50 JAAR HIGH TECH, HUMAN TOUCH

Go-Lab:a portal for pedagogically

embedded online labs

Ton de JongUniversity of Twente

The Netherlands

We need engaging (science and engineering) instruction

What can we do?

o Constructive (inquiry) learning

o Collaborative learning

o Situated learning

o Computer simulations/ gameso Modeling (design) environments

o Shared objectso Chats, video conferencing

o Simulators, videos

Are virtual labs/simulations effective?

If well designed, guidance included, inquiry-based learning with online labs and simulations shows an advantage over expository instruction

de Jong, T. (2006). Computer simulations - Technological advances in inquiry learning. Science, 312, 532-533.

Example meta-study

• 59 studies included, 128 effect sizes• Achievement outcomes

– Simulation > No simulation (N = 2947)– Simulation plus > Simulation (N = 3342)– Moderately high effect sizes

d'Angelo, C., Rutstein, D., Harris, C., Bernard, R., Borokhovski, E., & Haertel, G. (2014). Simulations for STEM learning: Systematic review and meta-analysis. Menlo Park, CA: SRI International.

• 59 studies included, 128 effect sizes• Inquiry skills

– Simulation = No simulation (N = 347)– Simulation plus > Simulation (N = 689)– Moderately high effect size

Are virtual labs/simulations effective?

de Jong, T., Linn, M.C., & Zacharia, Z.C. (2013). Physical and virtual laboratories in science and engineering education. Science, 340, 305-308

• Students in online labs gain the same level of knowledge or a more advanced level of knowledge than students who learn in a real laboratory

Effectiviness of virtual labs compared to wet labs

• The possibility to perform many more experiments

• The possibility to augment labs

• The possibility to combine labs with online pedagigical support

And how about remote labs?

• The possibility to perform many more experiments

• The possibility to augment labs (example Luis laser)

• The possibility to combine labs with online pedagogical support

Problems in discovery

• Poor hypotheses• Ineffective experiments• Engineering approach• Mistakes in data interpretation• No planning and monitoring (floundering)• etc.

Scaffolds in Go-Lab• Orientation phase: Concept map• Conceptualisation phase: Hypothesis/question

scratchpad• Investigation

– Experiment design tool– Observation tool– Data interpretation tool– Error measurement tool

• Conclusion tool• Reflection tool

Example Guidance (Scaffold): Hypothesis scratchpad

o Virtual laboratories Mimic physical equipment in software

o Remote laboratories Physical equipment that can be operated on a distance

o Data sets and their analysis tools Data gathered in real experiments

Go-Lab online laboratories

Go-Lab repositorywww.golabz.eu

Example Go-Lab environment

Heuristics

The Go-Lab inquiry cycle displayed as tabs

Scaffold for this phase Heuristics

Prompts/assignments

Generic tools

Go-Lab in one slideFederation of online labs ….

…. embedding them into educational resources and guidance ….

.. to share with the community of users