Learning stoichiometry: a comparison of text and multimedia formats

Evans, Karen L.; Yaron, David; Leinhardt, Gaea

doi:10.1039/b812409b

Cited by 39 publications

(46 citation statements)

References 110 publications

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“…To date, the overwhelming majority of empirical studies on simulations concern their general effectiveness for enhancing conceptual understanding, often investigating learning within a specifi c simulation environment (e.g., Cronj é & Fouche , 2008 ;Gazit, Yair, & Chen , 2005 ) or comparing learning outcomes and motivation between simulation and no-simulation conditions (e.g ., Evans, Yaron, & Leinhardt , 2008 ;Renken & Nunez , 2013 ;Trundle & Bell , 2010 ). A fi rst important overarching design principle for effective simulations has emerged from this research: clear goals for learning are essential ( National Research Council , 2011 ), and simulations must be designed in line with these goals ( Plass et al, 2009b ).…”

Section: Learning With Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the fi eld of medicine, evidence from the use of simulations developed for a number of procedures indicates that this emerging approach has the potential to increase surgical profi ciency among doctors in training ( Tobias & Fletcher , 2011 ). Looking at simulation games, an even broader range of content areas have been investigated, for example, social sciences, geography, educational psychology, and politics ( Randel, Morris, Wetzel, & Whitehill , 1992 ).To date, the overwhelming majority of empirical studies on simulations concern their general effectiveness for enhancing conceptual understanding, often investigating learning within a specifi c simulation environment (e.g., Cronj é & Fouche , 2008 ;Gazit, Yair, & Chen , 2005 ) or comparing learning outcomes and motivation between simulation and no-simulation conditions (e.g ., Evans, Yaron, & Leinhardt , 2008 ;Renken & Nunez , 2013 ;Trundle & Bell , 2010 ). A fi rst important overarching design principle for effective simulations has emerged from this research: clear goals for learning are essential ( National Research Council , 2011 ), and simulations must be designed in line with these goals ( Plass et al, 2009b ).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Multimedia Learning with Simulations and Microworlds

Plass¹,

Schwartz²

2014

The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning

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In this chapter, we discuss research on learning from simulations and microworlds. After providing working defi nitions and examples for these environments, we review research on their effectiveness and, where available, on specifi c questions of their information design, interaction design, and instructional guidance design. On the basis of the research fi ndings, we propose extensions to current theories of multimedia learning to involve social and affective processes and outcomes, describe implications for instructional design, discuss limitations of the existing research, and outline areas for future research. What Is Multimedia Learning with Simulations and Microworlds?Simulations and microworlds are digital environments that enable users to interact with models of situations and phenomena ( National Research Council , 2011 ;Plass, Homer, & Hayward , 2009b ). As the user manipulates objects or parameters, the environment generates dynamic responses based on a set of underlying rules, models, or computations. Simulations and microworlds provide opportunities for active learning ( Mayer, Mautone, & Prothero, 2002 ), affording exploration instead of providing explanation (Rieber, 2005 ).Educators and researchers have posed a number of questions specifi cally linked to the pedagogical use of these resources: Are exploratory environments effective for learning? What support structures should be provided to make them effective? How can they be designed to engage the learner in meaningful learning activities? This chapter will review research that has provided some answers to these questions, propose extensions to cognitive theory in response to these research fi ndings, and describe implications for Plass and Schwartz 730 instructional design. We will then discuss limitations of existing research and suggest areas for future investigations of simulations and microworlds. First, however, we will provide working defi nitions of simulations and microworlds, used in compiling the research studies included in this review.Simulations . Multimedia simulations are designed to depict specifi c phenomena, processes, or systems. Within a particular simulation, the user can adjust various parameters, and an underlying computational model responds by displaying the results of the user's input. Through repeated interactions, such as selecting a range of values for a variable and observing the resulting changes, the learner can arrive at an understanding of the model National Research Council , 2011 ). Broad defi nitions of simulations distinguish conceptual models from operational models . Conceptual models focus on principles, concepts, or facts (e.g., how gases respond to changes in temperature), while operational models demonstrate a series of operations or procedures, such as how to perform a specifi c mechanical task. For the purpose of this chapter, we considered only interactive environments that are based on conceptual computational models to be simulations .Microworlds . Beyond the exploration and investigat...

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Section: Learning With Simulationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Multimedia Learning with Simulations and Microworlds

Plass¹,

Schwartz²

2014

The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning

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“…Cook et al (2007) found no differences in student learning between a condition with end-of-module review questions that required active responses and a condition with expository end-of-module activities. Evans (2007) explored the effects of more and less expository online instruction for students learning chemistry lab procedures. After asking students to complete an online unit that was either text-based or dynamic and interactive, Evans found that SAT score and gender were stronger predictors of student performance on a posttest with conceptual and procedural items than was the type of online unit to which students were exposed.…”

Section: Learning Experience Typementioning

confidence: 99%

Undergraduate Education in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences: Where are We Going?

Edge

2011

Northwest Science

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“…In an online course that we developed on stoichiometry, engagement with the virtual lab, as indicated by number of virtual lab manipulations, was the best predictor of posttest performance (as compared with overall time in the online environment, Scholastic Aptitude Test score, and gender), even though the fi nal assessments were traditional stoichiometric calculations (4).…”

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confidence: 99%

The ChemCollective—Virtual Labs for Introductory Chemistry Courses

Yaron

Karabinos

Lange

et al. 2010

Science

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A collection of online activities emphasizes the design and interpretation of experiments. C hemistry concepts are abstract and can be diffi cult to attach to real-world experiences. For this reason, highschool and college chemistry courses focus on a concrete set of problem types that have become canonized in textbooks and standard exams. These problem types emphasize development of the core notational and computational tools of chemistry. Even though these tools may form the underlying procedural knowledge base from which the "real stuff " can be approached, when taught out of contexts that show their utility or that draw connections to core ideas of science, they can appear as a disconnected bag of tricks (1).The ChemCollective (www.chemcollective. org) is a digital library of online activities for general chemistry instruction that engages students in more authentic problem-solving activities than those found in most textbooks. Our goal is to create activities that allow students to use their chemistry knowledge in ways that resemble the activities of practicing chemists. Our guiding hypothesis is that better conceptual understanding is obtained if algebraic computations are complemented with design and interpretation of experiments. This is achieved through the ChemCollective "Virtual Lab," which allows students to design and carry out their own experiments while experiencing representations of chemistry that go beyond what is possible in a physical laboratory. The goal is not to replace, or even to emulate, the physical laboratory, but to supplement textbook problem-solving by connecting abstract concepts to experiments and real-world applications. We believe that such authentic activities may improve learning and may better help to bring the essence of science into the introductory chemistry classroom.In the virtual lab (see the fi gure, right), the panel on the left is a customizable stockroom of chemical reagents, which may include common reagents or fi ctional materials that have properties specifi ed by the instructor. The middle work space provides an area for performing experiments. The right panel provides multiple representations of the contents of the selected solution, including the temperature and pH, and a list of chemical species with amounts shown as moles, grams, or molar concentrations. These quantities are the players in the computational procedures of the course, and so this panel provides an explicit link between the paper-and-pencil calculations of the traditional course and the chemical experiments the student performs on the workbench.The virtual lab supports new forms of problem-solving. Consider how the concept of limiting reagents in a reaction is usually taught. A student's practice with this concept typically centers around learning a standard computational procedure for predicting the fi nal amount of chemical reagents, given the initial amounts. Our "unknown reaction" virtual lab activity provides a different mode of practice. Students are given four unknown chemicals (A, B, C...

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Learning stoichiometry: a comparison of text and multimedia formats

Cited by 39 publications

References 110 publications

Multimedia Learning with Simulations and Microworlds

Multimedia Learning with Simulations and Microworlds

Undergraduate Education in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences: Where are We Going?

The ChemCollective—Virtual Labs for Introductory Chemistry Courses

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