CISE Postdoctoral Research Associate in Experimental Computer Science: Leveraging Networks for Collaborative Education in the Blacksburg Electronic Village

9625577 Carroll, John M. Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University CISE Postdoctoral Research Associate in Experimental Computer Science: Leveraging Networks for Collaborative Education in the Blacksburg Electronic Village This award supports associate Jurgen Koenemann. This project is part of an effort to create and study a virtual physics laboratory for middle and high school students in a rural area of Southwestern Virginia. The virtual laboratory is implemented as a real-time, multi-user domain, integrated with World-Wide Web resources. The postdoctoral work focuses on two technical challenges within this paradigm of network-based collaborative education: (1) supporting the design of virtual laboratory activities and materials by teachers, and (2) evaluating usability and learning outcomes for teachers and students. Regarding (1), a set of software tools will be developed to help teachers locate and incorporate World-Wide Web resources into activities they design for the virtual laboratory. For example, the tool will automatically generate appropriate hyperlinks and manage simulation software. Regarding (2), an evaluation tool will be developed to facilitate the collection and analysis of 'critical incident' reports, episodes in which something went very well or very badly for the user. The reports will be linked to portions of the virtual laboratory software that may have been implicated in causing the critical incident to facilitate diagnosis and redesign. ***