Improving the use of remote laboratories. The case of VISIR at Universidad Nacional de Rosario

The present work originates in the Project "Educational Modules for Electric and Electronic Circuits Theory and Practice following an Inquiry-based Teaching and Learning Methodology supported by VISIR", carried out with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme. Remote labs can provide a framework where physical experiments can be developed for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) education. Although remote labs have been in use for over a decade now in several countries and levels of education, their use is not yet being generalized in Latin America. Through the VISIR+ International Cooperation Project from the Erasmus+ Programme, five higher education institutions from Latin America have incorporated de VISIR remote lab in order to carry out experiments with electric and electronic circuits. In the present work, the results of the study developed at Universidad Nacional de Rosario within the framework of the aforementioned project are shown.This work was carried out with the economic support of the European Commission through Project 561735-EPP-12015-1-PTEPPKA2-CBHE-JP and by Universidad Nacional de Rosario, through Project PID 1ING505.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Fomento de las competencias experimentales utilizando recursos complementarios

[EN]The use of ICT in the academic context is a reality, in the world we live in. The young generation of students is digital native, being immersed in a virtual world during a considerable part of their day. This has an impact in their life, including on their education. In undergraduate engineering education laboratory classes are an integral part of its curriculum. These days, many laboratory classes combine traditional hands-on labs with online labs (remote and virtual labs) and several experimental resources. A “blended” or “hybrid” approach to experimental learning seems the most effective to (students’) experimental learning and the development of competences. Still this technologically mediated resource affects the way students learn and in the literature there is still a lack of works, considering the characterization of didactical implementations using a “blended” or “hybrid” approach and its impact in students’ learning and the way they construct their knowledge. In the Electric and Electronic Engineering topic and using the remote laboratory VISIR there are really very few works, reported in literature, describing some small scaled didactical experiments. The problematic which motivated this work was the need to understand the impact of different didactical approaches using this methodology (simultaneous use of several experimental resources) has on students’ academic results. Ultimately this work intends to contribute to fill a gap identified in the literature: identify factors (including some eventual students’ characteristics) which affect students’ learning and engagement in the electric and electronic circuits topic using the remote lab VISIR along with other complementary resources. To accomplish this end, four research questions where posed, each of them taking into account a set of factors in a specific field of inquiry and its influence on students’ results. The first research question approached the way the several experimental resources could be combined and its effect on students. The second dealt with the influence of the proposed VISIR tasks characteristics on students’ results. The third tackled important teacher mediation traces that could be linked to better students’ performance. And finally, the last research question investigates if there were students’ characteristics that were more associated with good learning outcomes and engagement. Considering the former objectives, it was chosen a multi-case study research methodology, using a mixed method approach, resourcing mainly to questionnaire, interview, documental analysis and observation as data gathering methods, and statistical analysis (descriptive and inferential) and content analysis, as data analysis techniques. A large-scale study analysis was conducted, including 26 courses (in a total of 43 didactical implementations using VISIR, as some of the courses have undergone more than one course implementation edition), comprising 1794 students and involving 52 different teachers. This study took place in several Higher Education Institutions (and at a minor extent, in some Technological and High Schools) in Argentina, Brazil and Portugal. In the southern hemisphere these didactical implementations happened in the 2016 and 2017 academic years while in the northern hemisphere it was possible to collect data from three semesters between 2016/17 and 2018/19 academic years. The study focused on analysing each didactical implementation (their characteristics, teachers’ usage and perception) and the matching students’ results (usage, academic results and perception). Ethical questions to guarantee both students’ and teachers’ privacy was taken care of, when using the data of the participants. The former data was only used for the purposes of this study and the state of the participation was reflected anonymously, which can be observed both in the information collected for the analysis as well as in the transcripts along the text. The study included the analysis of the collected data from various sources, the interpretation of its results using several analysis techniques, and the convergence in a process of triangulation. These results, after discussed with literature, allowed to answer in the most possible complete way the four research questions. Based on them, conclusions were drawn to identify factors that may foster students’ learning and engagement. The study also contributed to the advancement of knowledge in this research area. It allowed to conclude that VISIR and this methodology can be as useful for introductory courses as for more advanced ones (dealing with this thematic) as long as teachers plan the didactical implementation according to the type of course and students’ background. Plus, this methodology based upon VISIR can be applied with high success to courses that do not have an experimental component, nor its contents are directly related to the Electricity and Electronics topic. In these courses VISIR can be used with the purpose of contextualization, providing more interesting and appealing learning environments (e.g. theoretical mathematical courses). Finally, both teachers’ perception and students’ results suggest VISIR target public seems to be the students that require more support in their learning, that is, the students still struggling with difficulties than the more proficient students

RIEC Newsletter No.6

次号よりRIEC News letter (英語版) と RIEC News (日本語版）が統合して『RIEC NEWSLETTER』WEB版のみとなりま

The Impact of Integrating Computer Simulations On The Achievement of Grade 11 Emirati Students In Uniform Circular Motion

Education has been affected by the advancement of technology, especially computer software. This thesis focuses on the impact of computer simulations on students’ acquisition of Physics concepts related to the topic of Uniform Circular Motion. The main purpose of this thesis is to examine to what extent can computer simulations help students of grade 11 from Al Ain, United Arab Emirates (UAE), learn factual, conceptual and procedural knowledge related to Uniform Circular Motion. It also aims to investigate how simulations affect students of different abilities in terms of their achievement in Physics. A quazi- experimental method was used, where participants were divided into an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group was taught using computer simulations, and the control group was instructed with the help of real- life videos and animations. The main instrument was an achievement test administered before and after the intervention. The study showed a statistically significant advantage for the experimental group over the control group, especially in the procedural knowledge dimension. In addition, results showed that students of medium and low academic levels benefit from the simulations more than students of high level. Results drawn from this study provide valuable information on effective integration of technology in physics teaching, because it examines the impact of simulations on different knowledge dimensions, as well as their effect on students of different abilities. As a result, it encompasses a large spectrum of variables in terms of the effectiveness of simulations, giving room for further researches on technology integration in science education in the UAE and the Arab world context

IMPACT OF COMPUTER SIMULATIONS ON UAE STUDENTS’ LEARNING OF NEWTON’S SECOND LAW OF MOTION AND ATTITUDES TOWARD PHYSICS WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY

Unlike traditional instructional strategies, Computer Simulations (CSs) have lately been receiving increasing attention and applications within the international physics education community. This study aims to investigate the impact of CSs within an inquiry-based learning environment on the UAE grade 11 students’ performance in Newton’s Second Law of Motion (NSLOM). The study also investigates the impact of CSs within an inquiry-based learning environment on students’ Attitudes towards Scientific Inquiry (ASI), Enjoyment of Science Lessons (ESL), and Career Interest in Science/physics (CIS). The sample of the study consisted of 90 male and female students chosen from a population comprised of public-school grade 11 students from one of the major cities in the UAE. The study employed a pre-test and post-test quasi-experimental design involving four equally-distributed grade 11 Physics classes: two as experimental groups (including 45 CSs-bound students studying under scientific inquiry instructions), and the other two as control groups (including 45 CSs-free students studying under traditional face-to-face instructions). Two instruments were developed to collect data: (1) The Newton’s Second Law of Motion Achievement Test (NSLMAT), which is a two-tier multiple choice assessment test used to evaluate students’ understanding of NSLOM, and (2) The Test of Science-Related Attitudes (TOSRA), which is a questionnaire survey canvassing students\u27 attitudes towards learning physics. Descriptive analysis was conducted making use of Hake’s normalized gain factor, Effect sizes, one- way ANOVA, a paired-sample t-test, and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Overall, results suggested that, in comparison with face-to-face instruction, CSs were more successful in promoting students understanding of NSLOM topics. Even though both males (d = 2.44) and females (d = 1.49) benefited rather invariably from the CSs, male students seemed to have benefited marginally more from the CSs. Moreover, experimental groups showed noticeable conceptual and procedural understanding gains. The results indicated that CSs within an inquiry-based learning environment helped female (d = 2.10) and male (d = 2.94) students acquire a better understanding of NSLOM conceptual topics, and CSs within an inquiry-based learning environment also helped male (d = 0.88) and female (d = 0.72) students acquire a better understanding of NSLOM procedural topics. Results revealed that CSs-based inquiry learning highly impacted the attitudes towards ASI, ESL and CIS. For CIS and ESL, females rated significantly higher than male students. Finally, it is suggested that if properly designed, CSs within an inquiry-based learning environment can greatly improve student learning of NSLOM

Development and Implementation of An Introduction To Stem Course For Dual-Enrollment Programs

A new Introduction to Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) course was developed and taught for the first time during the summer in 2009 to dual enrollment college students at South Texas College (STC). The new Introduction to STEM course was developed in collaboration between STEM Faculty members at the University of Texas-Pan American (UTPA) and STC, with the objective of creating, supporting and strengthening STEM pathways for students in the Dual-Enrollment Engineering Academy (DEEA) and other dual-enrollment or similar programs. The course was offered to two groups of students, at two different campuses in the DEEA program at STC. DEEA students take college courses to accomplish an associate degree in Engineering by the end of their senior year of high school. Challenge-based instruction (CBI) was implemented in this new course; challenges, lecture and handout materials, hands-on activities, and assessment tools were developed and implemented in the areas of basic electronics, mechatronics, renewable energy, statics, dynamics, chemistry, reverse engineering, and forward engineering. This paper describes the new course development and implementation, as well as its impact on students and Faculty, including the student assessment results and the interaction of Faculty members from both institutions. The instruction materials and tools developed for the new course could be modified and adapted for implementation in other engineering and science courses at UTPA, STC, and other institutions to increase and improve educational challenges and hands-on activities in the curricula and in recruiting programs and/or activities

Teaching Primary Science with Computer Simulation – an Intervention Study in State of Kuwait

This thesis describes an investigation into use of interactive computer simulations software in primary science education. The research questions are what effects teaching with interactive computer simulations have on students’ achievement, their conceptual change in particular science topics and on their attitudes. The question was investigated in an intervention study that tested use of simulations in two different pedagogical environments. The first environment used simulations in a computer laboratory, with students using blended learning (combining computer-based learning with non-computer learning). In this environment students worked independently on the computer. The second environment is class teaching. In this environment, the simulation was used on one computer, controlled by the teacher, in front of the class. The study also investigated ease of use and looked into practical consideration of computer-based teaching expressed by students and teachers. Three science topics were studied. The novelty of the research is using computer simulations in an Arabic nation, which has widespread use of traditional didactic-oriented pedagogy. Recent educational reforms have made demand for more student-oriented teaching, with use of practical experiments in primary science. This major change is difficult to implement for practical reasons, and the study therefore asks if computer simulations may work as an alternative approach to reach the same aims. The theoretical frameworks for the study are constructivism, conceptual change and cognitive multi-media theory. The first of these looks at the role of the student in learning, the second takes into consideration that students enter school with intuitive knowledge about natural phenomena and the last explains learning with use of computers. The theoretical frameworks were used to guide development of the simulation software and the intervention. The participants were 365 students in year five (10-11 year olds) and eight science teachers in Kuwait, located at eight different primary schools. All schools were single sex, with half the schools of each gender. All teachers were female. The study used a quasi-experimental design and separated the students into two experimental groups and two control groups. The first experimental group, which used simulations in computer labs, had 91 students in four primary schools (two boys’ and two girls’ schools). A matching control group with the same number of students was established in the same schools. The other experiment group had 92 students using simulations in the classroom. This group was also matched with an appropriate control group. The eight teachers taught both experimental and control group students. The control groups used traditional teaching. The experiment was carried out in the academic year 2010-2011. The study measured effects of the interventions with pre- and post achievement tests and attitude questionnaires. Students in the experimental groups also answered a usability questionnaire. A sub-sample of students and all teachers were interviewed for triangulation of the questionnaire data and to learn more about experiences with using the simulation software. The results of the study revealed no statistically significant difference (at the 0.05 level) in achievement or attitude between the students who used computer simulations in the computer laboratory. Students, however, who were taught with simulations in the classroom scored significantly higher on both achievement tests and attitude questionnaires. This benefit applied also to conceptual change of specific topics. In general, the interviews revealed that science teachers and students were satisfied with the simulation program used in science teaching and learning. However, the interviews indicated that there were some problems related to infrastructure and use of computers in the teaching that might have influenced the outcome of the study. These problems are relevant also to use of computer simulations in science teaching more widely

Using Computer Simulations as a Pre-Training Activity in a Hands-On Lab to Help Community College Students Improve Their Understanding of Physics

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using computer simulations as a pre-training activity to a hands-on lab to improve students’ understanding of induction topics in physics. The computer simulation activity was compared to an overview presentation. Conceptual understanding and spatial ability were measured. A two-group descriptive repeated measures design was implemented with a convenience sample of 35 community college physics students in the Bay Area. Participants were randomly assigned to a simulation group (n = 17) or a presentation group (n = 18). A 30-item spatial ability assessment was given to all participants one week before the day of the experiment. On the day of the experiment, the simulation group completed a 30-minute induction simulation activity while the presentation group received a 30-minute overview presentation. Both groups then completed a 90-minute hands-on lab. Before completing the simulation activity or receiving the overview presentation, an 18-item conceptual understanding test was given to all participants. The same test was given as a posttest after participants completed the simulation activity or received the overview presentation, and again as a second posttest after participants completed the hands-on lab. Overall results suggest that the overview presentation was more effective in improving students understanding of induction topics in comparison to completing the simulation activity. However, both groups showed noticeable conceptual understanding gains. The simulations had a medium effect (d = 0.68) and the overview presentation had a large effect (d = 1.07) on conceptual understanding. Results also suggest that high spatial ability participants benefited more from the simulations while the low spatial ability participants benefited more from the overview presentation. Both male and females benefited similarly from the overview presentation. However, male participants seemed to have benefited more from the simulations. Although the overview presentation was more effective in improving students understanding of induction topics, the 30-minute computer simulation activity still made a difference in student learning. This result can be seen as a positive finding suggesting that 30-minutes of working with simulations could help students improve their understanding of physics concepts even if they had not used the simulations before