Learning What They Really Know About Science: The Case of SAVE Science

According to the National Research Council, science processes are more often assessed by asking students to define words such as “hypothesis” and “scientific method.” However, knowing the definitions of these words is not synonymous with understanding how to do the processes. Virtual environment-based computer games offer opportunities to conduct situated assessments embedded in processes while also uncovering new insights into student learning. For example, our previous research demonstrated that student choices while in virtual environments offer new details about their understanding, giving information not just about their solutions but also about their problem-solving strategies. This research has led us to design a series of game-based modules to assess middle school students’ understanding of science content and inquiry. "Situated assessment using virtual environments of scientific content and inquiry" (SAVE Science) uses a novel assessment rubric based on student interactions within an authentic context-based science curriculum to analyze different patterns of scientific understanding amongst the students in a middle school classroom. The results from these assessments are being compared to those from standardized tests. We are also investigating whether these modules help students better understand their own knowledge and learning process, thus promoting increased efficacy and interest in science. In this session, we will discuss the design and early implementations of these NSF-funded SAVE Science assessments. Early evidence indicates that students are applying scientific inquiry-based skills to gather data about the embedded problem and using that data to support their solutions. The data also helped illustrate various student misconceptions that would not have been apparent from multiple choice questions alone.