Evidence for effective uses of dynamic visualisations in science curriculum materials

McElhaney, Kevin W.; Chang, Hsin Yi; Chiu, Jennifer L.; Linn, Marcia C.

doi:10.1080/03057267.2014.984506

Cited by 108 publications

(82 citation statements)

References 97 publications

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“…Use of multimedia and computer-mediated instruction can promote students' understanding (e.g., Barnea and Dori 1999;Kozma and Russell 1997;Mayer, 2003a;Wu et al 2001) and the use of multimedia and computer-mediated instruction can promote students' meaning-making (e.g., Barnea and Dori 1999;Kozma and Russell 1997;Mayer 2003;Wu et al 2001). Results from the use of such types of multimodal representations indicate a potential to transform students learning (McElhaney et al 2015). By using multiple representations of the same concept, a simulation can also link the changes in different kinds of representations (e.g., to link manipulation of the DNA sequence to effect at the macromolecular level, which in turn effects the physiology, and finally, eventually changing the phenotype).…”

Section: Visualizing the Threshold Concepts-an Approach To Teach The mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Hence, it is very important to consider the content, the aim, learners' pre-knowledge (e.g., Neubrand and Harms 2017;Neubrand et al 2016), and the learning goal of a visualization when investigating the nature of the receivers' comprehension of the message (or seeking to maximize its educational value). Interactivity has been suggested to be one way to overcome some of the problems (Tversky et al 2002;McElhaney et al 2015) which are central for understanding the threshold concepts. Randomness and probability are dependent on interactivity in simulations and interactive animations; however, the connection to the evolutionary context is also important.…”

Section: Concerns and Visual Design For Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Biological Principles and Threshold Concepts for Understanding Natural Selection

2017

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Modern evolutionary theory is both a central theory and an integrative framework of the life sciences. This is reflected in the common references to evolution in modern science education curricula and contexts. In fact, evolution is a core idea that is supposed to support biology learning by facilitating the organization of relevant knowledge. In addition, evolution can function as a pivotal link between concepts and highlight similarities in the complexity of biological concepts. However, empirical studies in many countries have for decades identified deficiencies in students' scientific understanding of evolution mainly focusing on natural selection. Clearly, there are major obstacles to learning natural selection, and we argue that to overcome them, it is essential to address explicitly the general abstract concepts that underlie the biological processes, e.g., randomness or probability. Hence, we propose a twodimensional framework for analyzing and structuring teaching of natural selection. The first-purely biological-dimension embraces the three main principles variation, heredity, and selection structured in nine key concepts that form the core idea of natural selection. The second dimension encompasses four so-called thresholds, i.e., general abstract and/or nonperceptual concepts: randomness, probability, spatial scales, and temporal scales. We claim that both of these dimensions must be continuously considered, in tandem, when teaching evolution in order to allow development of a meaningful understanding of the process. Further, we suggest that making the thresholds tangible with the aid of appropriate kinds of visualizations will facilitate grasping of the threshold concepts, and thus, help learners to overcome the difficulties in understanding the central theory of life. Sci & Educ (2017) 26:953-973 https://doi

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Section: Visualizing the Threshold Concepts-an Approach To Teach The mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Concerns and Visual Design For Learningmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biological Principles and Threshold Concepts for Understanding Natural Selection

2017

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“…Unlike DCV (e.g., Molecular Workbench, Xie and Pallant 2011;PhET, Wieman et al 2008), text or static visualizations used in a traditional assessment instrument are less likely to elicit higher-level molecular reasoning for the dynamic nature of phenomena (Jensen et al 1996;Marbach-Ad et al 2008;McElhaney et al 2015;Levy 2013;Pedrosa and Dias 2000;Smetana and Bell 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Furthermore, recent NRC reports have called for creative ways of incorporating computer technology including DCV in assessing students' science understanding and practices (National Research Council 2014). McElhaney et al (2015) conducted a metaanalyses study documenting how dynamic visualization contributes to conceptual learning and deeper understanding of complicated science topics. They found dynamic visualization to be most effective in showcasing dynamic processes, e.g., "continuity of motion" (p. 62), and enhancing learners' comprehension of target phenomenon (McElhaney et al 2015).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing the effects of dynamic computer visualization on undergraduate students’ understanding of osmosis with randomized posttest-only control group design

Sung

Shen

Jiang

et al. 2017

RPTEL

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This study describes the impact of embedding dynamic computer visualization (DCV) in an online instrument that was designed to assess students' understanding of osmosis. The randomized posttest-only control group research was designed to compare the effect and the perceived helpfulness of the integration of DCV before and after the administration of an osmosis instrument. College students from three large classes (N = 640) were randomly assigned to participate in the research through an online system. Rasch-PCM was applied to determine the psychometric properties of the instrument and differentiate the student's understanding of osmosis. Welch two-sample t test was applied to examine whether there was significant discrepancy between groups. Multiple regressions analysis was conducted to evaluate the association between predictors and the student's understanding level, alluding to the performance on the online instrument. We found (a) the psychometric properties of the instrument with DCVs were reliable with good construct validity, (b) students who viewed DCV before they took the assessment performed better than those without, especially on solvation-related items, (c) students' time spent on the DCVs significantly contributed to their performance, (d) the current data analytics enabled us to study respondents' DCV navigation behavior, and (e) we summarized how participants perceived DCVs that are in the assessment. Educational implications and significance of this study is also discussed.

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“…Furthermore, the speed at which mutations arise in cells (happening on the scale of nanoseconds) and the time needed to discern adaptations over multiple generations, are both well outside the range of our normal perception (depending on the generation time of the respective organism). Visualizations, especially dynamic visualizations, offer many possibilities in this regard (O'Day, 2006;McElhaney, 2015). A literature review of technology-supported learning in biology found evolution to be among the less frequently studied topics in educational research focusing primarily on visualizations.…”

Section: Visualizations As Mediators Of Scientific Knowledgementioning

confidence: 99%

Evolving germs – Antibiotic resistance and natural selection in education and public communication

Bohlin¹

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Bacterial resistance to antibiotics threatens modern healthcare on a global scale. Several actors in society, including the general public, must become more involved if this development is to be countered. The conveyance of relevant information provided through education and media reports is therefore of high concern. Antibiotic resistance evolves through the mechanisms of natural selection; in this way, a sound understanding of these mechanisms underlies explanations of causes and the development of effective risk-reduction measures. In addition to natural selection functioning as an explanatory framework to antibiotic resistance, bacterial resistance as a context seems to possess a number of qualities that make it suitable for teaching natural selection -a subject that has been proven notoriously hard to teach and learn. A recently suggested approach for learning natural selection involves so-called threshold concepts, which encompass abstract and integrative ideas. The threshold concepts associated with natural selection include, among others, the notions of randomness as well as vast spatial and temporal scales. Illustrating complex relationships between concepts on different levels of organization is one, of several, areas where visualizations are efficient. Given the often-imperceptible nature of threshold concepts as well as the fact that natural selection processes occur on different organizational levels, visual accounts of natural selection have many potential benefits for learning.Against this background, the present dissertation explores information conveyed to the public regarding antibiotic resistance and natural selection, as well as investigates how these topics are presented together, by scrutinizing media including news reports, websites, educational textbooks and online videos. The principal method employed in the media studies was content analysis, which was complemented with various other analytical procedures. Moreover, a classroom study was performed, in which novice pupils worked with a series of animations explaining the evolution of antibiotic resistance. Data from individual written assignments, group questions and video-recorded discussions were collected and analyzed to empirically explore the potential of antibiotic resistance as a context for learning about evolution through natural selection.Among the findings are that certain information, that is crucial for the public to know, about antibiotic resistance was conveyed to a low extent through wide-reaching news reporting. Moreover, explanations based on natural selection were rarely included in accounts of antibiotic resistance in any of the examined media. Thus, it is highly likely that a large proportion of the population is never exposed to explanations for resistance development ii during education or through newspapers. Furthermore, the few examples that were encountered in newspapers or textbooks were hardly ever visualized, but presented only in textual form. With regard to videos purporting to explain natural selec...

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Evidence for effective uses of dynamic visualisations in science curriculum materials

Cited by 108 publications

References 97 publications

Biological Principles and Threshold Concepts for Understanding Natural Selection

Biological Principles and Threshold Concepts for Understanding Natural Selection

Comparing the effects of dynamic computer visualization on undergraduate students’ understanding of osmosis with randomized posttest-only control group design

Evolving germs – Antibiotic resistance and natural selection in education and public communication

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