling back a hundred years as a TimeLab researcher, you are surprised to learn that the risk of flooding was rather low in the past. Concerned for your family and friends, you think it would be great if the river didn't have to rise-if this land could still be as dry as it was back then. Perhaps that is unrealistic and it is best to use this experience to prepare for still worse conditions in the future. But...perhaps it is possible that you can convince your ancestors to make a few small changes that will make your home in the year 2100 better.... The above scenario is part of the experience that players have during the Augmented Reality (AR) game, TimeLab 2100, developed at MIT as part of a series of research and development initiatives referred to as MITAR. The goal of MITAR is to provide experiences that merge the best of real and virtual in order to engage learners of all ages in games that are engaging, thought provoking, and fun. MITAR has its origins in a series of Augmented Reality games developed at MIT and rooted in environmental science and public health. In games like Environmental Detectives (Squire and Klopfer 2007) and Mystery @ MIT (Klopfer 2008) players role-play as scientists, engineers and other members of the scientific enterprise as they try to solve local environmental problems through active research. This research consists of interviewing virtual experts and witnesses, reviewing primary documents and background research, and using virtual sampling equipment to obtain readings for possible contaminants in the air, water and soil. Since this game is Augmented Reality, it takes place in real space, such that if a player wants to interview the Mayor, they would need to stand outside town hall to obtain that interview on their mobile device. If the player wants to take a reading of the bacteria in the lake, they would need to walk down to the shore of that lake to use their virtual sampling equipment. Players in these games need to integrate the virtual information they get on their mobile devices with their own observations in the real world. What is the slope of the terrain as it heads to the lake? How close is the nuclear reactor to the hot spot of contamination? Players role-play in different roles that typically characterize particular professions, such as an environmental scientist, a civil engineer, or a medical technician. The use of roles in these games promotes players individually making scientific connections, and also as team members collectively and collaboratively solving the problem at hand through data sharing, exchange of complementary information, and creative problem-solving.
This paper provides a rationale for a class of mobile, casual, and educational games, which we ca... more This paper provides a rationale for a class of mobile, casual, and educational games, which we call UbiqGames. The study is motivated by the desire to understand how students use educational games in light of additional distractions on their devices, and how game design can make those games appealing, educationally useful, and practical. In particular, we explain the choices made to build an engaging and educational first example of this line of games, namely Weatherlings. Further, we report results from a pilot study with 20 students that suggest that students are engaged by the game and are interested in learning more about academic content topics, specifically weather and climate, after playing the game. Research should continue to determine whether Weatherlings specifically does increase learning in these areas, and more generally to determine whether any learning gains and similar results with regard to engagement can be replicated in other content areas following the general model for game design.
The integration of learning games into schools holds significant promise, yet faces numerous obst... more The integration of learning games into schools holds significant promise, yet faces numerous obstacles. Ubiquitous games (casual games for smart phones) attempt to motivate students to engage repeatedly with content beyond school, while enabling teachers to facilitate deeper reflection on game-related curricula during class. During a two-year study, researchers developed four biology-themed UbiqGames and curricula. An analysis of gameplay patterns and post-test data suggests that both male and female students played the games. Areas where content knowledge gains correlate with specific game design attributes (e.g., simulation feedback and depth of content) suggest areas for further research on 'casual' learning games.
Although evolutionary theory is considered to be a unifying foundation for biological education, ... more Although evolutionary theory is considered to be a unifying foundation for biological education, misconceptions about basic evolutionary processes such as natural selection inhibit student understanding. Even after instruction, students harbor misconceptions about natural selection, suggesting that traditional teaching methods are insufficient for correcting these confusions. This has spurred an effort to develop new teaching methods and tools that effectively confront student misconceptions. In this study, we designed an interactive computer-based simulated laboratory to teach the principles of evolution through natural selection and to correct common student misconceptions about this process. We quantified undergraduate student misconceptions and understanding of natural selection before and after instruction with multiple-choice and open-response test questions and compared student performance across gender and academic levels. While our lab appeared to be effective at dispelling some common misconceptions about natural selection, we did not find evidence that it was as successful at increasing student mastery of the major principles of natural selection. Student performance varied across student academic level and question type, but students performed equally across gender. Beginner students were more likely to use misconceptions before instruction. Advanced students showed greater improvement than beginners on multiple-choice questions, while beginner students reduced their use of misconceptions in the open-response questions to a greater extent. These results suggest that misconceptions can be effectively addressed through computer-based simulated laboratories. Given the level of misconception use by beginner and advanced undergraduates and the gains in performance recorded after instruction at both academic levels, natural selection should continue to be reviewed through upper-level biology courses.
Diffusion and osmosis are central concepts in biology, both at the cellular and organ levels. The... more Diffusion and osmosis are central concepts in biology, both at the cellular and organ levels. They are presented several times throughout most introductory biology textbooks (e.g., Freeman, 2002), yet both processes are often difficult for students to understand (Odom, 1995; Zuckerman, 1994; Sanger et al., 2001; and results herein). Students have deep-rooted misconceptions about how diffusion and osmosis work, especially at the molecular level. We hypothesized that this might be in part due to the inability to see and explore these processes at the molecular level. In order to investigate this, we developed new software, OsmoBeaker, which allows students to perform inquiry-based experiments at the molecular level. Here we show that these simulated laboratories do indeed teach diffusion and osmosis and help overcome some, but not all, student misconceptions.
Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on International Conference For the Learning Sciences Volume 3, 2008
Participants in Augmented Reality (AR) games are equipped with location-aware handheld computers,... more Participants in Augmented Reality (AR) games are equipped with location-aware handheld computers, allowing players to physically move throughout a real world location while simultaneously triggering virtual information based on their physical location. Researchers are only beginning to understand how to leverage the pedagogical strengths of location-based AR games. This paper includes case studies for two separate research projects: Researchers from MIT will present "Zoo Scene Investigators: Challenges of Designing a Mystery Themed AR Game for Students Ages 10-14 in a U.S. Zoo". Researchers from Futurelab will present "Crafting mediascapes for a Zoo Setting using Create-A-Scape with Singaporean Primary School Students".
Promises and Perils of Using Digital Tools in Informal Science Learning Environments: Design Considerations for Learning
In this panel, six informal science projects discuss how instructional and technological design e... more In this panel, six informal science projects discuss how instructional and technological design elements interact with the unique affordances and constraints of informal environments to impact learning. A central goal of the panel is to engage colleagues in examples that illustrate design decisions that inform research trajectories to move the field of CSCL forward in the design of informal learning environments.
Proceedings of the 2005 conference on Computer support for collaborative learning learning 2005: the next 10 years! - CSCL '05, 2005
ABSTRACT Through an iterative design process involving museum educators, learning scientists and ... more ABSTRACT Through an iterative design process involving museum educators, learning scientists and technologists, and drawing upon our previous experiences in handheld game design and a growing body of knowledge on learning through gaming, we designed an interactive mystery game called Mystery at the Museum (the High Tech Whodunnit), which was designed for synchronous play of groups of parents and children over a two to three hour period. The primary design goals were to engage visitors more deeply in the museum, engage visitors more broadly across museum exhibits, and encourage collaboration between visitors. The feedback from the participants suggested that the combination of depth and breadth was engaging and effective in encouraging them to think about the museum's exhibits. The roles that were an integral part of the game turned out to be extremely effective in engaging pairs of participants with one another. Feedback from parents was quite positive in terms of how they felt it engaged them and their children. These results suggest that further explorations of technology-based museum experiences of this type are wholly appropriate.
Walking down by the river's shore it is hard to believe that as recently as a hundred years ago t... more Walking down by the river's shore it is hard to believe that as recently as a hundred years ago this bank of the river was dry land. Today all of this land is frequently under water as a result of increasingly wild weather events. Looking across the river you see the steady red light on the tower indicating that yet again, rain is in the forecast and people need to be ready to move to higher ground. Traveling back a hundred years as a TimeLab researcher, you are surprised to learn that the risk of flooding was rather low in the past. Concerned for your family and friends, you think it would be great if the river didn't have to rise-if this land could still be as dry as it was back then. Perhaps that is unrealistic and it is best to use this experience to prepare for still worse conditions in the future. But...perhaps it is possible that you can convince your ancestors to make a few small changes that will make your home in the year 2100 better.... The above scenario is part of the experience that players have during the Augmented Reality (AR) game, TimeLab 2100, developed at MIT as part of a series of research and development initiatives referred to as MITAR. The goal of MITAR is to provide experiences that merge the best of real and virtual in order to engage learners of all ages in games that are engaging, thought provoking, and fun. MITAR has its origins in a series of Augmented Reality games developed at MIT and rooted in environmental science and public health. In games like Environmental Detectives (Squire and Klopfer 2007) and Mystery @ MIT (Klopfer 2008) players role-play as scientists, engineers and other members of the scientific enterprise as they try to solve local environmental problems through active research. This research consists of interviewing virtual experts and witnesses, reviewing primary documents and background research, and using virtual sampling equipment to obtain readings for possible contaminants in the air, water and soil. Since this game is Augmented Reality, it takes place in real space, such that if a player wants to interview the Mayor, they would need to stand outside town hall to obtain that interview on their mobile device. If the player wants to take a reading of the bacteria in the lake, they would need to walk down to the shore of that lake to use their virtual sampling equipment. Players in these games need to integrate the virtual information they get on their mobile devices with their own observations in the real world. What is the slope of the terrain as it heads to the lake? How close is the nuclear reactor to the hot spot of contamination? Players role-play in different roles that typically characterize particular professions, such as an environmental scientist, a civil engineer, or a medical technician. The use of roles in these games promotes players individually making scientific connections, and also as team members collectively and collaboratively solving the problem at hand through data sharing, exchange of complementary information, and creative problem-solving.
This paper provides a rationale for a class of mobile, casual, and educational games, which we ca... more This paper provides a rationale for a class of mobile, casual, and educational games, which we call UbiqGames. The study is motivated by the desire to understand how students use educational games in light of additional distractions on their devices, and how game design can make those games appealing, educationally useful, and practical. In particular, we explain the choices made to build an engaging and educational first example of this line of games, namely Weatherlings. Further, we report results from a pilot study with 20 students that suggest that students are engaged by the game and are interested in learning more about academic content topics, specifically weather and climate, after playing the game. Research should continue to determine whether Weatherlings specifically does increase learning in these areas, and more generally to determine whether any learning gains and similar results with regard to engagement can be replicated in other content areas following the general model for game design.
The integration of learning games into schools holds significant promise, yet faces numerous obst... more The integration of learning games into schools holds significant promise, yet faces numerous obstacles. Ubiquitous games (casual games for smart phones) attempt to motivate students to engage repeatedly with content beyond school, while enabling teachers to facilitate deeper reflection on game-related curricula during class. During a two-year study, researchers developed four biology-themed UbiqGames and curricula. An analysis of gameplay patterns and post-test data suggests that both male and female students played the games. Areas where content knowledge gains correlate with specific game design attributes (e.g., simulation feedback and depth of content) suggest areas for further research on 'casual' learning games.
Although evolutionary theory is considered to be a unifying foundation for biological education, ... more Although evolutionary theory is considered to be a unifying foundation for biological education, misconceptions about basic evolutionary processes such as natural selection inhibit student understanding. Even after instruction, students harbor misconceptions about natural selection, suggesting that traditional teaching methods are insufficient for correcting these confusions. This has spurred an effort to develop new teaching methods and tools that effectively confront student misconceptions. In this study, we designed an interactive computer-based simulated laboratory to teach the principles of evolution through natural selection and to correct common student misconceptions about this process. We quantified undergraduate student misconceptions and understanding of natural selection before and after instruction with multiple-choice and open-response test questions and compared student performance across gender and academic levels. While our lab appeared to be effective at dispelling some common misconceptions about natural selection, we did not find evidence that it was as successful at increasing student mastery of the major principles of natural selection. Student performance varied across student academic level and question type, but students performed equally across gender. Beginner students were more likely to use misconceptions before instruction. Advanced students showed greater improvement than beginners on multiple-choice questions, while beginner students reduced their use of misconceptions in the open-response questions to a greater extent. These results suggest that misconceptions can be effectively addressed through computer-based simulated laboratories. Given the level of misconception use by beginner and advanced undergraduates and the gains in performance recorded after instruction at both academic levels, natural selection should continue to be reviewed through upper-level biology courses.
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Papers by Judith Perry