Shared Resources: Engineering Students' Emerging Group Understanding of Thermodynamic Work

摘要

Background We have developed several interactive virtual laboratories (IVLs) based on a sequence of agent-based molecular simulations designed to target specific threshold concepts to help students learn thermodynamics. We previously analyzed learning in the IVLs from a cognitive perspective, seeking to repair students' misconceptions; however, that perspective provided limited information for iteratively improving the IVLs.Purpose In this study, we shift to a sociocultural perspective to identify student learning resources activated during their engagement in the Thermodynamic Work IVL. We seek to identify the productive social and environmental triggers through which students develop conceptual ideas using technology in a social setting.Method We conducted emergent lexical coding on a cohort of 187 students' textual responses as they completed the IVL in a studio setting. We then analyzed the discursive and technology interactions of four students from different groups using video recordings.Results Coding results show distributions of students' activated resources. Almost all of the students demonstrated productive ideas, and almost all also revealed opportunities to learn more. Through the detailed studies, we illustrate the moment-by-moment interactions of students with one another and with technology to describe how they activate and share resources. These interactions are conceptualized and illustrated through the construct of shared resources. We relate shared resources to processes of knowledge co-construction and knowledge transfer, and discuss implications for instructional practice and educational technology design.Conclusions The resources framework helps us recognize productive ideas in students' evolving understanding of thermodynamic work Shared resources allows for elaboration of the interwoven cognitive and social aspects of learning.