AUC Academic Conference 'From Virtual to Reality' The University of
Queensland 1996AUC Academic Conference 'From Virtual to Reality' The University of
Queensland 1996
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Paper Title:
THE VISCHEM PROJECT:
USING MULTIMEDIA TO DEVELOP MENTAL MODELS OF THE INVISIBLE
MOLECULAR WORLDPresenter:
Dr Roy Tasker, University of Western Sydney Nepean
Authors:
RF Tasker & W Chia, University of Western Sydney, Nepean
RB Bucat, University of Western Australia
R Sleet, University of Technology, Sydney
Keywords: Multimedia, Chemistry
Faculty area: Science & Technology - Chemistry
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Introduction
A deep understanding of chemistry involves being able to interpret visible observations at the laboratory level (eg. colour changes, formation of solids, boiling) in terms of structure and processes at the invisible molecular level. Only then can these observations be communicated meaningfully at the symbolic level (eg. chemical formulas). This is the central philosophy of the VisChem project.
Figure 1. The three thinking levels in chemistry as they apply to a chemical reaction
Many of the misconceptions that students aquire result from a poor model of the molecular level 1.. At the 1995 AUC Academic Conference we reported on the educational rationale for, and production of, unique 3D animations portraying chemical structures and processes at this level. Since then we have evaluated these resources using pre- and post-questionnaires 2., focus group discussions, and structured interviews with up to three students at a time. The results have convinced us of the effectiveness of these animations to aid understanding of fundamental concepts in chemistry, and correct misconceptions.
The first teaching materials we produced with these resources were videos. These were relatively cheap to produce, and readily accessible to chemical educators, but the linear format limited their educational potential. The need to produce an interactive computer program to fully exploit this potential was obvious. In this paper we report on progress developing an interactive interface with features we consider important for educational multimedia.
Production of an Interactive Multimedia Interface
The central aim of the program is to encourage learners of chemistry to rationalise experimental observations at the laboratory level by imagining what happens at the molecular level. In so doing the communication of these molecular events using chemical formulas and equations should become easier and more intuitive.
The metaphor for the interface is the laboratory bench, where students can drag and drop chemical substances in bottles into a 'visualisation chamber'. Here they can click on the substances and visualise the molecular level. Phase changes (eg. melting), and reactions between pairs of substances are possible, all with molecular visualisation of the structures and processes. The corresponding chemical formulas and equations are shown on a whiteboard in the background. In this way the linking between the three thinking levels - laboratory, molecular, and symbolic - is continually reinforced.
Figure 2. A screen dump showing the program interface after the user has mixed solutions of silver nitrate and sodium chloride, clicked on the product, and 'zoomed' down to the molecular level to see a representation of what caused the resultant white precipitate.
The major features of the interface are the:
- ability to be customised by the educator.
An important feature of the program is the facility for educators to customise the interface by adding their own 'thinking questions', text references, and 'guiding hints' to the information text panels at each stage of the program. Educators can also substitute their own voiceovers to accompany the animations, to suit the needs of their students. In this way it is hoped that educational users will feel they 'own' the resources by being able to optimise them for their own contexts.
- incorporation of a game element
The aim of the game is to synthesise the correct chemicals to fill the empty bottles on the shelves. This must be achieved by judicious choice of reactants, reaction conditions, and experimental procedure. The degree of difficulty in synthesising the target substances varies, and is reflected by the point score reward. In this way we hope to motivate students to learn the basic, empirical, experimental descriptive chemistry so fundamental to the subject.
- use of a constructivist pedagogy
Many computer assisted learning programs use a model based on the assumption that knowledge and skills can be transferred intact from the mind of the program's content expert to the mind of the learner. This model has been superseded by the contention that 'knowledge is constructed in the mind of the learner' 3..
This knowledge can be:- linked to existing information but through an inappropriate connection, leading to a misconception
- retained on a short term basis in an unconnected form (rote learning)
- linked correctly to an existing mental framework of concepts, thereby enriching the framework that is continually constructed. This has been described by Ausubel 4. as meaningful learning.
Based on this constructivist approach students using the program are asked questions, and given the opportunity to represent their own models of the molecular level, before seeing the accepted scientific model as an animation. They can click and drag images of molecules and ions into a box (thin 'slice' of the substance or solution) and position them according to their imagination of the molecular level. After seeing an animation, and a 'slice' representation of the accepted model, learners are asked to compare their 'slice' representation with the one provided (with the salient points highlighted).
More Information
For more information on the VisChem resources, and the computer assisted learning package described in this paper, please contact Roy Tasker (Department of Chemistry, UWS Nepean, PO Box 10, Sydney, Australia 2747 ; ph 61-47-360-809 direct, or 61-47-360-428 message; fax 61-47-360-742 or 713, email: r.tasker@nepean.uws.edu.au)
Acknowledgements
The animations were produced with artistic skill and attention to detail by Stefan Markworth, and the interface has been written in Macromind Director by Bill Stern, with graphic design by Libby Blainey, and coordinated by Simon Thomas and David Hegarty, all using the facilities at the Centre for Advanced Design and Research Education (CADRE) at UWS Nepean.
The project has been funded by the Committee for the Advancement of University Teaching (CAUT) in 1993 and 1994, and by a grant from the Apple University Development Fund (AUDF) in 1995.
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References
1. (back to ref. positon) Ben-Zvi, R, Eylon, B and Silberstein, J. (1987). Students Visualisation of a Chemical Reaction. Education in Chemistry July, 117-120.
2. (back to ref. position)Tasker, RF., Bucat, RB., Sleet, RJ. and Chia, W. (1996) Research into Practice: Improving Students' Imagery in Chemistry. Research in Science Education. Submitted for publication.
3. (back to ref. position) Bodner GM. (1986) J Chem Ed 63, 874.
4. (back to ref. position) Ausubel DP, Novak JD, and Hanesian H. (1978) Educational Psychology: A Cognitive View New York: Holt, Rinehart and Winston
Dr Roy Tasker,
Department of Chemistry,
Faculty of Science & Technology
University of Western Sydney Nepean,
PO Box 10 KINGSWOOD
NSW 2747Ph: (047) 360 809
Fax: (047) 360 742 or (047) 360 713email: r.tasker@nepean.uws.edu.au
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