DynaLearn - Engaging and informed tools for learning conceptual system knowledge

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DynaLearn provides learners with an effective cognitive tool to encode conceptual knowledge in a range of scientific topics, relate it to external information sources, and collaborate with peers in the learning process.

Conceptual knowledge of systems' behaviour is crucial for society to understand and successfully interact with its environment. Acquiring this expertise is therefore a valuable aspect of science education.

Despite this importance, there is an alarming decline in the number of students choosing science subjects. Reasons for this include the perceived complexity of the studies, the idea that these subjects are uninteresting and tedious, and the lack of effective cognitive tools that enable learners to acquire the expertise in a way that fits its qualitative nature.

The DynaLearn project seeks to address these problems by integrating well-established but currently independent technological developments, and utilise the added value that emerges from this integration. The main objective is to develop an interactive learning environment that allows learners to construct their conceptual system knowledge, either individually or in a collaborative setting.

Specifically,

  • diagrammatic representations are used to enable learners to articulate, analyse and communicate ideas, and thereby construct their conceptual knowledge;
  • ontology mapping is used to find and match co-learners working on similar ideas to provide individualised and mutually benefiting learning opportunities;
  • virtual characters are used to make the interaction engaging and motivating.

The development of the workbench is being tuned to fit key topics from environmental science curricula, and evaluated and further improved in the context of existing curricula using case studies.
Through this approach, DynaLearn delivers an individualised and engaging cognitive tool for acquiring conceptual knowledge that fits the true nature of this expertise

 

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