Simulations as Scaffolds in Science Education / SpringerBriefs in Educational Communications and Technology (PDF)

Maggie Renken is an Assistant Professor in the Educational Psychology program at Georgia State University. Broadly, her research focuses on scientific thinking and the acquisition of science knowledge. Her work has considered how adolescents and young adults learn and alter inaccurate prior beliefs through various media, including computer simulations, text, and hands-on experimentation. This research is intended to inform approaches for assessing and improving reasoning and thinking skills. Melanie Peffer has a PhD in molecular biology and is a postdoctoral associate in the Educational Psychology department at Georgia State University. Melanie's research program integrates her training in molecular biology and the learning sciences to create a synergistic program of study. Her work examines student learning during authentic inquiry. Kathrin Otrel-Cass is an Associate Professor in Science Education. She leads the techno-anthropology video lab and is the co-leader of the techno-anthropology research group. Kathrin is interested in ICT and its role in mediating learning and practices in science and technology and in science education. Kathrin also is interested in culturally responsive pedagogy and the nature of interactions in science and technology. Kathrin is an experienced classroom-based researcher and has published on assessment for learning, culture in science education and classroom-based research methods. She has lived and researched internationally in Austria and New Zealand before coming to Denmark. Isabelle Girault is an Associate Professor at the University of Grenoble-Alpes (France). Her research concerns Chemistry Education and learning sciences through a scientific inquiry process with the use of ICT. This research focuses on how a computer environment can scaffold the activity of experimental design and more precisely the elaboration of protocols by students through automatic feedbacks. Augusto Chiocarriello is a Researcher at the Italian National