GeniVille: Exploring the Intersection of School and Social Media

本项目考察了设计原则，通过这些原则，为课堂使用的学生设计的基于计算机的科学学习体验可以整合到虚拟世界中，从而利用学生在非正式和协作的在线环境中学习科学。由Concord Consortium开发和研究的GeniVille是将Geniverse（一款基于教育的游戏，旨在培养中学生对遗传学的理解）与Numedeon， Inc.开发和研究的Whyville（一个教育虚拟世界，学生可以参与各种科学活动和游戏）整合在一起的。《天才》在中学科学课堂上的应用得到了广泛的研究。对Whyville的研究主要集中在学习环境如何支持学生随时随地的自愿参与。该项目旨在理解如何将这两种干预结合在一起，并探索通过与游戏活动交织在一起的激励结构来创造粘性和持久性的机制。该项目调查了波士顿中学生学习遗传学内容的证据，这是GeniVille的学习目标。该项目使用迭代的方法来修改Geniverse活动和Whyville环境，以便结构化的学习环境可以让学生在较不结构化的环境中进行协作。项目的遗传学活动的修改和扩展，通过研究各种虚构的龙的遗传模式，在第一年的过程中继续从自愿参与游戏的学生那里收集试点数据。在项目的第二年，来自波士顿中学的教师将被介绍到综合学习环境中，他们将使用虚拟学习环境教授遗传学，或者同意让他们的学生参与他们的常规教学。学生在参与、坚持和理解遗传学方面的成绩是在虚拟学习环境中衡量的。对学生的面试是在GeniVille环境中建立的，以衡量学生的兴趣。对参与GeniVille的教师进行了观察，并对参与的教师进行了访谈。该研究和开发项目提供了一种资源，将学生在计算机模拟中学习与他们在协作社交网络虚拟系统中工作结合在一起。软件系统的集成设计是为了让学生在模拟中学习遗传学，这对学生有内在的兴趣，对他们也有吸引力的学习环境。该项目利用各种学习环境，充分利用学生的在线机会，为教育游戏带来丰富的学科知识。了解更多关于学生如何在社交网络环境中协同参与科学学习的信息，可以提供有关设计原则的信息，这些原则在开发科学课堂新资源方面具有广泛的应用。

This project examines the design principles by which computer-based science learning experiences for students designed for classroom use can be integrated into virtual worlds that leverage students' learning of science in an informal and collaborative online environment. GeniVille, developed and studied by the Concord Consortium, is the integration of Geniverse, a education based game that develops middle school students' understanding of genetics with Whyville, developed and studied by Numedeon, Inc., an educational virtual word in which students can engage in a wide variety of science activities and games. Genivers has been extensively researched in its implementation in the middle school science classroom. Research on Whyville has focused on how the learning environment supports the voluntary participation of students anywhere and anytime. This project seeks to develop an understanding of how these two interventions can be merged together and to explore mechanisms to create engagement and persistence through incentive structures that are interwoven with the game activities. The project examines the evidence that students in middle schools in Boston learn the genetics content that is the learning objective of GeniVille. The project uses an iterative approach to the modification of Geniverse activites and the Whyville context so that the structured learning environment is accessible to students working collaboratively within the less structured context. The modification and expansion of the genetics activities of the project by which various inheritance patterns of imaginary dragons are studied continues over the course of the first year with pilot data collected from students who voluntarily engage in the game. In the second year of the project, teachers from middle schools in Boston who volunteer to be part of the project will be introduced to the integrated learning environment and will either use the virtual learning environment to teach genetics or will agree to engage their students in their regular instruction. Student outcomes in terms of engagement, persistence and understanding of genetics are measured within the virtual learning environment. Interviews with students are built into the GeniVille environment to gauge student interest. Observations of teachers engaging in GeniVille with their students are conducted as well as interviews with participating teachers. This research and development project provides a resource that blends together students learning in a computer simulation with their working in a collaborative social networking virtual system. The integration of the software system is designed to engage students in learning about genetics in a simulation that has inherent interest to students with a learning environment that is also engaging to them. The project leverages the sorts of learning environments that make the best use of online opportunities for students, bringing rich disciplinary knowledge to educational games. Knowing more about how students collaboratively engage in learning about science in a social networking environment provides information about design principles that have a wide application in the development of new resources for the science classroom.