DojoIBL: Online Inquiry-based Learning

DojoIBL is a web based platform to support collaborative inquirybased learning processes. It imitates real-world research processes and organizes inquiry activities into several phases. DojoIBL considers lessons learned from the weSPOT project and offers a cloud-based highly scalable infrastructure that has a strong focus on (mobile) data collection. In this sense, DojoIBL blends formal (desk-top based) learning and informal (mobile) learning. Within the course of 1 year, a design based research methodology was implemented in 10 national and international inquiry projects. Within this period, students were inter-viewed at regular times. Time and task management issues turned out to be critical functionalities and were thus implemented in several iterations

Citizen Science Case Studies and Their Impacts on Social Innovation

Social innovation brings social change and aims to address societal challenges and social needs in a novel way. We therefore consider citizen science as both (1) social innovation in research and (2) an innovative way to develop and foster social innovation. In this chapter, we discuss how citizen science contributes to society’s goals and the development of social innovation, and we conceptualise citizen science as a process that creates social innovation. We argue that both citizen science and social innovation can be analysed using three dimensions – content, process, and empowerment (impact). Using these three dimensions as a framework for our analysis, we present five citizen science cases to demonstrate how citizen science leads to social innovation. As a result of our case study analysis, we identify the major challenges for citizen science in stimulating social innovation

Simulations, games, and modeling tools for learning

Contains fulltext : 196818.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)Learning in an active way is regarded as a necessary condition for acquiring deep knowledge and skills (e.g., Freeman et al., 2014). Experiential and inquiry learning are specific forms of learning in which students make active choices (choosing the next step in performing an action, changing the value of a variable), experience the consequences of their own actions, and are stimulated to adapt their knowledge and skills in response to these experiences. Experiential and inquiry learning can take place in real environments (a "wet" lab or a practical) but are nowadays increasingly enabled by technologies such as games, simulations, and modeling environments. In this chapter, we first give an overview of these technologies and discuss how they can be used in a diversity of educational settings. We then explain why smart design and careful combination with other instructional approaches and support are necessary. We conclude our chapter by trying to give a glimpse of the future

Empowering science teachers using technology-enhanced scaffolding to improve inquiry learning (Grand Challenge Problem 3)

Inquiry learning in technology-enhanced learning (TEL) environments has potential to support science learning. The “symbiosis” between teachers and TEL environments is needed and, therefore, virtual assistants should be “taught” based on pedagogical theories. These assistants should be dynamically integrated with various learning environments to empower teachers and to provide effective scaffolding to every student during inquiry. Outcomes provided by the student or teacher could serve as input for the virtual assistant in addition to logging of student and teacher interactions. The virtual teacher assistant should be developed in collaboration between researchers and commercial software developers using joint research and development grants.status: publishe