Development and Evaluation of a Multimedia Instructional Package for Astronomy

Amherst College, Amherst MA

Investigators

Abstract

Astronomy (11) The project is developing a prototype and evaluating Interactive Astronomy, a multimedia instructional package for a widely taught undergraduate science course: Introductory Astronomy for Non-Science Majors. This course serves a great number of college students, including many future teachers, and has great potential for improving their science skills and influencing their understanding of and appreciation for science. The multimedia package includes software which incorporates two innovative elements: the revolutionary improvements in instruction offered by information technology, and the emerging paradigm of inquiry-based learning. Utilizing the high degree of interactivity which computers make possible, students are led to discover things for themselves, as opposed to learning them passively. Utilizing the dynamical simulations which computers make possible, students can live in the world of science, yielding a vivid experience of its normally abstract world. Two important elements of the package are Guided Discoveries, which are extensive, highly interactive instructional exercises, designed with careful attention to pedagogical issues; and Intelligent Tutors, which customize their instructional strategies, based on an assessment of the student's learning needs. Design of seven of the Discoveries has already been completed. In this project, three are being fully implemented, and then a proof of concept test is conducted of their effect on student learning. This formative evaluation (to be conducted in the Fall at Greenfield Community College and Amherst College, and in the Spring at the University of Massachusetts) runs parallel to, and be interactive with, further software development.