Projects
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Learning Environments occur in a
range of places and require similar dimensions for defining their
effectiveness. In our lab research and development of learning environments
explore the use of Cyber-enabled learning experiences in and out of the
classroom. This research and instructional design is
based on the How People Learn Framework which integrates a wide range of
empirically tested pedagogical approaches to learning. |
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NEESacademy is a virtual learning institute to support the
education and outreach of the Network for Earthquake Engineering
Simulations. Funded by the NSF, this
project provides a potential for demonstrating the potential of cyber
learning from P-12 to professional practice using HUBzeroTM nees.org/education |
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eQUEST–
Virtual worlds offer a multiple ways for students and teams to interaction
with each. Founded on a grant from by
Purdue’s Discovery Learning Center we designed AeroQuest
which has been refined into QuakeQuest for the NEES
group and integrated in the HUB technologies. The world is being used to research
questions about design tools for teams, team decision making and informal
learning from a distance. |
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Systems Thinking requires
blending knowledge from multiple experiences to make sense of new
situations. In our lab we explore
various ways to support understanding how people acquire knowledge about
systems through interacting with multiple representations of
systems. An important
dimension of our research include the use of digital and manual
manipulative devices to support knowledge acquisition and knowledge
transfer. |
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Graphical
Representations to Assess System Performance (GRASP) Funded through the
National Science Foundation How do
experts and students’ reason about complex systems using graphical
representations? |
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Simulations on
HUBzero technologies can provide a critical element
of learning experiences. How can
these experiences be blended into various learning experiences? |
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ADAPTIVE EXPERTISE and knowledge transfer involve
learning noticing how knowledge from prior context can be used to make sense
of new context. In our lab we are
describing how this knowledge develops over time and the mechanisms that
support its development. This research leverages theories of
learning based on perception and use of mental models to construct new
knowledge. |
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Precursors to Engineering Thinking
(PET): Intentional Design for Exploring Artifacts (IDEA) funded
through the INSPIRE institute for P6 Engineering Education How do
children’s problem solving abilities and intuitions of physical concepts
develop through sustained play with blocks and other manual manipulatives? |
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Haptic devices
combined with visualizations provide opportunities for students to leverage
multiple modalities to increase their conceptual understanding of abstract
ideas. Can
analogical reasoning through force feedback perception develop learner’s
conception of force and self-assembly in nanotechnology? |
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