Virtual Courseware for Science Education

该项目的目标是在国家一级增加科学探究性学习的机会。这项建议是一项开发“虚拟课件库”的计划--基于网络的交互式软件，让学生主动学习重要的科学概念。虚拟课件库将由来自加州州立大学系统和加州社区学院的13名教职员工设计和实施。将开发15个虚拟课件应用程序：生物学6个，化学、地球科学和物理/天文学各3个。每个“虚拟应用”将：(I)基于网络且易于访问；(2)适用于科学入门课程；(3)强化科学方法论；(4)互动性、直观性和探究性；(5)垂直可伸缩性，以便大学专业和非专业学生使用；(6)模块化和自给自足。由原理研究人员开发的两个原型--虚拟飞行实验室和虚拟地震--已经被全国200多所高校的数千名学生使用。加州州立大学系统认识到虚拟课件范例的潜力，并已承诺为该项目匹配资金。项目评估将由加州州立大学长滩分校的可用性设计和评估中心进行。将组织一次顶峰会议，鼓励在自然科学课程中使用虚拟课件库。由于该项目的网络性质，传播将是广泛的，有可能影响到成千上万的学生。该项目的产品将使科学教育更容易获得，促进学习，并为降低教育成本提供可能。虚拟课件的这三个特点也是国家高校和国家科学基金会的目标。

The goal of this project is to increase the opportunities for the inquiry-based learning of science at the national level. This proposal is a plan for the development of a library of "virtual courseware"--interactive web-based software that engages students in active learning of important scientific concepts. The virtual courseware library will be designed and implemented by a group of 13 faculty from the California State University system and California Community Colleges. Fifteen virtual courseware applications will be developed: six for biology and three each for chemistry, earth science and physics/astronomy. Each "virtual application" will: (I) be Webbased and easily accessible, (2) be appropriate for introductory science courses, (3) reinforce scientific methodology, (4) be interactive, intuitive, and inquiry-based, (5) be vertically scalable so that it can be used by college majors and nonmajors, and (6) be modular and self-contained. Two prototypes, Virtual FlyLab and Virtual Earthquake, developed by the principle investigators are already be used by thousands of students at over 200 of the nation's colleges and universities. The California State University system recognizes the potential of the virtual courseware paradigm and has committed to matching funds to this project. Project evaluation will be conducted by the Center for Usability in Design and Assessment at California State University, Long Beach. A capstone conference will be organized to encourage the use of the virtual courseware library in the natural science curriculum. Because of the web-based nature of the project, dissemination will be widespread, with the potential to affect many thousands of students. The products of this project will make science education more accessible, promote learning, and provide the possibility for reducing the costs of education. Those three features of virtual courseware are also objectives of the nation's colleges and universities and the National Science Foundation .