science

Although computers have dramatically improved productivity in many areas, their use for improving education has been slow and diffi cult. Online interactive simulations may soon change all that. T here is considerable evidence that science classes from elementary school through to university are generally failing to provide most students with an understanding of science. Sadly, these classes are also frequently suppressing whatever interest students may have in the subject. Information technology off ers tremendous untapped opportunities for improving this situation. We have been exploring the use of a novel aspect of this technology: online interactive simulations (sims). Th is way, students can construct their understanding through semi-guided exploration. Research has shown this process to be a highly eff ective and engaging way to learn, and this new medium seems particularly well suited for today’s students. Another obvious virtue of online sims is that they are accessible to everyone in the world with internet access or a CD drive. If created using Java or Flash, they can be run through a web-browser and are (nearly) platform independent. Guided by research on learning (see, for example, ref. 1), particularly in science, we have been developing sims and studying their eff ectiveness. Our data indicate that well-developed and tested interactive sims can convey ideas in very diff erent and more powerful ways than traditional educational media, and resonate with students who have grown up in a culture of internet and video-games. Th ey can also be easily used in a wide range of educational settings and readily converted to other languages. Th is combination of capabilities and ease of distribution makes interactive sims a very exciting educational tool. Our Physics Education Technology (PhET) project’s team of scientists, soft ware engineers and science educators has now created more than 50 online sim