The Scalable, Interactive Model of an Off-World Community (SIMOC) is a computer simulation of a human habitat on Mars. Built upon decades of NASA research and authentic science processes, SIMOC is both a research-grade simulation and an engaging web-based tool for science education. Users access an intuitive web interface to select mission…

The Joint Educational Project's (JEP) STEM Education Programs at the University of Southern California (USC) present an elementary-level curriculum centered on the science of stem cells in partnership with Dr. Adam MacLean, an Assistant Professor of Quantitative and Computational Biology at USC for the broader impacts of a National Science…

In science education, there is a now established focus on fostering students' meaning making through/as multimodal representations as part of their induction into the epistemic practices of the discipline. Increasingly, this agenda is aligned with an emphasis on nurturing students' creative reasoning, as researchers move to enrich theories of…

Today, teaching strategies and methods changing with technology require a radical transformation in the teaching of science laws, which form the basis of science subjects. In this study, computational thinking skills, which will allow students to use information and communication technologies in today's conditions and the effect of these skills on…

This study revamps and optimizes the teaching and learning process and instrument for the classic binary vapor-liquid equilibrium experiment by combining activity coefficient model simulations and practical exercises. Our teaching process combines a software simulation and practical exercises. Utilizing Aspen software, students can predict phase…

Embodied cognition has been a useful means to support learning in science education. In this article, we describe a model of embodied cognition through analogical mapping that is supported through the participatory simulation and mathematical description of a link and pivot system. We look at the propensity for this model of embodied cognition to…

The purpose of this study was to find out the influence of the integration sequence of interactive simulation on the construction of the scientific explanation of buffer solutions. This study was conducted with 30 pre-service science teachers. The control group was randomly assigned to study with lecture first and then interactive simulation-based…

The science and engineering practices in the "Next Generation Science Standards" seek to engage students in complex tasks including planning and carrying out investigations or engaging in argument from evidence. However, such tasks often require students to effectively collaborate. While our students get better at working together in an…

To enhance teaching and learning about Earth's climate and global climate change (GCC) in secondary science classrooms, the authors are engaged in a four-year, National Science Foundation (NSF)-funded project to develop, implement, and evaluate a new four-week curriculum module grounded in the use of a data-driven, computer-based climate modeling…

In science education, there is a need to evaluate the behavior of dynamic systems. Representing and explaining processes through educational models or simulations enables students to perform activities where it is easier to understand these processes and discover the essential properties of a system. Performing modeling or simulation activities…

What is the future for school science and in particular for practical work? This article explores the question from four perspectives and seeks solutions for different age groups in the UK and beyond.

Prior research on the significance of roles in collaborative learning has explored their impact when they are pre-assigned to group members. In this article, it is argued that focusing on assigned roles downplays the spontaneous, emergent, and interactional nature of roles in small task groups and that this focus has limited the development of…

In this study, it was aimed to investigate the effects of microscope simulation software on prospective science teachers' laboratory achievements, microscope use, laboratory reports and views on microscope which was prepared for general biology laboratory. The case study design was adopted for the research. The participants were 49 science teacher…

This summer, on August 21, 500 million people across North America will experience one of the most beautiful astronomical phenomena: an eclipse of the Sun. It will be a "must teach" moment, when all students will want to know the "what, when, and why" of the event. In addition, many high school science teachers are likely to be…

Simulations and games offer interactive tasks that can elicit rich data, providing evidence of complex skills that are difficult to measure with more conventional items and tests. However, one notable challenge in using such technologies is making sense of the data generated in order to make claims about individuals or groups. This article…