Communicating science: The use of information technology - IPN Kiel

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learning course at the Open University designed to develop skills in science communication and the study of science communication. The course makes use of.
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Communicating science: The use of information technology Eileen Scanlon Open University, Milton Keynes,England, UK. Abstract. New communications technology offers a number of opportunities for teachers to enhance the quality of the learning of students, particularly in distance education settings. This paper uses as a case study the development of a distance learning course at the Open University designed to develop skills in science communication and the study of science communication. The course makes use of information and communication technologies to allow students to engage in discussions, and access the Web for information. The working practices of modern scientists have been influenced by the convergence of computer and communication technologies. The presentation will discuss implications of these developments for the teaching of science and the study of communication in science. The presentation will use data collected to assess the use that students make of conferencing and how it impacts their own understanding and the use that is make of Web based resources for project work. Information technology and the practice of science. New communications technology is used to support the science learning of students across the age range from primary to college in a variety of ways (see Scanlon [1] for a review). These uses include collaborative working and communication, information and access to resources, and the provision of virtual experience of places (such as museums) and of activities (such as experimentation). Only limited evidence is currently available to assess the potential of these new uses. It is important that the design of such experiences and how they work out in terms of students' learning is documented. The impact of the development of communications tools on the processes of science and science education will be explored in this presentation. Both the measurement and data handling capacities of computers and the communication facilities are afforded by new networks available to scientists altering the way in which they carry out much of the research component of their work. Communication mechanisms such as email, bulletin boards, data base searching tools are used. Computation has become a key tool in modern scientific research see e.g. Wolf [2]. Modern science is becoming more dependent on sophisticated instruments and one solution to this is the sharing of such resources by accessing instruments on the net (e.g., telescopes). Such uses are redefining what it means to do science, and therefore how science is to be studied. Traditionally students are told that they need to do laboratory work or fieldwork in courses because they are "what real scientists do." Science courses now need to include the use of information technology for similar reasons. Modern educational rhetoric on learning as participation in communities of practice (see e.g., Campione et al [3], Lave [4]) strengthens this argument. Also, a number of general arguments can be advanced for the use of new technology to enhance the quality of distance learning courses in science which centre on the importance placed on collaboration in contemporary accounts of knowledge construction (see e.g.,[5]) and the role that computers can play in this (see e.g.,[6].) Our research question is how can electronic teaching and

PS2-C-paper1 learning communities be created for the communication of science. It is explored in the following case study. Case study. This case study is an account of work done and data collected on the use of information technology in the preparation of module on Communicating Science, part of a Master's course being produced by the Science Faculty of the Open University, a distance teaching University. The course is designed to help students to develop skills in communicating scientific ideas to a variety of audiences, develop skills in the study of communication in science, help students to perceive the influences on what is communicated and how effectively the communication is accomplished. Study materials. The printed materials consist of two specially produced Readers, Communicating Science: professional contexts [7] and Communicating Science: contexts and channels[8]. They are a combination of articles drawn from the published literature, newly commissioned articles from well known experts in this field. The first covers what needs to be communicated about science, scientists communicating with other scientists and scientists communicating with other professionals. The second includes material on what the public needs to know about science and why, the variety of ways in which scientific ideas are communicated to the public, by formal or informal means, and the relationship between scientists and the media. There is a CD-ROM that includes a mini-library of extra resource materials and study commentaries produced by the course team guide students through the available material. The assessment of the course, by tutor marked assignments, both tests students’ understanding of the material presented and assess their skills development in communicating or studying the communication of science. Regular tutorial support focuses especially on students’ design and execution of the project work. This is mainly carried out electronically, via the FirstClass conferencing system, which is the main method of communication for students, tutors and the Course Team. Students are involved in using the Web to access a variety of resources. These include examples of science teaching available over the Web, a multimedia evaluation site, a number of museum based sites and some electronic repositories of debates surrounding controversial current and historical topics. The Open University Library provides access to databases and electronic journals on-line and acts as a gateway to the Internet sites chosen by the course team by describing, classifying and building a database of resources for students to use. The presentation will report on design and student use of these methods. The data reported on is both qualitative and quantitative. It includes student responses to questionnaires (both and on-line), analysis of on-line activities and content analysis of messages posted in conferences from 80 students. Our testing of these activities allows us to produce an illustration of the strengths and weaknesses of a resource-based approach to learning science communication online. We can combine data from developmental testing of activities, student questionnaires, and conference records to present a picture of how our material can help students learn, and ways in which the mix of resources was less successful. Students appear to be aware of the potential benefits of the rich resource mix, and as a result on-line discussions can be challenging. Students asked to comment on whether electronic seminar conferences on controversial topics altered their opinions produce complex opinions. The findings from this case study can be compared also

PS2-C-paper1 with other contemporary accounts of resource-based learning in science such as Hakkinen et al. [9]. References. [1] SCANLON, E. (1997) Learning science on-line, Studies in science education, 30, 57-92 [2] WOLF, W. (1996) Science and the Internet, Science and the Future, Britannica Year Book, 1996 , 34-39 [3] CAMPIONE, J. C., BROWN, A. L., AND JAY, M. (1992) Computers in a Community of Learners, in E. DE CORTE et al.(ed.) Computer based learning environments and problem solving, Heidelberg: Springer Verlag. [4] LAVE, J. & WENGER, E. (1991) Situated learning: legitimate peripheral participation Cambridge, UK:Cambridge University Press [5] SLAVIN, R. (1983) Cooperative learning, New York, Longman. [6] SCARDAMALIA, M. and BEREITER, C. (1994) Computer support for knowledgebuilding communities. The Journal for the Learning Sciences 4 (3), 321-354 [7] SCANLON., E., HILL, R. and JUNKER, J. (1999) Communicating science: professional contexts, London: Routledge Press [8] SCANLON, E., WHITELEGG, E. and YATES, S. (1999) Communicating science: contexts and channels, London:Routledge Press [9] HAKKINEN, P. (in press) Collaborative learning in technology supported environments: two cases of project-enhanced science learning International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Lifelong Learning