Science and Engineering in Middle Schools

Interactive learning environments, referred to as games in our design due to their unique features, can direct, facilitate, and assess middle-school students learning of specific domain knowledge and concepts in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). The modular self-contained easily accessible multi-player online games are called structured-scenario online games (cited as STRONG) because they use challenging scenarios to engage middle-school students and provide them control over their learning environment. From their review of literature over a period of 28 years, Randel et al. (1992) concluded that gaming could be used effectively to provoke interest, teach domain knowledge, and shore up retention in math, physics, and language arts when specific instructional objectives were targeted. Besides us, the knowledge engineers for STRONG include a small focus group of middle and high school students and teachers. Using developmentally appropriate STEM concepts and standards outlined in the Benchmarks for Science Literacy (1993), we develop appropriate scenarios that might interest both resource-deprived and resource-affluent learners in their preparation for active inquiry learning. Hands-on inquiry learning without domain knowledge merely entertains students an