Competency: Design
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Virtual Science Lab
Summary: As part of a take home examination, I was tasked with the scenario of designing a technology solution to help rural Missouri schools who couldn't afford science equipment to help students complete virtual science labs. I designed a Reflective Portfolio for Virtual Science Labs. I relied heavily on information from my ISLT 9410 Human Computer Interaction course for the design.
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Process: I began by analyzing a number of online science labs. One prominent problem was that the labs were created by publishers and each virtual lab had very limited topics. For example, a lab focused on mixing solutions but didn't cover the rest of the curriculum. I noted that one major problem the teacher and students would face would be gathering information from labs from many different websites. Also, reflecting on units that had labs from many sites would be challenging as the labs reset and don't save data. I decided to develop a tool that would help with this process.
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My Role: I had one week to research the topic, write a design proposal, and create prototypes of the proposal. I used the Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation and Evaluation (ADDIE) model as my method. In addition, I incorporated aspects of scaffolding to assist with metacognitive reflection and reduction of extraneous cognitive load. I also included levels of scaffolding to allow for differentiation and fading of support.
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Reflection: This design addressed the scenario as well as several problems documented in the literature. The Reflective Portfolio for Virtual Science Labs accounted for a common issue in scaffolding literature - the ability to fade scaffolding over time. It also included specific prompts for reflection as students tend to reflect poorly when left with general prompts. This shows my ability to analyze problems in research literature and scenarios and create technology to address those problems.
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Artifact: The artifact is a design proposal for the Reflective Portfolio for Virtual Science Labs.
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