A Blended Assessment Strategy for EcoXPT: An Experimentation-Driven Ecosystems Science-Based Multiuser Virtual Environment

• In Event: The Use of Maker Spaces and Computer Simulations to Enhance Student Engagement and Assessment

Abstract

The expanding use of technology in educational settings represents an opportunity to develop new ways of assessing students’ scientific practices. This study details a blended assessment strategy that incorporates analyses of log file data from a multi-user virtual environment with traditional measures of student learning and affective change. The overall goal is to develop a comprehensive, multidimensional view of student learning gains in the domain of ecosystems science. We describe the assessment plan and we also share our pilot work in developing and validating the individual instruments. This study provides a generalizable strategy for integrating technology into an assessment framework to allow for measurement of change in scientific practices through the careful development of models of student learning and beliefs.

Authors

• Meredith M Thompson, Harvard University

• Michael Shane Tutwiler, Harvard University

• Shari J. Metcalf, Harvard University

• Amy M. Kamarainen, Harvard Graduate School of Education

• Tina A. Grotzer, Harvard University

• Christopher J. Dede, Harvard University