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Molecules and Minds: Optimizing Simulations for Chemistry Education
PI: Jan L. Plass; Co-PIs: Bruce Homer, Applied Psychology; Catherine Milne, Teaching & Learning; Trace Jordan, FAS-Morse Academic Plan (Funded by US Dept. of Education, 2005-2008)

The goal of the project is to develop effective chemistry simulations that are optimized for a broad range of learners, including students of ethnic or racial minority groups that have underachieved academically. This research is motivated by recent results of the third international mathematics and science study (TIMMS) that showed US students lagging behind their counterparts in other countries with regard to their mathematics and science competency. To help improve high school chemistry education, we developed a theoretical framework for the design of chemistry simulations that includes an active learning approach, an approach to reduce visual cognitive load, and a focus on learner characteristics. We will use principles derived from this approach to:

  • Develop and test interventions that use high-impact chemistry simulations and that could be combined to form a chemistry curriculum for grade 9.
  • Obtain data to assess the potential efficacy of our intervention for an ethnically diverse audience, including students who have underachieved academically.
  • In design experiments, foster design partnerships that involve teachers, educational researchers, educational technologists, and scientists to serve as a model for reform.
  • Provide design guidelines for simulations in science education based on empirical evidence for student learning.
 
 
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RAPUNSEL
Project Leaders: Ken Perlin, Mary Flanagan, Jan Plass, Ricki Goldman.
Researchers and Staff: Jim Diamond, Hyuk Soon Song, Chaoyan Dong. Funded by NSF grant.

The goal of our project is to ultimately address the critical shortage of women in technology related careers and degree programs by empowering them to create with comptuer programming.

Fewer girls than boys enroll in computer science-related programs, feel self-confident with computers, and use computers outside the classroom. Much research ties this shortage to problems at the middle school age, and both women and girls report a lack of confidence in their computer skills.

Our team believes that the the ability to create with a computer will help equalize current disparities of gender and ethnicity in the fields which develop and use these technologies the most. Children who can learn how to program computers will have more opportunities for authorship and creativity afforded them, as well as more options in schooling and career paths.

The goal is to develop an engaging system with which to teach computer programming to middle school girls! More...

 
 
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Students’ Success in Learning from 3D Molecular Visualizations: The Effect of Individual Learner Characteristics and Design Factors
Collaboration with Barbara Tversky, Psychology, Stanford, and Kathy Takayama, Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Univ. of New South Wales, Australia (Funded by NSF minigrant)

The question of what makes learning from scientific visualizations difficult for some learners and easy for others is far from being answered. This project aims to study factors that affect cognitive outcomes (declarative knowledge/ procedural knowledge/ mental model construction; recall and transfer) in comparing two-dimensional vs. three-dimensional molecular visualizations that represent mutational patterns in the genome of the HIV virus.

Overall Project Goals

  • Identification of factors affecting the learning success from 2D vs. 3D molecular visualizations, especially learner characteristics and visualization design factors
  • Development of theoretical models of and resulting guidelines for learning from molecular visualizations

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HIV IS STILL A BIG DEAL
Co-PIs are Francine Shuchat Shaw, Mary Ann Chiasson, Vice President for Research and an epidemiologist at the Medical and Health Research Association of New York (MHRA). Project is funded by the H. Van Ameringen Foundation and the New York Community Trust, for June 2004 through August 2005.

In this study, we are developing and assessing a novel instructional media design to address the problemof increasing HIV infection and related high risk behavior and attitudes among gay men in the 25-30 year age group. Studies showing that this group appears to hold the misconception that "HIV is not a big deal anymore" call for renewed and widely accessible educational efforts that are relevant to current beliefs among a younger generation of gay men. More...

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Research on Web-based Learning and Instruction: Review of Literature from 1993-2004
In this study we are conducting an extensive review of the literature on World-Wide Web (Web) based learning and instruction from 1993 trough 2004. The central question is how the web can be used to design and deliver effective instruction.

To that end, we asked three questions: (1) How is the Web currently used for learning and instruction, (2) What types of empirical inquiries are employed to study the use of the Web for learning and instruction? and (3) What evidence for the effectiveness of the Web for learning and instruction is reported?

In our discussion we focus on the 37% of reviewed papers that focus on empirical research and group the results in four categories, (1) media comparison studies, (2) the evaluation of individual projects, (3) research on unique characteristics of the Web related to instruction, and (4) research on critical factors of the success of Web-based learning environments. Finally we make recommendations for possible directions of future research.
For info contact: Jan Plass

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Multimedia Learning of Scientific Content
(Funded by NYU Research Challenge Grant and Steinhardt School of Education Research Challenge Grant to Dr. Plass)

The purpose of this research is to extend our current theoretical understanding of multimedia learning by assigning information a specific function in the process of learning and comprehension.

The research is designed to determine if differences can be found in learners‚ comprehension of a reading text when different types of annotations (i.e., verbal or image) in different functions (to aid in selecting, organizing, or integrating information) are available. Learners will be assessed in their abilities to recall, reconstruct, and transfer knowledge dependent on the function of the annotations provided in the treatment lesson.

In addition, the effect of individual differences, such as spatial and verbal ability, on these learning processes will be examined. The results of this study will inform decisions regarding the design of online learning environments and multimedia instruction.
For info contact: Jan Plass

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New Approaches to the Measurement of Cognitive Load:

- Measurement of Cognitive Load Using the Dual Task Methodology
In collaboration with Dr. Roland Brünken, Erfurt University, Germany and Dr. Detlev Leutner, Essen University, Germany. Jan Plass

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Cognitive Style Measures
Collaboration with Dr. Roxana Moreno, University of New Mexico

This research aims to investigate the relationship of measures for visualizer/verbalizer cognitive styles that use self-reported data, observation of behavior, and performance tests. In addition, it aims to explore the relationship of these cognitive styles and verbal/spatial cognitive abilities. Jan Plass 

  
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