Running head: MOODLE AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS

Scholarly Essay:

Introducing Moodle and Computer Simulations to the Face-to-Face High School Physics Classroom

Kevin Wilnechenko

UBC

ETEC 511: Foundations of Educational Technology

December, 2010

Running head: MOODLE AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS Introduction and Background

The bell goes and the high school students go to their first period. One student in particular wonders what todays class will be like. It is a grade 11 Physics class and there are 31 other students, whom he does not know. The student watches as the teacher begins going up and down the aisles, checking for homework completion. This is a daily routine that takes 5 or 10 minutes and as usual his homework is incomplete. The pace of the course is too fast for him and he has so many questions. He is not available during the teachers office hours and he doesnt feel comfortable approaching any of his fellow students since he hasnt gotten to know any of them. The teacher has the students do a quiz, and he races through it because he knows that he never has enough time to carefully go through his answers. Following that, notes are given on the white board and the teacher delivers a lecture. The student finds it hard to stay focused; understanding the lesson and writing notes at the same time has always been a challenge for him. It is announced that the class will do a lab and he is excited for a little break from the norm. He loves working with his hands so maybe this will be a bit of fun. They are studying waves, and in groups of two they are to shake a slinky and observe the waves that are created. It is difficult to see the waves because they are moving so fast, so it is a challenge to describe what is happening. The student has fun with the slinky and is glad to use his hands, but he admits that he doesnt really understand the waves created by the slinky.

One of the things this story points out is the significant role that teachers play in the learning process in todays traditional face-to-face classrooms. Many of these classrooms adopt a behaviourist approach to learning, where there is rote memorization and little input from the students. This can seem repetitive and unengaging for some students, while it may actually

Running head: MOODLE AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS

benefit high-achievers. The reality is that some students are not easily capable of taking in information verbally or doing a significant amount of written output. This limits their ability to achieve high test scores. Added to the pressure is the requirement to take in-class tests, which tend to be the majority of a students grade. In Physics classes, the use of labs is a good way to move towards a more constructivist approach to learning, where students can work their way through a problem on their own or in groups. However, as seen in the story, the equipment doesnt always allow for accurate measurements or even a basic understanding.

Some of the techniques used in this type of classroom are effective, but an online aspect could allow for an even more constructivist approach to learning (Shachar & Neumann, 2010). This is often referred to as blended learning and it is believed to optimize the learning environment (Dziuban, Hartman, & Moskal, 2004). Though the opening story may not exemplify the experience of every student in a Physics 11 class, it does typify the experience of many students. What the story points out is that there are some challenges in a face-to-face class. These could be improved upon by blending traditional instruction with online tools - in particular, a learning management system called Moodle and computer simulations of scientific demonstrations. These tools would bring in elements of constructivist and socio-cultural learning theories that would strengthen existing classroom communities and make learning more meaningful. In this paper I will argue that the use of Moodle and computer simulations in a traditional Physics learning environment will have positive effects on the classroom community, improve student interest and performance, as well as increase teacher efficiency.

Running head: MOODLE AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS Development of Argument What is Moodle?

Moodle stands for modular object-oriented dynamic learning environment (Got Moodle, 2008). It is a learning management system (LMS) that can be run on Windows and Mac. It is comparable to other systems like Blackboard and Vista but it is free to use. This is because it is an open source LMS, and though that usually means inadequate support for users, Moodles support team is very good. Moodle can help remedy some of the inadequacies in a traditional class without hindering students who do succeed in that environment. It would provide important information to students who miss classes for various reasons. Having the information accessible online would also be a benefit for those students who need extra help or just a reminder of the lesson (Shachar & Neumann, 2010). Some of the features of Moodle, in the form of modules, are listed as follows:

Lesson Chat Forum Wiki Choice

- an activity: multiple choice, true or false, numeric, short answer, or essay. - a synchronous environment with HTML abilities and a session log. - an asynchronous environment where posts have attachment abilities. - a tool that supports group work and collective authoring. - a single question poll.

Assignment - can be uploaded, graded, commented on, resubmitted and given late options. Workshop Quiz - used for peer assessment with multiple grading scales. - a question database with automatic grading, feedback, answer shuffling, limited time and multiple attempt options.

Running head: MOODLE AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS

Missed Classes and Concepts A common occurrence in high school is student absences. These can happen for various reasons - sickness, appointments, emergencies, or other activities. No matter what the reason, when a student misses classes they can miss out on valuable information. This can be frustrating for the student and teacher alike. Moodle can be used to present lessons, which can be accessed conveniently by the student. The lessons can be placed onto Moodle in various formats like text and PowerPoint. This enables students to view the content of the lesson even if they cannot physically be present in the class; missing out on valuable face-to-face experiences doesnt mean one cannot keep up with the material. In addition, if a student needs to go over the material a second time, they can access it on their own at any time, in any place. This is great for those who just need a quick review or for those who didnt fully understand the lesson. To improve things even more, if the lessons are recorded, using a video camera or doing a screen-capture with audio, they can be put online. This would give students not only the material, but also a sense of how it was delivered. All of these tools would add to the involvement of the student and thus improve on the class community, and ultimately improve learning.

Asynchronous and Synchronous Environments In the opening story, the student would have benefited by having a way to contact the instructor outside of the office hours. It would have also been valuable for him to have a safe place where he could discuss concepts with his classmates. The features of Moodle that allow this to happen are the chat, forum, and wiki modules. These give students the option and ability to do asynchronous as well as synchronous sessions with their instructor and peers. What

Running head: MOODLE AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS

is the benefit of this type of interaction? Convenience may be the number one reason for using such tools. In asynchronous online learning, students can access the online materials at any time (Ally, 2004). This would dramatically open up opportunities for students to not only contact teachers, but to pull in ideas and questions from other class members. A forum would be common ground where anyone could join in and offer up thoughts; it would allow peer interaction that might otherwise be awkward and difficult, especially if students do not know each other well. Perhaps even more beneficial is the wiki feature, where collaboration can occur with multiple people contributing to the same document. Best of all, this could happen where and when it is most convenient for each individual.

[S]ynchronous online learning allows for real time interaction between students and the instructor (Ally, 2004). Though this is more time-restrictive, it can be of great benefit. It would involve participants who are interested in carrying on a dialogue that perhaps was interrupted by the schedule of a traditional setup. This would happen in the chat module of Moodle and it may be accommodating to busy individuals who have time to meet later in the evening but could not otherwise meet beforehand. The choice feature of Moodle would be useful here, where a poll question could be asked and each participant answers. For example, the poll could be a question about the most interesting chapter covered in the course. Participants could all vote and the results can be displayed.

Studies have shown that group work done online, in a synchronous or asynchronous environment, achieves a slightly higher grade average than a face-to-face class (Somenarain, Akkaraju, & Gharbaran, 2010). It should be noted that in no way should these online

Running head: MOODLE AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS

environments replace the interactions that happen in a face-to-face environment; online averages may be higher but not so much that face-to-face contact is dramatically inferior (Somenarain et al., 2010). The motivation for using these features should not be to solely improve grades, but to create a dynamic environment where a classroom community can make deeper connections.

Assessment With Moodles assignment module, students can upload their work and hand it in electronically. This is an easy and convenient way for students to submit their work, and it helps the instructor improve on the efficiency of the course. It would reduce valuable class time used to check student work, increase instruction time, and replace paper submissions with electronic ones (Got Moodle, 2008). With the assignment module, teachers can extend due dates and even start receiving submissions at any time. Without needing to hand in a physical copy of their assignment, students can take the time that they need to be successful and can manage their time differently; their submissions can happen while away from school. Having electronic submissions is also a great benefit for students who may want to get feedback. They can simply make their work-in-progress available to the instructor or other students for comments. The workshop module also allows peers to assess peers and provide grades for each other. This is a way for the instructor to involve the students with each other in a meaningful and productive way.

Some students struggle with taking quizzes and tests, and though Moodle doesnt do away with these forms of assessment, it does provide a quiz module that may help these types of students. Quizzes done online allow students to be assessed at different times and for

Running head: MOODLE AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS

different lengths of time. This would benefit those who take longer to process the content. They would be able to take the time needed to prepare before taking the quiz. The online quiz may also provide a more comfortable, low-pressured environment for some students who have a tendency to seize up in a classroom setting. Once again, we see a feature that can improve on teacher efficiency as Moodle can grade and provide feedback to the students. This can be immediate if the teacher chooses; prompt feedback is an important component to learning.

Computer Simulations In science classes, especially Physics, the need for experiments and demonstrations is crucial to understand certain phenomena. However, designing real life scenarios can be challenging and execution can be mediocre at best. Computer simulations have come a long way. They are free to use and can be found by anyone with an Internet connection. They are visually appealing and allow learners to slow things down and see specific details of different phenomena (Kelly, Bradley & Gratch, 2008). They also eliminate external conditions, which is very useful when introducing new concepts. For example, when studying projectiles in Physics, simulations can show how objects would move in a vacuum and calculations can be made that ignore air resistance. Simulations place students in a realm of science exploration otherwise impossible in the classroom setting (Kelly et al., 2008). It is the interactive interface of newer simulations that allow students to manipulate variables and visualize how changing parameters affect the problem. This makes abstract concepts more tangible.

In the lab in the opening story, the waves produced by slinkies moved at such high speeds that students found it hard to see what was occurring. By using a wave simulation on a

Running head: MOODLE AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS

computer, things can be slowed down to a stop, or advanced step-by-step. Parts of waves like the amplitude and wave-length can be clearly seen. This gives students a better idea of what to expect, so when they do the hands-on lab, they will know what to look for in advance. In this way, utilizing these tools in a face-to-face environment provides a foundation to build on with more hands-on experiments. In the study called Science Simulations: Do They Make a Difference in Student Achievement and Attitude in the Physics Laboratory? (2008), higher scores on simulated labs were achieved than on equipment labs. In addition, a national study showed that [e]ighth-grade students who used simulation... showed gains in math scores of up to 15 weeks above [the regular grade level] (Schacter, J. (1999). These studies provide statistical support for use of computer simulations. However, it should be noted that simulations should not completely replace traditional labs and demos. The error-free virtual environment will not give students the same experiences that a real world, error-laden lab would give. Students need to practice problem solving and recognize sources of error.

Potential Issues and Drawbacks There are many benefits to using Moodle and computer simulations in a traditional faceto-face classroom, but it should be noted that there are potential issues that may need to be resolved or simply accepted. First, not everyone may have access to a computer or an Internet connection. Although not every aspect of Moodle needs to be a requirement for students, like those who simply want to use it as an extra resource, the teacher may want to have mandatory elements in the class. The online chat, forum, or group project may be a teacher requirement but it needs to be recognized that not every student may be able to participate. Solutions like library computer access, or class computer lab time may help to resolve this issue but may not be ideal.

Running head: MOODLE AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS

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There are also questions of assessment integrity. Quizzes done online are very difficult to monitor. The instructor has less control and there is no way to ensure honesty. Too much online content can take away from the benefits of the face-to-face experience so it becomes a delicate balance for the instructor to design the course appropriately. Labs done only with computer simulations may diminish wonder and intrigue.

The time required to set up Moodle is quite significant. Training would be necessary and teachers would need to be willing to put in time and energy. However, in a blended learning environment less setup time would be needed. Although the cost would be minimal, ongoing maintenance of the site would be required.

Discussion of Learning Theory Todays instruction needs to move from a behaviourist approach to a more constructivist approach, where knowledge is constructed by learners as they attempt to make sense of their experiences (Driscoll, 2005). The use of Moodle and computer simulations can help achieve this; student interactions in the chat, forum, and wiki areas will help promote ownership of learning. The result will be students who identify and pursue their own learning goals (Driscoll, 2005). Sociocultural learning theory, developed by Vygotski, places an emphasis on interactions between individuals and groups. It recognizes that a community can direct cognitive development (Miller, 2002) and as such, importance needs to be placed on building ways to interact with others. Moodle does just that. It gives students opportunities to connect with peers, especially the ones who may have difficulty expressing their thoughts or feel uncomfortable speaking out in a face-to-face setting.

Running head: MOODLE AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS Conclusion

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In today's schools, we see a shift in how people teach and learn. Many of todays teachers are embracing new ways of delivering content. Students are familiar with computers and they adapt to change very well. Though there are tremendous benefits to learning in a faceto-face environment, it must be recognized that introducing online elements can improve on the classroom community and overall learning of individuals. Moodle is a great tool that can work in conjunction with a traditional classroom. Instead of the students having to go to the class, Moodle can bring the class to the students. The asynchronous and synchronous features of Moodle allow for convenient and meaningful collaboration. The wiki module provides a forum for communication and brainstorming. Tools like computer simulators, used to demonstrate and explain physical phenomena, have aided the learning process. These programs are engaging and easy to use. They have given students the ability to see things unfold in a way that makes sense. Teachers who implement these tools in their face-to-face classrooms may have to invest time and energy in the beginning; however, the efficiency of the instruction and the student interest will increase. This will lead to increased student performance and an overall better educational experience.

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Running head: MOODLE AND COMPUTER SIMULATIONS Learning and Teaching, Vol. 6, No. 2. Schacter, J. (1999). The Impact of Education Technology on Students Achievement: What the Most Current Research Has to Say. Milken Family Foundation. Shachar, M., Neumann, Y. (2010). Twenty Years of Research on the Academic Performance

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