1. INQUIRY BASED SCIENCE EDUCATION IN VIRTUAL WORLD
Annalisa Boniello1, Marina Gallitelli2
1 School of Science and Technology, Geology Division, University of Camerino
annalisa.boniello@unicam.it,
2ISIS TASSINARI, Pozzuoli Napoli
marina.gallitelli@gmail.com
INTRODUCTION
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The project starts from the methodology of the
Inquiry-Based Science Education applied in 3D
virtual environments (MUVE multiuser virtual
environments), a island called Science Island,
using a serious game. The 3D virtual worlds
(multi-user) provide educational opportunities to
learn in a socially-interactive learning community.
The island, a Opensim is a project on teaching in
virtual worlds called Edmondo (a Indire Project).
The project wants improve motivation in
students for a scientific virtual path with an
immersive approach.
In recent years the
development of technologies and the educational
scenario has prompted a change in the design of
environments in which the experience training
takes place.
METHODOLOGY
Learners cross 10 steps based on inquiry
(Scapellato B., 2012) in a role play where every
student had an avatar. The theme chosen for the
task is "Water and Life", from point of view
geological, chemical, physical and biological. In
the island learners, following questions and
experiments involve scientific skills. Learners
must experiment 30 experiences in the real
laboratory. Each step begins with a question
before moving on to experimental activities with
specific goals to achieve competence to return
then to virtual where, if the target has been
reached student can switch to the next step.
To analyze this dynamics and to check learning
using an immersive path, a pre-test, a final test
and a satisfaction's questionairre have been given
to every student on the topic "water and life“. An
other class was control group. The aim of this
project was to understand the influence on
learning of the immersive education. The target
was students between 13 and 16 years. The
project was applied in two classes with 25
students in a high school during 3 months using
the chemistry laboratory. The result of the pretest showed a low knowledge on water an its
relations with life, at end of the project the posttest showed that knowledge was improved
together to the scientific skill.
Science island
The book
The cave
The step 9
CONCLUSIONS
First step
with IBSE questions
The well
Many authors claim that "immersive"
methodologies produce an improvement in
cognitive and perceptual dynamics (Aldrich, C.,
2005). In this project learners showed that they
preferred an immersive education at the
traditional education. In future the research will
be tested on others paths in MUVE testing
scientific skills of learners.