Gaming/Virtual Environments

What Distinguishes Students’ Engineering Design Performance: Design Behaviors, Design Iterations, and Application of Science Concepts

Engineering design that requires mathematical analysis, scientific understanding, and technology is critical for preparing students for solving engineering problems. In simulated design environments, students are expected to learn about science and engineering through their design. However, there is a lack of understanding concerning linking science concepts with design problems to design artifacts.

Author/Presenter

Hanxiang Du

Gaoxia Zhu

Wanli Xing

Charles Xie

Year
2025
Short Description

Engineering design that requires mathematical analysis, scientific understanding, and technology is critical for preparing students for solving engineering problems. In simulated design environments, students are expected to learn about science and engineering through their design. However, there is a lack of understanding concerning linking science concepts with design problems to design artifacts. This study investigated how 99 high school students applied science concepts to solarize their school using a computer-aided engineering design software, aiming to explore the interaction between students’ science concepts and engineering design behaviors.

What Distinguishes Students’ Engineering Design Performance: Design Behaviors, Design Iterations, and Application of Science Concepts

Engineering design that requires mathematical analysis, scientific understanding, and technology is critical for preparing students for solving engineering problems. In simulated design environments, students are expected to learn about science and engineering through their design. However, there is a lack of understanding concerning linking science concepts with design problems to design artifacts.

Author/Presenter

Hanxiang Du

Gaoxia Zhu

Wanli Xing

Charles Xie

Year
2025
Short Description

Engineering design that requires mathematical analysis, scientific understanding, and technology is critical for preparing students for solving engineering problems. In simulated design environments, students are expected to learn about science and engineering through their design. However, there is a lack of understanding concerning linking science concepts with design problems to design artifacts. This study investigated how 99 high school students applied science concepts to solarize their school using a computer-aided engineering design software, aiming to explore the interaction between students’ science concepts and engineering design behaviors.

From Experience to Explanation: An Analysis of Students’ Use of a Wildfire Simulation

This study employs the Experiential Learning Theory framework to investigate students’ use of a wildfire simulation. We analyzed log files automatically generated by middle and high school students (n = 1515) as they used a wildfire simulation and answered associated prompts in three simulation-based tasks.

Author/Presenter

Trudi Lord

Paul Horwitz

Amy Pallant

Christopher Lore

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2024
Short Description

This study employs the Experiential Learning Theory framework to investigate students’ use of a wildfire simulation. We analyzed log files automatically generated by middle and high school students (n = 1515) as they used a wildfire simulation and answered associated prompts in three simulation-based tasks.

Exploring Teachers’ Eye-Tracking Data and Professional Noticing When Viewing a 360 Video of Elementary Mathematics

Research incorporating either eye-tracking technology or immersive technology (virtual reality and 360 video) into studying teachers’ professional noticing is recent. Yet, such technologies allow a better understanding of the embodied nature of professional noticing. Thus, the goal of the current study is to examine how teachers’ eye-gaze in immersive representations of practice correspond to their attending to children’s mathematics.

Author/Presenter

Karl W. Kosko

Richard E. Ferdig

Chris Lenart

Jennifer Heisler

Qiang Guan

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2024
Short Description

Research incorporating either eye-tracking technology or immersive technology (virtual reality and 360 video) into studying teachers’ professional noticing is recent. Yet, such technologies allow a better understanding of the embodied nature of professional noticing. Thus, the goal of the current study is to examine how teachers’ eye-gaze in immersive representations of practice correspond to their attending to children’s mathematics.

Teacher Educators’ Use of Formative Feedback During Preservice Teachers’ Simulated Teaching Experiences in Mathematics and Science

The purpose of this research study was to identify how teacher educators (TEs) attend to and use formative feedback as they work to support preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) learning. The formative feedback was provided to the TEs as part of recurring instructional cycles within their elementary mathematics or science methods course. In these instructional cycles, their PSTs prepared for, engaged in, and reflected on their ability to facilitate argumentation-focused discussions in a simulated classroom.

Author/Presenter

Jamie N. Mikeska

Heather Howell

Devon Kinsey

Lead Organization(s)
Year
2024
Short Description

The purpose of this research study was to identify how teacher educators (TEs) attend to and use formative feedback as they work to support preservice teachers’ (PSTs’) learning. The formative feedback was provided to the TEs as part of recurring instructional cycles within their elementary mathematics or science methods course. In these instructional cycles, their PSTs prepared for, engaged in, and reflected on their ability to facilitate argumentation-focused discussions in a simulated classroom. After each cycle, the TEs received formative information about their PSTs’ discussion performance in the form of a feedback report and a scoring report.

Wake: Tales from the Aqualab

In this free life sciences learning game, middle school students can play as a young scientist faced with scientific challenges across multiple oceanic ecosystems. Wake: Tales from the Aqualab addresses the NGSS practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation in the context of food webs, environmental stressors, and ecological restoration. Wake is compatible with Chromebook, PC or Mac with Internet access and available in English and Spanish.

Author/Presenter

Ryan Baker

David Gagnon

Shari Metcalf

Year
2023
Short Description

In this free life sciences learning game, middle school students can play as a young scientist faced with scientific challenges across multiple oceanic ecosystems. Wake: Tales from the Aqualab addresses the NGSS practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation in the context of food webs, environmental stressors, and ecological restoration. Wake is compatible with Chromebook, PC or Mac with Internet access and available in English and Spanish.

Wake: Tales from the Aqualab

In this free life sciences learning game, middle school students can play as a young scientist faced with scientific challenges across multiple oceanic ecosystems. Wake: Tales from the Aqualab addresses the NGSS practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation in the context of food webs, environmental stressors, and ecological restoration. Wake is compatible with Chromebook, PC or Mac with Internet access and available in English and Spanish.

Author/Presenter

Ryan Baker

David Gagnon

Shari Metcalf

Year
2023
Short Description

In this free life sciences learning game, middle school students can play as a young scientist faced with scientific challenges across multiple oceanic ecosystems. Wake: Tales from the Aqualab addresses the NGSS practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation in the context of food webs, environmental stressors, and ecological restoration. Wake is compatible with Chromebook, PC or Mac with Internet access and available in English and Spanish.

Wake: Tales from the Aqualab

In this free life sciences learning game, middle school students can play as a young scientist faced with scientific challenges across multiple oceanic ecosystems. Wake: Tales from the Aqualab addresses the NGSS practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation in the context of food webs, environmental stressors, and ecological restoration. Wake is compatible with Chromebook, PC or Mac with Internet access and available in English and Spanish.

Author/Presenter

Ryan Baker

David Gagnon

Shari Metcalf

Year
2023
Short Description

In this free life sciences learning game, middle school students can play as a young scientist faced with scientific challenges across multiple oceanic ecosystems. Wake: Tales from the Aqualab addresses the NGSS practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation in the context of food webs, environmental stressors, and ecological restoration. Wake is compatible with Chromebook, PC or Mac with Internet access and available in English and Spanish.

A Pilot Study on Teacher-Facing Real-Time Classroom Game Dashboards

Educational games are an increasingly popular teaching tool in modern classrooms. However, the development of complementary tools for teachers facilitating classroom gameplay is lacking. We present the results of a participatory design process for a teacher-facing, real-time game data dashboard. This two-phase process included a workshop to elicit teachers' requirements for such a tool, and a pilot study of our dashboard prototype.

Author/Presenter

Luke Swanson

David Gagnon

Jennifer Scianna

Year
2022
Short Description

Educational games are an increasingly popular teaching tool in modern classrooms. However, the development of complementary tools for teachers facilitating classroom gameplay is lacking. We present the results of a participatory design process for a teacher-facing, real-time game data dashboard.