Evaluating the Usability of a Professional Modeling Tool Repurposed for Middle School Learning
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Evaluating the Usability of a Professional Modeling Tool Repurposed for Middle School Learning Vanessa L. Peters • Nancy Butler Songer
Published online: 23 October 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York 2012
Abstract This paper reports the results of a three-stage usability test of a modeling tool designed to support learners’ deep understanding of the impacts of climate change on ecosystems. The design process involved repurposing an existing modeling technology used by professional scientists into a learning tool specifically designed for middle school students. To evaluate usability, we analyzed students’ task performance and task completion time as they worked on an activity with the repurposed modeling technology. In stage 1, we conducted remote testing of an early modeling prototype with urban middle school students (n = 84). In stages 2 and 3, we used screencasting software to record students’ mouse and keyboard movements during collaborative think-alouds (n = 22) and conducted a qualitative analysis of their peer discussions. Taken together, the study findings revealed two kinds of usability issues that interfered with students’ productive use of the tool: issues related to the use of data and information, and issues related to the use of the modeling technology. The study findings resulted in design improvements that led to stronger usability outcomes and higher task performance among students. In this paper, we describe our methods for usability testing, our research findings, and our design solutions for supporting students’ use of the modeling technology and use of data. The paper concludes with implications for the design and study of modeling technologies for science learning. Keywords Usability Computer modeling Learning technologies GIS Climate change V. L. Peters (&) N. B. Songer School of Education, University of Michigan, 610 East University Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA e-mail: [email protected]
Introduction Recent policy documents in the United States, such as the Framework for K-12 Science Education (NRC 2012), point to a new sense of urgency on science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. These and other policy documents highlight the importance of integrating complex technologies in teaching students how scientific knowledge is developed and applied. Complex technologies are routinely used in most scientific domains, and they are a fundamental part of developing new forms of knowledge. Indeed, some of our most pressing scientific problems, such as predicting the impacts of global climate change on humans and other organisms, can only be studied with the use of sophisticated computer-based modeling systems. In STEM education, using models and modeled data is identified as critical practices that are needed for constructing arguments or making predictions with scientific evidence (College Board 2009; NRC 2012). To prepare a citizenry of informed science consumers for both personal and civic decision-making, STEM education must also provide opportu
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