Abstract:As digital educational media use becomes more widespread, an opportunity exists to develop new methods to present abstract ideas to provide a more meaningful learning experience. Drawing from psychology and dynamic visualization research, new interactive tools can be thoughtfully designed but it is also necessary to establish how these media are used and to study the effects the new interactive tools have on concept understanding. In this technology report, we present the Hybridization Explorer, a web-based in… Show more
“…Digital technology to support exploration of chemical structures by screen reader users (SRUs) has been developed. − These interfaces, however, do not provide an independent method for SRUs to build and manipulate their own chemical structures. The Lewis Structure interactive described in this report is one of a suite of software applications for chemistry, that are designed to be used in both instruction and assessment. − …”
Successfully learning principles from drawing Lewis Structures sets the foundation for understanding more complex representations of structural concepts in chemistry. As these visual-based concepts are core competencies in chemical pedagogies, it is incumbent and required for educational institutions and faculty to provide usable accommodations for all students, including those with blindness and lowvision (BLV). The shift to visually based interactive digital media increases the technical challenge for addressing accessibility for BLV students and makes creating these accommodations by faculty even more difficult. This technology report presents research and development for providing a digital learning system for Lewis Structures designed to be independently accessible by BLV students and other screen reader users. This Lewis Structure explorer can be used by all students and includes a form-driven keyboard accessible control panel. The alternative (alt) text for the structural representations is generated dynamically with user input. Presented in this report are the findings from a survey of chemistry faculty and two usability studies, one with over 300 sighted college students and the other with four BLV adults who depend on alt text for nontext information.
“…Digital technology to support exploration of chemical structures by screen reader users (SRUs) has been developed. − These interfaces, however, do not provide an independent method for SRUs to build and manipulate their own chemical structures. The Lewis Structure interactive described in this report is one of a suite of software applications for chemistry, that are designed to be used in both instruction and assessment. − …”
Successfully learning principles from drawing Lewis Structures sets the foundation for understanding more complex representations of structural concepts in chemistry. As these visual-based concepts are core competencies in chemical pedagogies, it is incumbent and required for educational institutions and faculty to provide usable accommodations for all students, including those with blindness and lowvision (BLV). The shift to visually based interactive digital media increases the technical challenge for addressing accessibility for BLV students and makes creating these accommodations by faculty even more difficult. This technology report presents research and development for providing a digital learning system for Lewis Structures designed to be independently accessible by BLV students and other screen reader users. This Lewis Structure explorer can be used by all students and includes a form-driven keyboard accessible control panel. The alternative (alt) text for the structural representations is generated dynamically with user input. Presented in this report are the findings from a survey of chemistry faculty and two usability studies, one with over 300 sighted college students and the other with four BLV adults who depend on alt text for nontext information.
“…The digital screen enables students to explore and draw visual models of ideas that are impossible to directly observe. For example, students can now investigate abstract ideas, such as molecular interactions and chemical reactivity, through dynamic visuals on a screen and receive real-time feedback (Wegwerth et al, 2021; ☑ EARN CES ONLINE by answering questions on this article. For more information, visit: http://my.aerbvi.org/AER-Store/ Publications/BKctl/ViewDetails/SKU/AER Winter et al, 2020).…”
mentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The digital screen enables students to explore and draw visual models of ideas that are impossible to directly observe. For example, students can now investigate abstract ideas, such as molecular interactions and chemical reactivity, through dynamic visuals on a screen and receive real-time feedback (Wegwerth et al, 2021;
☑Earn CEs Online
by answering questions on this article. For more information, visit: http://my.aerbvi.org/AER-Store/Publications/BKctl/ViewDetails/SKU/AER Winter et al, 2020). Problematically, equitable experiences for students who are visually impaired have, for the most part, either not been included or added in after production to meet minimum requirements set by Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG; Burton, 2021).…”
Introduction: Visual model comprehension and application are important for success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. As educational materials shift to primarily digital content with dynamic interactive visuals, students with visual impairments are at risk for being disadvantaged, since few interactives are born accessible. To fill this gap of accessible digital STEM learning tools, we designed and tested the Kasi Learning System. Kasi uses tactile manipulatives and computer vision with audio-based augmented reality algorithms to provide a multisensory experience of an interactive digital image. Methods: Ten high school students who are visually impaired (ie, blind or have low vision) participated in an underpowered random control study to evaluate the feasibility and usability of Kasi by completing an active learning lesson. The control group was instructed by a human, whereas the Kasi group was instructed by a computer. Follow-up interviews with both students and their instructors provided further insight. Results: Comparing the experiences of the two groups suggests that Kasi is an effective instructor for completing the activity. Comparison of students who chose to use braille versus large-print pieces revealed that braille users found the system to be easier to use. Discussion: All students efficiently identified the pieces. Regarding the audio, students who do not typically use a screen reader repeated the prompts more frequently and took longer to adapt to the system. Those in the Kasi group demonstrated increased engagement as shown by the increase in submitted answers. Overall, Kasi users’ performance improved significantly during the lesson. Implications for Practitioners: Kasi is most readily adapted and used by those who do not rely on vision. However, students with low vision may benefit from using a tool like Kasi earlier in their schooling to strengthen their auditory and tactile skills. Kasi appears to have the potential to provide students independence in studying STEM diagrams.
“…In the last 10 years, there have been several chemistry mobile learning applications developed . These applications can be placed in the following categories: periodic table, study guides/reference, molecular viewer (including one other focused on hybridization), and games . Though there are over 100 chemistry apps on the Google play store, few of them are games.…”
For years, hybridization in chemistry
has been taught using static
pictures and model kits. We decided to reimagine how students learn
hybridization through the development of a mobile learning tool. The
tool contains gamification features, such as achievements and progressive
leveling that keep students engaged, while the mobile platform allows
students to study anywhere, anytime. A study conducted at the University
of Arizona showed that playing the hybridization exercises increased
academic performance, confidence, and engagement on the topic of hybridization.
This work highlights the development and course implementation of
a novel mobile hybridization learning tool.
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