Chemistry is currently taught through a mix of textbook readings, classroom lectures, and laboratory exercises.  This traditional pedagogy leads to some ideas being frequently misinterpreted, which is often the result of students struggling to making sense of abstract concepts.  An understanding of the concepts of atom and molecule are fundamental to the learning of chemistry. Any misconceptions and alternative conceptions that students harbor about these concepts will impede further learning.

We learn best by doing, not by reading, or listening to lectures. The more senses that are involved (sound, sight, touch, emotions, etc.), the more powerful the learning experience. The Online Learning System (OLS) will provide teachers with the necessary tools to engage their students in meaningful activities that reach students at multiple levels.

The proposed OLS will incorporate the following features:

• Multimedia Content, Visualization and Simulation

Real-time media content delivery enhances the educator’s understanding of the materials and provides critical support for teachers who did not grow up in the Internet age and do not initially find this as a comfortable learning modality. Video, being an extremely powerful communication medium, will also enable educators to share simulations and visualizations with other peer-instructors and, eventually, with their students.

• Logging

Log files will capture the chronological sequence of inquiry processes, i.e., interactions with molecular models, time spent at each step, screens viewed, options explored, tools used (how they use the computational tools to examine the molecular models) and what other information they seek. A teachers familiarity with log files will be a valuable tool, providing a trail of student actions and inputs which can be used to characterize and assess students’ models and reasoning as well as problem-solving strategies and inquiry skills.

• Annotation and Sharing

The system allows the educator to annotate live, interactive 3D views with important details, and “bookmark” scenes of interest.  Modeling results can be easily shared and searched, allowing teachers and students to easily collaborate in a context-rich environment, which enriches and speeds research.

• Scaffolding, Embedded Assessment of Student Learning

Scaffolding guides the teachers, and the students, as they interact with multilevel models in a variety of tasks.  Some of the tasks serve as embedded assessments of teaching progress; others as performance assessments of student progress. The system responds to learners based on their input and can provide detailed feedback on student progress.  Open-ended responses can be requested, predicted graphs sketched, and other kinds of student input can be elicited as the lessons are underway. The assessment data are sent over the Internet to the student, teacher, or researcher, as appropriate. This is less obtrusive, requires less class time, and provides a richer picture of a student’s problem solving and conceptual understanding than can be obtained from typical tests.

Funding for this project was provided by Dept. of Education Institute of Education Sciences’ SBIR program.