Examining Online and In-Person Environments for STEM Learning
About this area of research
Digital tools have made an impact in enhancing student learning progress and improving teaching quality In particular, STEM education has benefited from the adoption of digital, including but not limited to interactive simulations, virtual experiments, and educational games. Projects in this area examine how specific applications or laboratory set-ups may influence student motivation and performance (potentially also compared to corresponding traditional, in-person learning environments). For example, a new project investigates the impact of the use of a digital app (eBird) during a field trip related to bird song on cognitive, motivational, and affective outcomes.
Personnel and Collaborations @ Tübingen and Beyond
Tübingen: Christian Fischer, Christoph Randler, Salome Wörner, Talia Härtel, Janina Vanhöfen, Joseph Ferdinand
National: Katharina Scheiter (University of Potsdam), Jochen Kuhn (LMU Munich), Irene Neumann (IPN Kiel)
Funded Grants
Digital Tools for Field Trips in Biology Education, LEAD Intramural Research Funds, University of Tübingen, Germany. [€3,100, Grant awarded to PI Christian Fischer and Co-PI Christoph Randler]
Selected Publications (as of October 22)
Fischer, C., Nguyen, H., Estrella, G., & Collins, P. (2022). Examining Lecture and Inquiry-Based Laboratory Performance for Language Minority Students in Science Gateway Courses. PLOS ONE, 17(4), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0267188.
Fischer, C., Wörner, S., Kuhn, J., Scheiter, K., & Neumann, I. (2022). Planetenbahnen im Physikunterricht: Modellieren mit Realexperimenten und computergestützten Simulationen. [Planetary orbits in physics instruction: Modeling using hands-on experiments and computer-based simulations.] MNU-Journal, 5, 406-413
Szura, J., Fischer, C., Link, R., & Collins, P. (2022). Looking at the Laboratory Discussion: Course Modality Choice and Student Performance in Organic Chemistry Laboratory. Journal of Chemical Education. Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jchemed.2c00437
Wörner, S., Fischer, C., S., Kuhn, J., Scheiter, K., & Neumann, I. (2021). Video analysis to examine Kepler’s laws of planetary motion. The Physics Teacher, 59, 660-661. https://doi.org/10.1119/10.0006924
Zhou, N., Fischer, C., Rodriguez, F., Warschauer, M, & King, S. (2020). Exploring how enrolling in an online organic chemistry preparation course relates to students' self-efficacy. Journal of Computing in Higher Education, 32, 505-528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12528-019-09244-9
Ferdinand, J., Engler, S., & Fischer, C. (2020). Lernen mit digitalen Lernressourcen: Beispiel Khan Academy [Learning with online materials: The example of Khan Academy]. Schulmanagement, 5, 24-27.
Fischer, C. & Dershimer, R. C. (2016). Preparing teachers to use educational games, virtual experiments, and interactive science simulations to engage students in the practices of science. In L.-J. Thoms & R. Girwidz (Eds.), Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Multimedia in Physics Teaching and Learning (pp. 263-270). Mulhouse, France: European Physical Society.