The impact of three‐dimensional computational modeling on student understanding of astronomical concepts: a quantitative analysis

The increased availability of computational modeling software has created opportunities for students to engage in scientific inquiry through constructing computer‐based models of scientific phenomena. However, despite the growing trend of integrating technology into science curricula, educators need to understand what aspects of these technologies promote student learning. This study used a multi‐method research approach involving both quantitative (Paper 1) and qualitative data (Paper 2) to examine student conceptual understanding of astronomical phenomena, relative to two different instructional experiences. Specifically, based on students' understandings of both spatial and declarative knowledge, we compared students who had constructed three‐dimensional computational models with students who had experienced traditional lecture‐based instruction. Quantitative analysis of pre‐interview and post‐interview data revealed that construction of three‐dimensional models best facilitated student understandings of spatially related astronomical concepts — whereas traditional instruction techniques best facilitated student understandings of fact‐oriented astronomical knowledge. This paper is the first in a two‐paper set that continues our line of research into whether problem‐based courses such as the Virtual Solar System course can be used as a viable alternative to traditional lecture‐based astronomy courses.     

北魏天文学成就初探

北魏政权对汉文化采取积极吸收方针,设置天文机构,重视人才的选拔与使用,积极收集、整理天文资料,兴建天文台,制造天文仪器,因此,北魏的天文学取得了长足的进展.其中浑仪、李兰秤漏、天象厅成为天文学史上的重要事件,对中国天文学的发展起了积极的作用.     

The Effectiveness of Internet-Controlled Astronomical Research Instrumentation for Education

Over the last decade, remote instruments have become widely used in astronomy. Educational applications are more recent. This paper describes a program to bring radio astronomy into the undergraduate classroom through the use of a remote research-grade radio telescope, the MIT Haystack Observatory 37 m telescope. We examine the effectiveness of such remote access in the classroom. The remote use of the large telescope has opened up a research facility for undergraduate students. The experience has been largely successful with over 150 students from about 20 colleges using the telescope every year. The student experiments have included classroom demonstrations by faculty, and short-term laboratory experiments and long-term research experiments performed by students. Although a visit to the site provided students with a sense of the scale of the antenna, operating on a purely remote basis still gave the students a rewarding research and learning experience. The effectiveness of the remote instrument is judged mainly by the student presentations and papers that have been generated, by the enthusiasm of the faculty to continue using the facility as part of their curricula, and through a survey of students and faculty.     

The effect of augmented reality on the astronomy achievement and interest level of gifted students

The purpose of the current study was to determine the effect of teaching astronomy through augmented reality (AR) on the achievement and interest level of gifted students and their opinions about AR applications. The current study was conducted in line with the explanatory sequential mixed-methods design. The study group of the current research was comprised of 51 gifted students (26 in the control group and 25 in the experimental group) attending a Science and Arts Centre (B?LSEM). In the application process, the astronomy teaching activities supported with AR were used in the experimental group while the astronomy teaching activities suggested in the official science curriculum of the middle school 7th grade were used. The data of the study were collected by using an Astronomy Achievement Test and the Scale of Interest in Astronomy as a pretest and posttest and an AR Interview form administered only to the experimental group students at the end of the application. The statistical analyses of the quantitative data revealed that before the experimental application, the experimental and control groups were equal in terms of astronomy achievement and interest in astronomy. After the completion of the application, however, significant differences were found for both the experimental and control groups in favor of the posttest. Moreover, significant differences were also found in the posttest in favor of the experimental group in terms of both astronomy achievement and interest in astronomy. In other words, AR-supported astronomy teaching activities positively affected the experimental group students’ astronomy achievement and interest in astronomy. Furthermore, the experimental group students expressed many positive opinions about the AR applications within the categories of technical features and cognitive and affective features. The experimental group students wanted the use of AR applications in the teaching of other science subjects and other courses.

     

Measuring the Heavens to Rule the Territory: Filipe Folque and the Teaching of Astronomy at the Lisbon Polytechnic School and the Modernization of the State Apparatus in Nineteenth Century Portugal

This paper focuses on the astronomy teaching at the Lisbon Polytechnic School and its role in building a modern technoscientific state in Portugal during the nineteenth century. It examines particularly the case of Filipe Folque, who taught astronomy and geodesy at the Lisbon Polytechnic from 1837 to 1856, and played a pivotal role in the geodetic survey carried out in the second half of the nineteenth century. As director of the Portuguese Geodetic and Topographical Office, Folque delineated in detail the plan to proceed with the geodetic survey, a plan which involved a significant number of his former students at the Lisbon Polytechnic. Yet, Folque’s influence went beyond the geodetic achievement. Folque contributed decisively for shaping the character of astronomy and of the astronomical community in Portugal. In a period in which spherical astronomy raised to the status of an autonomous discipline, Folque became one of the most outstanding proponents of this discipline in Portugal. He conceived a course on spherical astronomy at the Lisbon Polytechnic and published an influential textbook to be adopted as a didactic tool in astronomical classes. By doing so, Folque took active part in a nineteenth century culture of textbooks production, and positively influenced the consolidation and shaping of astronomy as a discipline.     

Big Ideas: A review of astronomy education research 1974–2008

This paper reviews astronomy education research carried out among school students, teachers, and museum visitors over a 35‐year period from 1974 until 2008. One hundred and three peer‐reviewed journal articles were examined, the majority of whose research dealt with conceptions of astronomical phenomena with 40% investigating intervention activities. We used a conceptual framework of “big ideas” in astronomy, five of which accounted for over 80% of the studies: conceptions of the Earth, gravity, the day–night cycle, the seasons, and the Earth–Sun–Moon system. Most of the remaining studies were of stars, the solar system, and the concepts of size and distance. The findings of the review have implications for the future teaching of, and research in, the discipline. Conceptions of the Earth and the day–night cycle are relatively well‐understood, especially by older students, while the Moon phases, the seasons, and gravity are concepts that most people find difficult both to understand and explain. Thoroughly planned interventions are likely to be the most effective way of implementing conceptual change, and such studies have been well‐researched in the past 15 years. Much of this recent research has worked with constructivist theories resulting in methodological and theoretical insights of value to researchers and practitioners in the field. It is recommended that future research should work across the disciplinary boundaries of astronomy education at school and teacher education levels, and aim to disseminate findings more effectively within the education systems.     

E-learning and technologies for open distance learning in Management Accounting

This research develops a knowledge acquisition and construction framework for e-learning for Management Accounting students at the University of South Africa, an Open Distance Learning institution which utilises e-learning. E-learning refers to the use of electronic applications and processes for learning, including the transfer of skills and knowledge over a distance. It is important to the knowledge construction process to understand how students learn in order to determine a set of suitable learning strategies. Studies have shown that e-learning applications are seldom used, sometimes because of inappropriate content and technologies. Other prohibitive factors are cost, poor or inadequate technology infrastructure (or a lack of access to such infrastructure), and a shortage of human resources. We propose a framework for addressing these concerns and consider how constructivist theories may enrich such a framework.     

云教育平台虚拟实验室构建

为使学生自主设置实验条件、节约实习经费,结合云教育平台和虚拟现实技术,提出一种新颖的虚拟实验室环境构建方法。首先,利用云计算技术搭建云教育数据中心,并配置应用程序和用户终端服务;其次,通过虚拟现实技术创建虚拟实验室场景,主要包括虚拟教师人物、虚拟仪器设备和虚拟实验工具;然后,将虚拟机实验室资源转化为云服务资源,同时整合云教育平台的优势;最后,学生通过云终端进入虚拟实验环境。测试结果表明,基于云教育平台构建的虚拟实验室具有较高的使用价值。     

The Virtual Solar System Project: Developing Conceptual Understanding of Astronomical Concepts Through Building Three-Dimensional Computational Models

The Virtual Solar System (VSS) course described in this paper is one of the first attempts to integrate three-dimensional (3D) computer modeling as a central component of an introductory undergraduate astronomy course. Specifically, this study assessed the changes in undergraduate university students' understanding of astronomy concepts as a result of participating in an experimental introductory astronomy course in which the students constructed 3D models of different astronomical phenomena. In this study, we examined students' conceptual understanding concerning three foundational astronomical phenomena: the causes of lunar and solar eclipses, the causes of the Moon's phases, and the reasons for the Earth's seasons. Student interviews conducted prior to the course identified a range of student alternative conceptions previously identified in the literature regarding the dynamics and mechanics of the Solar System. A previously undocumented alternative conception to explain lunar eclipses is identified in this paper. The interviews were repeated at the end of the course in order to quantitatively and qualitatively assess any changes in student conceptual understanding. Generally, the results of this study revealed that 3D computer modeling can be a powerful tool in supporting student conceptualization of abstract scientific phenomena. Specifically, 3D computer modeling afforded students the ability to visualize abstract 3D concepts such as the line of nodes and transform them into conceptual tools, which in turn, supported the development of scientifically sophisticated conceptual understandings of many basic astronomical topics. However, there were instances where students' conceptual understanding was incomplete and frequently hybridized with their existing conceptions. These findings have significant bearing on when and in what domains 3D computer modeling can be used to support student conceptual understanding of astronomy concepts.     

The impact of three‐dimensional computational modeling on student understanding of astronomy concepts: a qualitative analysis

In this study, we explore an alternate mode for teaching and learning the dynamic, three‐dimensional (3D) relationships that are central to understanding astronomical concepts. To this end, we implemented an innovative undergraduate course in which we used inexpensive computer modeling tools. As the second of a two‐paper series, this report focuses on the qualitative differences of students' understandings of both spatial and declarative knowledge domains as reflected by their two distinct learning environments — a traditional astronomy classroom and an experimental astronomy course grounded in problem‐solving and modeling with dynamic, 3D, computational modeling software. We found that students who constructed 3D computational models tended to have a more scientifically sophisticated understanding of dynamic spatial relationships, whereas students in the traditional class developed more accurate understandings of the properties and general facts and figures regarding celestial bodies.     

Radio Astronomy: A Strong Link Between Undergraduate Education and Research

The program at the MIT Haystack Observatory has added a new opportunity for students as part of our overall national effort to encourage research by undergraduates. Radio astronomy complements other branches of astronomy, augments science education broadly, and serves to promote interdisciplinary research and education. In the past 2 years, we have conducted a successful pilot program to develop and test a program that facilitates the linking of undergraduate research and education through radio astronomy. As a result of this effort, a small radio telescope has been developed and can be used as a hands-on introduction to radio astronomical techniques and instrument calibration. The telescope is presently being commercialized so that it can be purchased as a low-cost kit for assembly. Remote access to the Haystack 37-m antenna has made it possible for students nationwide to access a research grade facility and we invite faculty everywhere who are interested in this possibility to use our facility. Undergraduate students can participate in the exciting world of research by performing experiments with the telescope. Radio astronomy materials for faculty, students, and interested amateurs have been developed are posted on our web site (http://www.haystack.mit.edu). The materials will continue to be upgraded and enhanced, and the contributions from participating teachers and students nationwide will be added to the project files. We hope to make this not only a resource for someone using our facility but also for the community in general.We are now bringing the Haystack telescopes and radio astronomy to the broad undergraduate community. Based on our pilot experiences, we envision students everywhere being able to exploit the opportunity to strengthen their education through practical research using radio astronomy.     

Overcoming visual obstacles with the aid of the Supposer

This paper presents research about the effect of intensive work with diagrams on high school students' use of diagrams in geometry. It identifies three obstacles, culled from previous research, which students must overcome when examining and interpreting diagrams: Diagrams are particular; common usage confuses certain standard diagrams with the classes of objects to which they belong; and a single diagram can be viewed and described in different ways. The paper outlines the resources of the Geometric Supposer, a set of microcomputer software tools which were designed to aid students in overcoming these obstacles. The bulk of the paper presents evidence from students' papers and classroom comments indicating that over the course of a year's work students using the Supposer became more facile in their use of diagrams and were able to overcome each of the three obstacles.The preparation of this paper was supported in part by the National Academy of Education's Spencer Fellowship program.     

Jantar Mantar observatories as teaching laboratories for positional astronomy

The four extant Jantar Mantar observatories at Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain,and Varanasi have tremendous potential as teaching laboratories of positional astronomy. They could be utilised in this direction in their current state, but this possibility would be considerably enhanced when all the necessary restorations are undertaken, interpretation centers are in place at all the observatories, and there is a continuous presence of astronomy educators, amateur astronomers, and students undertaking observations with these intriguing and user-friendly instruments. Student usage and calibration of the instruments at the Delhi observatory in particular, where the markings are mostly absent from every instrument, has allowed a greater appreciation of the possible construction details of these gigantic instruments. Templates for restoration and also for continuous maintenance of the instruments, are emerging from these efforts.     

The development of first year physics students' ideas about measurement in terms of point and set paradigms

The ideas of first year university students about measurement in the physics laboratory are explored. Student responses to written probes administered at the beginning of the year are compared to those written after a 12 week laboratory course. The 'point' and 'set' paradigms are used as a model to analyse the responses to the probes. At the heart of the point paradigm is that both action and reasoning are based solely on individual measurements in a data set. On the other hand, subscribing to the set paradigm implies an understanding that a series of measurements are to be viewed as a collective that can be modelled by theoretical constructs, such as the mean and standard deviation. The degree of consistent use of these paradigms by individual students across the sets of probes is investigated. Implications for effective teaching interventions in the physics laboratory are discussed.     

Participation in Online Problem‐based Learning: Insights from postgraduate teachers studying through open and distance education

This article reports on work undertaken within Phase 2 of a pilot study concerned with the design, development, and evaluation of online resources. Drawing on recent developments in the application of technology within open and distance education, these resources were structured around the principles of problem‐based learning (PBL) for use with postgraduate teachers. The article explores the responses of one cohort of students studying on a programme for teachers of children with visual impairment, to learning through the use of these resources. In line with recent literature in this area, the findings demonstrate that with the appropriate design and use of technology, PBL, traditionally viewed as a campus‐based approach, can be adapted for use with students in higher education studying through open and distance education. The findings highlight a number of potential barriers to learning and participation that can serve to reduce effective participation in the online PBL activities. Future planned research by the authors will explore the extent to which each of these barriers can be reduced through appropriate planning and design, and provisional recommendations are included to assist in this process.     

Does the lack of hands-on experience in a remotely delivered laboratory course affect student learning?

Educators question whether performing a laboratory experiment as an observer (non-hands-on), such as conducted in a distance education context, can be as effective a learning tool as personally performing the experiment in a laboratory environment. The present paper investigates this issue by comparing the performance of distance education students with their on-campus counterparts in a junior-level fluid mechanics laboratory course over a three semester period. Using digital recording methods, the on-campus versions of the laboratory experiments were formatted to accommodate distance-education students who did not have access to campus facilities. This paper compares the assessment of student performance in demonstrating both learning of technical concepts and the ability to describe these in an effective written laboratory report.