FQRSC
2005-2009

Le désign et l’évaluation des environnements d’apprentissage assisté par les technologies/The design and evaluation of learning environments assisted by technologies

Abrami, P.C. (Concordia University); Bernard, R. (Concordia University); Dedic, H. (Vanier College); Osana, H. (Concordia University); Savage, R. (McGill University); Rosenfield, S. (Vanier College) and Schmid, R. (Concordia University).

In Québec, more than 20 percent of primary-school students have to repeat a grade before going on to secondary school and 70 percent of those drop out of high school. And while the average performance of Quebec students on reading, mathematics and science is good, about one-quarter perform at low levels of proficiency. While there is no simple solution to prevent student underachievement, some innovative ideas have nevertheless been proposed. One such idea is to bring technology into the schools by fully integrating it into the curriculum. However, there is currently much promise but less substance, especially long-term evidence, regarding the most effective uses of technology for learning.

Our proposal seeks to provide that evidence and represents an evolution of the team’s work on the uses of technology to support the cognitive and motivational processes that promote responsible, effective, and active learning. Our integrated research projects are intended to explore both the design and the evaluation of technology-based learning environments. We also hope to study student-centered pedagogy that encourage learners to interact with the material as well as with other learners. We will explore five related ways that technology can be used for learning; a) bringing exciting curricula based on real-world problems into the classroom; b) providing scaffolds and tools to enhance learning; c) giving students and teachers more opportunities for feedback, reflection, and revision; d) building local and global communities that include teachers, administrators, students, parents, practicing scientists, and other interested people; and e) expanding opportunities for teacher learning. The methods of inquiry will include meta-analyses, quasi-experiments, descriptive/ correlational studies and case studies. Especially through partnerships, we hope to promote educational change through the evidence-based development and refinement of tools, techniques, and understanding that promote effective practice.

Our Educational Software:

ABRACADABRA: A Literacy Resource (ABRACADABRA Information) will provide a useful literacy resource to Canadian schools to dramatically enhance children's literacy skills, especially those at risk of school failure. ABRACADABRA is a highly interactive, flexible, and powerful computer tool designed for use in early elementary classrooms across Canada. It is meant to target the literacy problem by offering a variety of aids such as professional development training for teachers, research-based literacy activities connected to digitalized children's literature and assessment of children's progress as they work through these activities. ABRACADABRA will also offer a secure communication tool so that the professionals involved in teaching children to read can share in understanding and improving each student's progress. A link to a digital portfolio will also be provided where students can use multimedia to engage in the portfolio process and also showcase their work helping to develop their sense of self-regulation and pride in accomplishment. Savage will explore the effectiveness of the ABRACADABRA computer-based literacy intervention project. This work explores the effectiveness of the system in facilitating reading development in children in grade 1 who might otherwise be at-risk of reading difficulties. This multi-disciplinary work is ongoing is ongoing, and is commanding significant interest by schools and school boards. Evaluations of this exciting learning technology are to be carried out in 2004-2005 in a number of schools in Quebec and other sites in Canada.

SASSI (Publications: Books) contains 36 CD-ROM interactive activities that provide guided explorations of key concepts, allowing students to manipulate data parameters and observe results in graphical and numerical displays. Each activity is accompanied by a Discovery Guide with related questions. Fifteen CD-ROM Problem Generators provide a wide variety of practice problems with fully worked solutions, so students can check their answers and identify the source of any errors.

WebCal and WebMechanics (ICT Projects: WebCal) are experimental sets of web-based course materials developed in order to study the potential benefits of interactive computer simulations in science education. In this context, computers offer a distinct advantage over static paper media since many calculus and mechanics concepts are dynamic in nature (e.g. the derivative, acceleration), and hard for students to grasp using static diagrams. While traditional instruction focuses on algebraic manipulation, simulations allow students to actively manipulate variables and thus explore concepts from visual, graphical, numerical as well verbal and algebraic perspectives.