A practicum is beneficial in science learning to provide a concrete manifestation of a topic. This study aimed at creating a simulation-based interactive learning multimedia product to assist students' practicum. The product was developed for the topic of cell metabolism process focusing on the energy in living systems. The study employed the…

Dynamic visualisations capture aspects of scientific phenomena that are difficult to communicate in static materials and benefit from well-designed scaffolds to succeed in classrooms. We review research to clarify the impacts of dynamic visualisations and to identify instructional scaffolds that mediate their success. We use meta-analysis to…

This study examined the impact of a biology course emphasizing computer simulation on student achievement and student attitudes toward science. The students in the experimental group were placed in a class limited to 16 students to have 2 students to each computer. (YP)

The Systems Thinking and Curriculum Innovation (STACI) Project is a multi-year research effort intended to examine the cognitive demands and consequences of learning from a systems thinking approach to instruction and from using simulation-modeling software. The purpose of the study is to test the potentials and effects of integrating the systems…

BioWorld is a computer-based environment for the high school biology curriculum that provides a hospital simulation where students can apply what they have learned to solve problems about diseases. Analyses of student actions and verbal dialogue were conducted to pinpoint within BioWorld that were most conducive to learning and scientific…

The question of how children solve force and motion problems in computer simulations without explicit knowledge of the underlying physics was investigated. Keystroke sequences made by children were saved and analyzed, and children were interviewed to understand their perception of the relationship between keyboard input and on-screen action. (CW)