Virtual Courseware for Inquiry-based Science Education

这个为期33个月的项目将为6-12年级的学生开发教学材料，并将在成功的虚拟课程项目的基础上，在生物学和地球科学领域增加35个在线活动，该项目产生了一个有20个活动的生物学在线实验室。 这些教材的设计目的是支持科学教师在课堂上开展探究式学习活动。 这些产品将包括基于网络的模拟和支持材料，涵盖许多生命和地球科学主题，并与国家科学内容标准密切相关。 每个活动包括一个循序渐进的指南，提供了一个概述，一个开放式的模拟，使学生可以设计和进行实验的基础上自己的假设，基于性能的评估测验，电子投资组合，学生手册和教师指南。教师材料包括在线访问的定量结果，为他们的学生按全班平均，个别学生，具体问题和学习目标。 教师可以访问学生的电子档案袋，并提供档案袋评估规则。 教师指南，内容和上下文背景和实施个人和小组为基础的工作的建议。 来自洛杉矶学校的教师参与了教学材料的设计和实地测试。 商业出版商将推销这些材料。

This thirty-three month project will develop instructional materials for grade 6-12 students and will result in thirty-five additional online activities in the areas of biology and Earth science building on the successful Virtual Courseware Project, which resulted in a biology online lab with 20 activities. The materials will be designed to support science teachers in their efforts to implement inquiry-based learning activities in their classrooms. The products will include web-based simulations and supporting materials covering many life and Earth sciences topics and closely tied to the National Science Content Standards. Each activity includes a step-by-step guide that provides an overview, an open-ended simulation so students can design and carry out experiments based on their own hypotheses, a performance-based assessment quiz, electronic portfolios, student manuals and teacher guides. The teacher materials include online access to quantitative results for their students by overall class average, by individual student, by specific question and by learning objective. Teachers can access the students' electronic portfolios and are provided portfolio assessment rubrics. Teacher guides, content and context background and suggestions for implementing for individual and group-based work are provided. Teachers from Los Angeles schools are involved in the design of the instructional materials and in the field testing. A commercial publisher will market the materials.