TRENDS IN ONLINE SCIENCE LEARNING PRACTICE AND INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES

Dr. Kevin F. Downingand

Dr. Jennifer HoltzDePaul University (Chicago)

Contact: kdowning@depaul.edu

Presentation Topics

Part I. Online Science Learning: General Enrollment

Growth Trends Current State of Online Science Learning in

Higher Education (SUDSE© Survey) Part II.

Best Practice Strategies and Emerging Technologies

Part III. The Cutting Edge: Promising Technologies and

Strategies for Online Science Education Part IV.

Online Science in Virtual Schools

What is online Science Learning?

Online Science LearningIn the “lifelong learning” framework, online science learning is nested within distance learning, e-learning, and online learning, respectively.

Other important learning types such as blended learning (also called hybrid and mixed) and mobile learning (also called m-Learning) can also be used in conjunction with online science learning.

The domain of online science learning (Downing & Holtz, 2008).

Online Learning: General Trends

What do we know about enrollment growth trends for college-level online learning and the growth of online science learning?

According to the Sloan Consortium (Staying the Course Online Education in the United States, 2008):

Over twenty percent of higher education students were taking at least one online course in the fall of 2007 (3.9 million students).

The online enrollment growth rate at 12.9% far exceeds the general higher education enrollment growth rate at 1.2%.

Online Science Learning: Trends inNatural Science-Related Areas

Discipline Online Enrollment Penetration

%(Fall 2007)

Engineering 16%

Health & Related Sciences

33%

Liberal Arts & Sciences, General Studies, Humanities

33%

Source: Sloan Consortium 2008

Generally, the penetration % for online courses is higher for larger colleges & universities .

For Example: Universities with student populations >15,000 have a 42% online enrollment penetration in Liberal Arts & Sciences

What do the large national studies tell us about how specific science disciplines are incorporating online science learning?

Unfortunately… not much!

Only a modest amount is known about what is actually going on in web-based science courses at the level of the disciplines within Liberal Arts and Science (e.g., biology, chemistry, physics, geology) or the corresponding course design features (e.g. course materials, learning activities, technological innovations, communication structures, and learning assessment).

What Obscures the View of Online Science Learning Efforts?

There has been no nation-wide benchmark study to determine the conventional and best practices for web-based science instruction in the U.S. community colleges and universities.

Detailed information on science course innovation is often positioned behind secure portals, so while course descriptions and to a lesser extent syllabi may be available for an institution other relevant instructional design details are obscured.

Quality examples of course-specific initiatives to develop web-based science activities or courses are scattered in education journals and disciplinary science journals.

Probing the Fog: The SUDSE© Survey In order to investigate emerging practices for online

science learning at the undergraduate level, we conducted a pilot study.

Title: Survey of Undergraduate Distance Science

Education or SUDSE©.

Two Chief Objectives: To benchmark current practices in web-based science

education at degree-granting institutions of higher education

To develop a best practices, didactic model for web-based science courses integrating the results of the benchmark study

Methods An extensive literature review (over 400 recent articles) Parameters noted included types of course activities and

characteristics of the online science environment A sample of science educators in nine Midwestern states was

identified from the College Blue Book: These programs were surveyed to determine their use of

methods and techniques identified in the content analysis. The survey employed was constructed using QuikData2,

software developed by DePaul University. Each subject received an email from the investigators,

describing the purpose of the survey, explaining how the subject was identified and asking for another contact if the designated subject did not believe that he or she had the requisite experience, and providing the URL of the survey instrument.

A follow-up email was sent two weeks later and a final email after another two weeks.

MethodsThe survey was comprised of 59 questions,

divided into four sections: Course Offerings and Format (20 questions)

Course Communication and Collaboration (7 questions)

Forms of Inquiry and Course Activities (24 questions)

Assessment of Student Learning (8 questions).

MethodsIndependent variables were the five initial questions.

Level of undergraduate course (upper or lower)

Percentage of online science courses offered fully online

Percentage of online science courses offered in blended/hybrid format

Percentage of online science courses offered in Web-facilitated format

Percentage of online science courses delivered asynchronously

Data were analyzed using SPSS® Exact Module® (Chicago) for small sample size (N=23; 35.9 response rate). There were no significant differences between the independent variables and the categories explored, although interesting trends emerged.

ResultsOverall, online courses tend to be lower level (e.g. freshman, sophomore) (78.3 %), asynchronous (83.4%), and in the physical sciences (33.8%).

Results Courses are more likely in blended/hybrid formats (83.6%), although the fully online format is also common (79.3%), as was Web-facilitated/Blended (78.3%). That is, colleges and universities are using each of the three modes of delivery.

ResultsThe overwhelming majority of courses are conceptual in format, requiring no laboratory or field work and use an automated feedback function (e.g. quizzes or tests) for assessment.

Communication uniformly occurs through discussion boards or email (100%). Only 66.5% use any sort of synchronous communication and even fewer use course casting technology (17.4%).

Discussion

Although limited in scope, the SUDSE© pilot survey documents minimal use of sophisticated, innovative technologies in online science learning, as well as continued reliance on traditional assessment methods.

Part II. Best Practices in Online Science Learning and Emerging Technologies

Among the key forms of contemporary online instructional design and practical work approaches reviewed next are:

Online Science Collaboration Online Science Learning Objects & Online

Science Repositories ‘Live’ Online Science Classrooms

Online Science Laboratories Simulations

3D Virtual Science Worlds Remote laboratories

Virtual fieldtrips Actual Objects and Fieldtrips

Educational games and Puzzles and …Virtual Museums

Learning Modality: Online Science Collaboration

Collaboration in Online Science Environments

Innovative web technologies are opening up new possibilities for knowledge sharing and collaboration in online science education. Social interaction to support collaboration occurs as combinations between students, instructor, groups/teams and online communities of practice (OCoP).

Table 6.1 Chief Social Interactions OnlineStudent Instructor Team OCoP

Student Instructor Team

EXAMPLE: Authentic and distributed collaborative experimentation and student collaboration with earthquake data. From Baloian et al. (2006).

Students from each high school are responsible for monitoring their own seismograph, and obtaining and analyzing data from frequent regional earthquakes. The central task is to determine the epicenter of the earthquake, but in order to do that accurately, the students of each school must cooperatively share and discuss their results

Online Science Collaboration: Applications

Our literature analysis of collaboration in online science environments indicates its utility in 7 key areas:

1) solving complex problems, 2) understanding theory and evidence, 3) supporting interdisciplinary efforts and knowledge

acquisition, 4) conveying model-based reasoning and modeling the

real world workplace (i.e., authentic practical work), 5) discursive science and promoting hypothetico-

predictive learning activities, 6) building communities of practice such as

collaboratories that extend beyond classroom space and time, and

7) conducting group practical work.

Learning Modality: Online Science

Learning Objects and Online Science Repositories

Duval and Hodgins (2003) devised a LO taxonomy and hierarchy, which they termed a content object model . We have extended that model through the level of a disciplinary field.

Repositories

National Science Digital Library(NSDL)

Reuseable Format

Learning Object

Metadata Standard

(IEEE LOM)

Learning Object

Digital Libraries and Repositories for Science Education

Science digital libraries and repositories serve as cognition-leveraging websites for creating, exchanging, managing, and presenting information (in the sense of Fulker, 2003).

Government agencies, universities and other scientific institutions with an educational purpose typically sponsor Science Digital libraries

Examples

Example: 3D Learning Objects

3D learning objects are digital representations of the surface morphology of objects (real or unreal) constructed of a mesh of polygons in various 3D file formats (e.g., VRML) that are viewed using 3D browsers.

Example: 3D Fossil Assemblage

Example of Scaffolding Information

Learning Modality: ‘Live’ Online Science

Classrooms

The emergence of multifaceted online classroom software such as Adobe Connect, Centra 7, Horizon Wimba Live Classroom and Elluminate Live permit significant synchronous interaction and collaboration between students and the instructor akin to a face-to-face classroom.

Software features permit a variety of knowledge transfer modalities: 1) presentation delivery, 2) screen-sharing, 3) webcam, 4) VoIP, 5) text chat, 6) whiteboard, 7) file management, 8) polling, 9) attendee verification, 10) group web launching, and so on…..

Streaming Video

Benefits of this system for students as the attractiveness to learner, better interactivity, easy information searches, unlimited replay, and on-demand personalized education with no geographical boundaries.

The Interlabs course delivery system that employs streaming video and presentation software from Uskov and Uskov (2004).

Example: Wimba

Source: Bloomsburg U Tailors Online Learning to the Deaf By Linda L Briggs 11/28/07 from http://

www.campustechnology.com/Articles/2007/11/Bloomsburg-U-Tailors-Online-Learning-to-the-Deaf.aspx

Sage on the Stage Returns?

Online Classroom Technology

revitalizes the Sage

Learning Modality: Online Science Laboratories

Table. 7.2. Unified Typology of Web-enabled Science Laboratories

Lab Type Studies QualitiesSummary Amigud (2002) Scanlon

(2004)Trgalova (2003) Ma &

Nickerson (2006)

Nature of Data

Control By Learner

Hands-onDistance

Hands-on Real Partial or Total

Demonstration Passive Demonstration

Access to Science

Real None

Animation Animation Real or Simulated

None

Active Simulation

Active Simulation

Remote Simulation

Simulation Simulation Simulated Partial or Total

Game Simulation

Game-like Laboratories

Simulated

Remote Sensing

Remote Manipulation

RemoteReal

Remote Sensing

Remote Real None

Simple Remote Simple Remote Operation

Devices

Real Partial

Distance Laboratory

Distance Laboratory

Real Total

Overall, the current use of web-enabled science laboratories is uneven across science areas and for some forms such as remote laboratories is sparse, probably owing to the potentially high cost of development and instrumentation.

Learning Modality: Simulations

Simulated learning settings are a complex form of learning object environment that model a system such that learners can change variables and make hypothetic predictions.

Virtual Surgery

Example: Surgical Simulation (from Dev et al., 2002).

Examples: Simulated Surgery

http://www.edheads.org/activities/hip/index.htm

http://www.edheads.org/activities/brain_stimulation/

Example: Mars Flyover

Example: The Virtual Physics Lab (VPLab) at http://www.vplab.co.uk/

Simulation interface from the VPLab on elasticity showing key features and tools to conduct experiments on different wire types. (Dr. J. Nunn).

Example: Virtual Chemistry Laboratory for Schools (Morozov et al. (2004) Provides students with practice on laboratory techniques, learning the assembly of laboratory apparatus, providing a safe environment, developing note taking and analysis skills, honing manipulative skills, and working in a ‘fun’ environment

Example: The Virtual Cell interface on the topic of photosynthesis. (by Dr. Phil E. McClean)

Learning Modality: 3D Virtual Science Worlds

Science in Second LifeA significant number of science- related islands have been developed.Example: Kansas State University has recently introduced TerraWorld, an SL island that explores historical geology at the high school level.

Second Life Growth

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Second_Life

You-Tube Summaries of Science in Second Life

http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=24B05514EE4F11DCA88E000423CF382E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfsSGBraUhc

Second Life’s own summary

Learning Modality: Remote

Experimentation

Remote Experimentation

An advanced way to provide practical work experiences with high interactivity at a distance is through remote experiments. Remote experimentation, also known as remote access or mediated reality experimentation, involves the actual physical manipulation of an experiment through the web by the learner.

Example: Remote experiment system for spectroscopy form the PEARL project (Practical Experimentation by Accessible Remote Learning) Cooper et al. (2002). Open University- UK

Learning Modality: Virtual Fieldtrips

Virtual Fieldtrips

The typical interface for a virtual hike is a map with stops hot-linked to additional web pages with scientific information.

For example, the Northern Cascades National Park virtual fieldtrip has links to geological information for each stop.

http://www2.nature.nps.gov/GEOLOGY/usgsnps/noca/nocaft.html

Learning Modality:Puzzles & Educational

Games

Virtual Puzzles for Learning Science An example of a 3D

jigsaw puzzle for learning foot anatomy from Ritter et al (2001 and 2002).

Advanced Educational GamesA form of advanced game style virtual world is a MUVE (Multi-user-virtual environment). In this simulation promoting scientific inquiry skills, students are able to play the role of scientists taking on authentic tasks, scientific procedures, and self-designed experiments impractical in the real world (e.g., Water Sampling and analysis). (Dede et al., 2004 and Dieterle and Clarke, 2007.)

Learning Modality: Actual Objects and Trips

Hands-on Laboratory Approaches for Online Students

Standardized Kits

Actual Field Study to Support Distance EducationStages of a Self-directed Fieldtrip

1) Instructor designs the learning objectives.2) Instructor conveys the parameters of the

assignment and deliverables to the student.3) Student Conducts preliminary research for a

field study area near where they live.4) Student consults with Instructor on chosen

field area.5) Student conducts the field study.6) Instructor provides iterative Learning

Assessment.

Learning Modality: Virtual Museums and

Science Centers

Virtual Science Museums and Science Centers

• Low-tech: Basic links to representative collections and information.High-tech: State of the art virtual museums are employing dynamic interactive virtual reality network services and realistic objects that can be viewed in 3D and manipulated with haptic control cubes (e.g., Huang, 2005).

Part III. The Cutting Edge: Promising Technologies and

Strategies for Online Science Education

Are these the shadows of things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?

- Ebenezer Scrooge, A Christmas Carol

Virtual Studios

Virtual Studio teaching environment from Dolgovesov et al. (2003).

Going Mobile

Mobile Learning Objects

Mobile Interactive Learning Objects (MILOs) which are rendered through the Mobile Learning Engine (MLE), a multimedia-based application for cell phones.

Holzinger et al., (2005)

Collaborative Remote Visualization

a) Demonstration of different types of mobile devices participating in collaborative remote visualization session. b) A PDA receiving a reduced pixel image. (From Lamberti and Sanna, 2007).

Complex VisualizationA wormhole model based on General Relativity theory by Weiskopf et al., (2006).

In this example students can visually explore spacetime characteristics near a wormhole between a city (i.e., Tübingen) and the surface of Mars.

Molecular Visualization

The molecular visualization interface MOLVIS for studying the chemical and physical properties of molecules. From Bender et al. (2000).

4-Dimensional SimulationTeaches students about the interrelationships of soils, landscapes and hydrologic patterns.

The 3D simulations draw on authentic data from soil profiles and are modeled after water tables values of actual well data and can form 4-D (i.e., space-time) visualizations. Ramasundaram et al., (2005)

Computer Generated Holography

An example of computer-generated holography (CGH) from Slinger et al., 2005.

This is accomplished by taking a laser-produced wavefront, forming a computer-calculated holographic fringe pattern, and sending this pattern through a spatial light modulator (SLM) which in turn diffracts the light into an interactive 3D image

Haptic DesignVirtual and remote experiments with haptic design permit the online learner to have a tactile experience by adding a simulated response, such as pressure to a hand.

Molecular visualization using the Reachin 3D system with haptic capability. From Davies et al., 2006.

An example of an inexpensive haptic device for home use called the Falcon. Novint Technologies, http://www.novint.com/falcon.htm

Virtual Instructors and TutorsTeacherless learning systems, such as those involving intelligent tutors or virtual instructors, can be made to work with an individual learner or as a part of a collaborative team.

The key roles of an intelligent tutor (i.e., agent) on a virtual team are outlined by Marin et al. (2005) as: an interrogator who poses

problems, a reviewer who can assess,

compare, and contrast results of team members and guide revisions,

a monitor/administrator who keep records for team activities, and

an instructor who coaches team members in underperforming areas.

Part IV. Virtual Schools

Virtual School Science

The schools ain't what they used to be and never was.-Will Rogers

As universities have rapidly increased their online science activities and course offerings, a comparable pattern of web-based science instruction is occurring in K-12 learning environments.

The emerging school science curriculum is one increasingly integrated with multimedia simulations (e.g., Hennessy et al., 2006) and other web-based learning objects representative of subject matter from chemistry, physics, biology and earth science (e.g., Wang and Reeves, 2006; Kay and Knaack, 2007).

What is a Virtual School?

Virtual Schools in the U.S. (a.k.a. eSchools or cyberschools) are state, district or privately sponsored education entities that provide individual courses, blended courses, or a fully online curriculum to supplement or replace traditional schools.

In 1997, there were modest numbers of students involved with online learning and only five states with designated virtual schools (New Students, 2006).

Now, approximately 700,000 K-12

students enroll in one or more online-facilitated courses (Damast, 2007).

Enrollment growth is estimated near 30% (Sturgeon, 2007).

Virtual School Controversy: Advanced Placement Science

No Test Tubes? Debate on Virtual Science Classes

By SAM DILLONPublished: October 20, 2006

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/education/20online.html

EXAMPLE: K12

K12 enrolls about 40,800 students in 21 states and the District of Columbia.

K12 manages virtual public schools.Source: Virtual schools, real profitOnline educator K12 Inc. is growing, despite mounting competitionVeronica Dagher, Financial Post  Published: Thursday, October 30, 2008http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=917746

Example: Illinois Charter School

The Chicago Virtual Charter School model employs a blended format (e.g., 1 onsite session each week).

Example: K12 Life Sciences 5th grade

http://v7.k12.com/curriculum/subjects/sample_lessons/life_science/lesson_holder.html?main.swf?Title=EarthScience&lessonFile=content_lesson_12853.txt&previewMode=1&subjectID=2&uiType=33

Parallel Learning Strategies:Virtual Schools and Universities

Our exploration of the recently published approaches to online science learning for schools reveals that there is considerable convergence in best practices and technologies between the virtual school and online science efforts at universities.

Examples of Contemporary Approaches to Online School ScienceCategory Example Summary Author

Simulations:Educational Games

Online Games To foster scientific habits of the mind by the way they parallel model-based reasoning

Steinkuehler & Chmiel, 2006

Digital simulation games for physics Develops student understanding of abstract physics concepts (electromagnetism)

Squire et al., 2004

Simulations:Virtual Labs And Fieldtrips

Interactive Virtual Reality Fieldtrip Middle and high school students interact with scientists on topics such as the wildlife and geography of

Cruz-Niera and Lindahl, 2000

Direct manipulation modeling using Haptic features for Physics

Haptic learning assisted environment to improve mental modeling of Newtonian mechanics by middle school students

Chan, 2006

Physics and Chemistry Simulation Simulations of electric circuits and temperature effects on enzymes using software packages

Hennessey et al., 2006

Authentic Experimentation

Hands-on Chemistry: Kitchen Science Investigators

Students learn the scientific principles behind successful cooking in hands-on informal environments.

Clegg et al., 2006

Remote Experimentation: Particle Physics

In cooperation with research labs and facilitated with internet connections, High school students evaluate muon activity.

Dias et al, 2006

Digital Libraries Digital Library for K-12 A digital library created for use by K-12 students using a metadata standard and the resources from the Exploratorium

Fait & His, 2005

IdeaKeeper Notepads Scaffolded work environment for scientific inquiry incorporating information from digital libraries

Quintana & Zhang, 2004

Course Websites Chemical Bonding Assesses student attitudes about chemistry and tests knowledge of subject matter.

Frailich et al., 2007

Assessment Online Assessment Online testing facilitates determining high school students understanding of genetics.

Tsui & Treagust, 2007

Our appraisal of contemporary approaches to online science learning at schools indicates they closely parallel those in university settings and should be considered a part of the same whole as well as harmonized that way.

The Future of Online Science Learning

The Online Science Learning ship has sailed.

Advances in communication and information technologies suggest the following about the possible future of learning science online.

Learning systems will have vastly expanded capacity and speed supporting the inclusion of copious media-rich resources, diverse interactivity options, sophisticated visualizations, realistic/immersive virtual environments, and learning objects with multiple layers of detail (i.e., scaffolding). Science students will have expanded opportunities to learn anytime-anywhere through mobile learning technologies with mobile learning engines capable of delivering complex 3D learning objects based around science themes.

A science student’s learning may be supplemented and personalized using intelligent tutors and/or virtual instructors, constructed via artificial intelligence systems that will be available to answer questions anytime and anywhere.

Online Science Learning Forecast

Student collaboration will be supported by social software such as multi-user environments that may be virtual, as in a scientific learning game, or real, as in the case of a virtual classroom.

It is possible that long-established affordances of a face-to-face classroom will be used more frequently as technologies for virtual classrooms and webcasting becomes more available.

Science students will have expanded opportunities to use and share institutional resources online such as remote experiments and rich disciplinary data from virtual museums.

Lastly, learning at a distance may be increasingly tactile, employing haptic technologies to engage students in the simulated manipulation of online science learning objects.

Online Science Learning Forecast

TRENDS IN ONLINE SCIENCE LEARNING PRACTICE AND INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES

Dr. Kevin F. Downingand

Dr. Jennifer HoltzDePaul University (Chicago)

Contact: kdowning@depaul.edu