Visionlearning
Encyclopedia
Visionlearning is a free, web-based resource for student
s and educators in the science
, technology
, engineering
and mathematics
(STEM) disciplines. Geared toward those studying at high school
and undergraduate levels, Visionlearning takes advantage of recent advances in new media
to provide students and educators with learning and teaching materials. Research by project personnel has shown that this peer-reviewed and bilingual content improves student understanding of science and facilitates multidisciplinary teaching. The project also strives to build community around improving STEM education.
Supported by the National Science Foundation
and the U.S. Department of Education, Visionlearning provides educational content that not only explores specific STEM concepts, but examines how we know these things. Project leaders believe that an important facet of succeeding in these discipline
s is understanding their respective histories, as well as engaging with the process of discovery.
and then-assistant professor at John Jay College
of the City University of New York
, designed and launched a prototype Internet learning resource for science students, called The Natural Science Pages. This was in part a response to the growing evidence that poor textbook
content and deficient teaching materials contribute to inadequate science education
. The purpose of the prototype
was to see if presenting important course information in a new form would improve what students understood, what information they remembered, and how well they performed in their class overall.
What this research showed, through standardized exam scores and student retention data, was that using the prototype significantly improved science comprehension and performance in the targeted natural science
course. Further evaluations also showed that the prototype helped improve communication
skills and student engagement
with the course.
In response to the success of The Natural Science Pages prototype and with support of the NSF, Carpi developed the Visionlearning project, which brought on a group of scientist
s and educators to create content and became a website
open to students and educators worldwide. In the last decade, Visionlearning has evolved into a more comprehensive website that provides free educational materials to support the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, with translation
s into Spanish
. These materials include independent learning modules that focus on distinct topics within STEM disciplines, teaching resources, a MyClassroom tool (similar to Moodle
or WebCT
) that allows educators to customize and maintain a virtual learning environment
for their students, and new media elements to benefit multiple learning styles. A key feature of all of Visionlearning’s material is an emphasis on the process of science and discovery.
tools, Visionlearning has emphasized an importance on teaching science as a process, rather than “a simple set of facts and terms to be memorized.” This comes from an organizational ideology
that understanding how scientific knowledge evolves better prepares students to engage with the process of discovery and helps to dispel common misconceptions about science. The underlying notion is that students will develop independent, objective thinking skills regardless of whether they pursue a career in STEM disciplines, and understand that science is far more than simply conducting experiments in a lab and working with complex mathematical formulas.
, chemistry
, earth science
, and the process of science. This material has been focused into concise, relevant topic areas and grouped by discipline. Each module can be used independently, or in conjunction with others, and intentionally concentrates on core concepts to help direct learning. Supplementary materials such as quiz
zes, links to reviewed sources, and biographies
are also provided for additional exploration. These modules are directed toward undergraduate and high school learning and have been written by experts in the relevant disciplines. Every module is peer reviewed for quality and accuracy, and includes historical context and contemporary relevance.
, Moodle, and WebCT), MyClassroom allows educators to create a course customized to their needs. They are able to add learning modules from Visionlearning’s library into their classroom, annotate any of these modules, and create their own modules for access by students enrolled in the course. Having this material accessible to students via the Internet
allows for 24 hour access to the learning materials, without cost, and aids Spanish bi-lingual students with translations.
s, high resolution graphics, and more recently iPod
apps. To further embrace developments in technology and become more ADA compliant, the site administrators are developing additional media resources for users, such as podcast
s and scripts for animations. Like many corporations today, they are also exploring the use of blog
s and social networking sites, such as Facebook
, to build awareness and a user base.
or affiliation. The project is dedicated to providing impartial information in the STEM disciplines and encouraging learning in the process of science. One important goal of the project is to provide an understanding of scientific concepts while emphasizing how the scientific community has arrived at these conclusions. The intention is that, through teaching about the process of scientific discovery, students will look at science not as factual elements, but as a way of knowing about the world.
The project does not subscribe to the belief that the Internet and new media are replacing more traditional forms or communication, but that through proper integration of all the technology
available students will have a greater chance of success in STEM learning.
Student
A student is a learner, or someone who attends an educational institution. In some nations, the English term is reserved for those who attend university, while a schoolchild under the age of eighteen is called a pupil in English...
s and educators in the science
Science
Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...
, technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
, engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
and mathematics
Mathematics
Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...
(STEM) disciplines. Geared toward those studying at high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
and undergraduate levels, Visionlearning takes advantage of recent advances in new media
New media
New media is a broad term in media studies that emerged in the latter part of the 20th century. For example, new media holds out a possibility of on-demand access to content any time, anywhere, on any digital device, as well as interactive user feedback, creative participation and community...
to provide students and educators with learning and teaching materials. Research by project personnel has shown that this peer-reviewed and bilingual content improves student understanding of science and facilitates multidisciplinary teaching. The project also strives to build community around improving STEM education.
Supported by the National Science Foundation
National Science Foundation
The National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
and the U.S. Department of Education, Visionlearning provides educational content that not only explores specific STEM concepts, but examines how we know these things. Project leaders believe that an important facet of succeeding in these discipline
Discipline
In its original sense, discipline is referred to systematic instruction given to disciples to train them as students in a craft or trade, or to follow a particular code of conduct or "order". Often, the phrase "to discipline" carries a negative connotation. This is because enforcement of order –...
s is understanding their respective histories, as well as engaging with the process of discovery.
History
In 1998, Dr. Anthony Carpi, an environmental chemistEnvironmental chemistry
Environmental chemistry is the scientific study of the chemical and biochemical phenomena that occur in natural places. It should not be confused with green chemistry, which seeks to reduce potential pollution at its source...
and then-assistant professor at John Jay College
John Jay College of Criminal Justice
The John Jay College of Criminal Justice is a senior college of the City University of New York in Midtown Manhattan, New York City and is the only liberal arts college with a criminal justice and forensic focus in the United States. The college offers programs in Forensic Science and Forensic...
of the City University of New York
City University of New York
The City University of New York is the public university system of New York City, with its administrative offices in Yorkville in Manhattan. It is the largest urban university in the United States, consisting of 23 institutions: 11 senior colleges, six community colleges, the William E...
, designed and launched a prototype Internet learning resource for science students, called The Natural Science Pages. This was in part a response to the growing evidence that poor textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
content and deficient teaching materials contribute to inadequate science education
Science education
Science education is the field concerned with sharing science content and process with individuals not traditionally considered part of the scientific community. The target individuals may be children, college students, or adults within the general public. The field of science education comprises...
. The purpose of the prototype
Prototype
A prototype is an early sample or model built to test a concept or process or to act as a thing to be replicated or learned from.The word prototype derives from the Greek πρωτότυπον , "primitive form", neutral of πρωτότυπος , "original, primitive", from πρῶτος , "first" and τύπος ,...
was to see if presenting important course information in a new form would improve what students understood, what information they remembered, and how well they performed in their class overall.
What this research showed, through standardized exam scores and student retention data, was that using the prototype significantly improved science comprehension and performance in the targeted natural science
Natural science
The natural sciences are branches of science that seek to elucidate the rules that govern the natural world by using empirical and scientific methods...
course. Further evaluations also showed that the prototype helped improve communication
Communication
Communication is the activity of conveying meaningful information. Communication requires a sender, a message, and an intended recipient, although the receiver need not be present or aware of the sender's intent to communicate at the time of communication; thus communication can occur across vast...
skills and student engagement
Student engagement
Student engagement occurs when "students make a psychological investment in learning. They try hard to learn what school offers. They take pride not simply in earning the formal indicators of success , but in understanding the material and incorporating or internalizing it in their lives." It is...
with the course.
In response to the success of The Natural Science Pages prototype and with support of the NSF, Carpi developed the Visionlearning project, which brought on a group of scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
s and educators to create content and became a website
Website
A website, also written as Web site, web site, or simply site, is a collection of related web pages containing images, videos or other digital assets. A website is hosted on at least one web server, accessible via a network such as the Internet or a private local area network through an Internet...
open to students and educators worldwide. In the last decade, Visionlearning has evolved into a more comprehensive website that provides free educational materials to support the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines, with translation
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
s into Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
. These materials include independent learning modules that focus on distinct topics within STEM disciplines, teaching resources, a MyClassroom tool (similar to Moodle
Moodle
Moodle is a free source e-learning software platform, also known as a Course Management System, Learning Management System, or Virtual Learning Environment...
or WebCT
WebCT
WebCT or Blackboard Learning System, now owned by Blackboard, is an online proprietary virtual learning environment system that is sold to colleges and other institutions and used in many campuses for e-learning...
) that allows educators to customize and maintain a virtual learning environment
Virtual learning environment
Defined largely by usage, the term virtual learning environment has most, if not all, of the following salient properties:* It is Web-based* It uses Web 2.0 tools for rich 2-way interaction* It includes a content management system...
for their students, and new media elements to benefit multiple learning styles. A key feature of all of Visionlearning’s material is an emphasis on the process of science and discovery.
The Process of Science: A Philosophy for Teaching and Learning
Throughout the development of the learning modules and multimediaMultimedia
Multimedia is media and content that uses a combination of different content forms. The term can be used as a noun or as an adjective describing a medium as having multiple content forms. The term is used in contrast to media which use only rudimentary computer display such as text-only, or...
tools, Visionlearning has emphasized an importance on teaching science as a process, rather than “a simple set of facts and terms to be memorized.” This comes from an organizational ideology
Ideology
An ideology is a set of ideas that constitutes one's goals, expectations, and actions. An ideology can be thought of as a comprehensive vision, as a way of looking at things , as in common sense and several philosophical tendencies , or a set of ideas proposed by the dominant class of a society to...
that understanding how scientific knowledge evolves better prepares students to engage with the process of discovery and helps to dispel common misconceptions about science. The underlying notion is that students will develop independent, objective thinking skills regardless of whether they pursue a career in STEM disciplines, and understand that science is far more than simply conducting experiments in a lab and working with complex mathematical formulas.
Content
As of 2009, Visionlearning has developed 70 independent learning modules in nine subject areas, including biologyBiology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
, earth science
Earth science
Earth science is an all-embracing term for the sciences related to the planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in planetary science, the Earth being the only known life-bearing planet. There are both reductionist and holistic approaches to Earth sciences...
, and the process of science. This material has been focused into concise, relevant topic areas and grouped by discipline. Each module can be used independently, or in conjunction with others, and intentionally concentrates on core concepts to help direct learning. Supplementary materials such as quiz
Quiz
A quiz is a form of game or mind sport in which the players attempt to answer questions correctly. In some countries, a quiz is also a brief assessment used in education and similar fields to measure growth in knowledge, abilities, and/or skills.Quizzes are usually scored in points and many...
zes, links to reviewed sources, and biographies
Biography
A biography is a detailed description or account of someone's life. More than a list of basic facts , biography also portrays the subject's experience of those events...
are also provided for additional exploration. These modules are directed toward undergraduate and high school learning and have been written by experts in the relevant disciplines. Every module is peer reviewed for quality and accuracy, and includes historical context and contemporary relevance.
MyClassroom
As part of its dedication to supporting educators, Visionlearning has developed a teaching portal called MyClassroom. Similar to other virtual teaching tools (such as BlackboardBlackboard Learning System
The Blackboard Learning System is a virtual learning environment and course management system developed by Blackboard Inc. Features include course management, a customizable open architecture, and a scalable design that allows for integration with student information systems and authentication...
, Moodle, and WebCT), MyClassroom allows educators to create a course customized to their needs. They are able to add learning modules from Visionlearning’s library into their classroom, annotate any of these modules, and create their own modules for access by students enrolled in the course. Having this material accessible to students via the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
allows for 24 hour access to the learning materials, without cost, and aids Spanish bi-lingual students with translations.
New Media
As Visionlearning has expanded over the years, the project has embraced and integrated new media with the use of flash animations, simulationSimulation
Simulation is the imitation of some real thing available, state of affairs, or process. The act of simulating something generally entails representing certain key characteristics or behaviours of a selected physical or abstract system....
s, high resolution graphics, and more recently iPod
IPod
iPod is a line of portable media players created and marketed by Apple Inc. The product line-up currently consists of the hard drive-based iPod Classic, the touchscreen iPod Touch, the compact iPod Nano, and the ultra-compact iPod Shuffle...
apps. To further embrace developments in technology and become more ADA compliant, the site administrators are developing additional media resources for users, such as podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
s and scripts for animations. Like many corporations today, they are also exploring the use of blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
s and social networking sites, such as Facebook
Facebook
Facebook is a social networking service and website launched in February 2004, operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. , Facebook has more than 800 million active users. Users must register before using the site, after which they may create a personal profile, add other users as...
, to build awareness and a user base.
Position Statements
Visionlearning does not subscribe to any political partyPolitical party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
or affiliation. The project is dedicated to providing impartial information in the STEM disciplines and encouraging learning in the process of science. One important goal of the project is to provide an understanding of scientific concepts while emphasizing how the scientific community has arrived at these conclusions. The intention is that, through teaching about the process of scientific discovery, students will look at science not as factual elements, but as a way of knowing about the world.
The project does not subscribe to the belief that the Internet and new media are replacing more traditional forms or communication, but that through proper integration of all the technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
available students will have a greater chance of success in STEM learning.