BUILDING VIRTUAL LEARNING COMMUNITY WITH

AUTHENTIC PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING ACTIVITIES

For Exploring Emerging Science and Technology

Satoru Fujitani

Faculty of Business Administraion, Mejiro University, 4-31-1, Naka-ochiai, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan

Tadayuki Kishimoto

Faculty of Human Development, University of Toyama, 3190, Gofuku, Toyama, Japan

Kumiko Iwazaki

The College of Contemporary Society and Culture, Kinjo Gakuin University

2-1723 Omori, Moriyama-ku, Nagoya, Aich, Japan

Keywords: Virtual learning community, Emerging science and technology, Expansive learning activities.

Abstract: The authors have worked with developing and evaluating educational programs dealing with emerging

scientific and technological. The programs promote collaborative learning activities that research and

examine emerging science and technology through interfacing between middle and high school students

with volunteers via websites. Upon abstracting empirical knowledge from the actual experiences of high

school club activities and evaluating the effectiveness of the information system, the learners took the

initiative in uploading what they had learned from their club activities to the websites, received necessary

information from the explanations and queries of the waiting online volunteers, and were ultimately able to

translate that into such activities as presentations on that basis.

1 INTRODUCTION

Existing science museums have been introducing the

world of science and innovation to learners,

educators, and general visitors, through many

aggressive educational program practices (Hooper-

Greenhill, 1999). But then again, trials of up-to-date

science and technology topics are widely besought

(Bell, 2004). Though professionals' works are very

challenging and absorbing, high disciplinary and the

lack of information inhibit people from

understanding science and technology researches.

The aim of this study was to develop and

evaluate educational programs about such emerging

science and technology. The programs promote

collaborative learning activities that research and

examine emerging science and technology through

interfacing between middle and high school students

with volunteers via websites. In these programs high

school students with a curiosity and interest in

emerging science and technology and involved in

related school club activities engaged in such

activities as studying the latest trends though

resource materials, produced ideas through research

activities including theoretical and laboratory

experimentation, and considered the significance of

emerging science and technology and its various

problems. The goal was a high level of authenticity

in the learning experience derived from

developmental and pragmatic sources of knowledge

attained through the medium of an online

collaborative learning environment. This study

discusses more appropriate educational content and

recommendations in teaching methodology. Such

activities can be understood as an aspect of science

communication (Stocklmayer et al., 2001).

346

Fujitani S., Kishimoto T. and Iwazaki K. (2007).

BUILDING VIRTUAL LEARNING COMMUNITY WITH AUTHENTIC PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING ACTIVITIES - For Exploring Emerging Science and

Technology.

In Proceedings of the Third International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies - Society, e-Business and e-Government /

e-Learning, pages 346-351

DOI: 10.5220/0001281703460351

 SciTePress

2 DEVELOPMENT OF WEB SITE

FOR VIRTUAL LEARNING

COMMUNITY

2.1 The Aims of this Study and Prior

Research

In recent years, the need for developing social

educational facilities such as science museums and

school educational activities that proactively

incorporate contributions from industry has been

underscored (Ministry of Education, 2002). There

are a great number of studies on ideal collaborative

educational activities between science museums

with schools, and the educational effectiveness of

such (Fujitani et al., 2005). Some have underscored

the existence and significance of science museum

personnel tasked with interactive duties vis-à-vis

visitors.

Existing science museums have been introducing

the world of science and innovation to learners,

educators, and general visitors. Educational program

in the museum (Ambrose, 1993) is a popular way to

offer learning resources for deeper understandings of

learning resources at the museum. Especially for

museums of science and technology, many

aggressive practices are going on to make sense of

exhibits more effective (Cité des Sciences et de

l’industrie, On-line; The National Museum of

Emerging Science and Innovatio, On-line). Trials of

up-to-date science and technology topics are widely

besought (Bell, 2004). But none have thus far either

engaged in or studied the actual dialog or

communication itself that museum personnel can

provide, particularly in terms of teaching materials

in concert with schools.

Communication in science museums has been

mentioned, but what does that actually mean?

Science museums play a major role in enriching the

opportunities to come into contact with science. The

present study has as its purpose an enrichment of

awareness towards science and technology, and

furthermore a facilitation of an understanding of

core science. Not limited to museum exhibits, this is

achieved with the cooperation of persons long

involved in technological innovation and scientific

fields—volunteers willing to explain various aspects

of science and technology to students—and the

participation of students in that specialized

community.

What is intended is not simply the imparting of

some set of knowledge or technical skills, but an all-

around participation, assessment, and understanding

of science and technology through the two

approaches of narrative and exposition—including

peripheral knowledge, ordinary experiences and

solutions, along with culture—to provide an

alternative viewpoint towards science. The

psychologist S. Bruner has called this “narrative

knowing.”(Bruner, 1986) Narrative has an impact on

our paradigmatic knowing of others, and with such a

paradigm in the background it is easy to construct

reality and understand others (Harlow and Johnson,

1998). Explanations in a scientific format have a

complementary function, and the role that narrative

plays in scientific awareness and understanding

should be noted (Bruner, 1986; Roberts, 1997).

In particular, the present study concerns learning

activities using a collaborative learning environment

deployed through a network to high school students.

The digitized learning activities employing

information devices and a network environment

were designed to teach problem solving methods by:

(1) pursuing authentic questions holding the real

world as the knowledge source, not limited to the

school in which the knowledge sources are teachers

and textbooks; (2) engaging in activities that

transcend such barriers as school and age; (3)

pooling knowledge through collaborative activities

not subject to the restrictions of time and place; and

(4) handling issues that do not easily lend

themselves to formulation (Akahori, 2002).

2.2 Design of Educational Program and

a Website

From this viewpoint on the subject of science

education, we conduct a project that sets a final

target on developing a new way of management of

the educational program in science museum for

stimulating learning activities (Figure 1).

We administer a website (Musedu.jp) for the

program. Using the web, science museum volunteers

provide learning resources related to current topics

on science and technology, and learners comprehend

current situation and find their interesting topics to

look into by further online collaborations with

volunteers as experts.

“Science Topics” and “Topics from Newspaper”

deliver topics of choice by each volunteer. Each

volunteer takes advantage of their knowledge and

interests about up-to-date discussing events and

findings on their chosen field and writes down an

article with photos. These supplementary readers

enable support learners to approach read source

materials. “Discussion Area” supports activities

such as further discussion and continuing study for

BUILDING VIRTUAL LEARNING COMMUNITY WITH AUTHENTIC PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING

ACTIVITIES - For Exploring Emerging Science and Technology

347

learners and volunteers. Some learners should

associate their experiences with another learning

activities or classroom studies. Learners explore

discussion bulletin boards and additional

information web pages for expansive studies.

2.3 Constructing Human Networks

This study mainly concerns improving the

understanding of emerging science and technology

through science museums. First, a group of

volunteers was formed to interface with students.

We held lectures and discussions to exchange

opinions for the sake of those technical specialists

with limited pedagogical experience. The science

museum volunteers from specialized emerging

technological and scientific fields formed the

community that interfaced with high school students

as scientists and technicians.

3 EFFECTIVENESS

ASSESSMENT

In order to engage in collaborative learning activities

between learners and volunteers, to abstract

empirical knowledge, and to evaluate the

effectiveness of the information system, an

effectiveness assessment in which learners and

volunteers engaged in coordinated studies and

reviews was conducted. An example follows.

3.1 Outline of the Effectiveness

Assessment

The pilot assessment is proceeded at a high school

student, 11th graders, in Tokyo in December 2004.

Here shows our procedure about building

learning activity content and assessment methods:

- National Institute of Polar Research in Japan

proposes events and related activities for polar

observation by middle and high school students.

- Volunteers provide comments, opinions, and

information regarding the research activities of the

students.

- Students organize their results using posters or

other formats and written explanations, and

participate in the presentation of the National

Institute of Polar Research.

- After the learning program is concluded, students

create and display a poster of their findings

including the collected comments of the students,

teachers, and volunteers (Figure 2).

3.2 BBS Messages from Participants

This project involved information exchanges

beginning with “questions [the students] wanted

answered.” Unique BBS messages were observed

within the learning environment of this study. The

discussion will proceed with quotations of a portion

of the BBS messages below. The entire transcript is

Figure 1: Musedu.jp: virtual learning community

website.It consists of three parts: “Science Topics” fo

introduction and commentary of new technology trends;

“Bulletin Board” for a place of on-line intensive studies

building scientific knowledge together; “Space for

Presentation” for making simple website.

Figure 2: Poster Presentation of their Research for a

event of National Institute of Polar Research.

WEBIST 2007 - International Conference on Web Information Systems and Technologies

348

written only in Japanese, hence this is English

translation.

(1) Clarifying the purpose of the questions, and

corresponding responses from the students

Questions by the volunteers to clarify the purpose of

questions originating from the students were then

answered by the students with explanatory remarks.

Dialog between the students and volunteers on open-

ended questions was observed.

(2) Provision of information related to the questions

by the volunteers, and responses from the students

The volunteers not only answered questions on

content as yet not covered in school classes

concerning matters that arose along with the

questions (or treating answers to those questions as a

given), they also provided additional related

information. For matters that were “basically not

fully understood,” the students did not immediately

understand fully or else misunderstood—this also

appearing in the BBS messages. Such BBS

messages are only natural given that the students

were collecting scientific knowledge in fields for

which they lacked a full conceptual understanding.

Knowledge impartation and information exchanges

that did not aim at a full and immediate

comprehension were observed. Such deficiencies

could be subsequently corrected.

(3) Innovations arising from information supplied

collaboratively among the volunteers

Situations were observed in which a volunteer would

provide more detailed explanations regarding the

information given by another volunteer in answering

a question, with the volunteers discussing among

themselves. There were no BBS messages from the

students touching on this, but the students did notice

the discussions among the volunteers. There is the

possibility of further increasing the related

information gained.

(4) Impressions and opinions from non-participant

science museum volunteers

There were volunteers who voiced appraisals of

the students activities following the interaction

Here I will try to explain characteristics of

“Microwave.”

Betty said observing microwave helps us

understanding about auroras. Talking about the

observation of microwave for understanding

natural phenomena, there are many

proposition about the relationships between

microwave and earthquake. (snip) Unlike

audible sound, microwave can get through to

a long distance without damping, and it

speeds more than sound. Thus, the

microwave may influence distant places.

Hmm… It sounds difficult for me to deal with

microwave… I will let our science teacher

explain about the thing.

Even though, I have easily understand

microwave runs faster than sound!

Student Betty

Volunteer Alex

I’ve found! Finally!

http://

[A website with an introduction of aurora

reflection propagation for amateur ham radio]

I will add some information for that.

The auroras appear very high above the ground,

right? When we make a big voice to the auroras, it

indeed doesn’t make echo among the auroras. But

when we hit microwave, not voice, to the auroras,

we may hear of the echo of that.

Volunteer Charlie

Volunteer Alex

>>(Student’s quote) Although I have seen a

website that auroras make sound on the air

along with the movement of auroras, but I

don’t think that.

Well, actually I don’t think so either when I have

read your comment, “auroras make sound on the

air along with the movement of auroras.”

I wonder we have reached a same reason for

that. Could you tell me your reason why the

sound does not hear?

Sorry for late. Even auroras might make sounds,

I think the sound takes a long time to arrive

to the ground than the lighting of the auroras

to come. ;( That’s why the sound from auroras

along with the sound is impossible.

Student Betty

Volunteer Alex

BUILDING VIRTUAL LEARNING COMMUNITY WITH AUTHENTIC PROBLEM-BASED LEARNING

ACTIVITIES - For Exploring Emerging Science and Technology

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between the students and volunteers. By receiving

evaluations regarding their activities from persons

outside the interactive process, there is the

possibility that the students will engage in more

proactive future activities.

3.3 Empirical Knowledge Based on the

Effectiveness Assessment

In this program students were able to speak without

trepidation to science museum volunteers they had

never met before. Rather, the adults were the ones

who were worried that they “would not be able to

adequately transmit the information.”

Beginning with the prepared questions based on

what the learners had researched through club

activities, information was exchanged using the

limited tool of a web BBS. The explanations and

counter questions of the volunteers waiting online

provided them with needed information, which was

ultimately employed in such activities as

presentation making.

From interviews with the appraising teachers,

however, it was noted that there were situations in

which the learners lost sight of what they were doing

due to such reasons as “inability to focus interest

precisely,” “inability to envision which were the

necessary activities,” and “childlike idealistic

questions or attempts to gain the favor of the adults.”

The present report omits details, but in the previous

section from the point of view of the learners

“thinking from the stance of the information they

wish to research anew based on their club activities,”

website activities were relatively weakened in spite

of the information provided by the volunteers. It

seemed that fostering ongoing motivation was a

difficult matter, perhaps due to a weakness in the

pursuit of a logical focus in the activities or in

application to real-world society.

4 CONCLUSIONS

This report concerned a practical approach to the

utilization of science museums with exhibits on

emerging science and technology to raise the interest

of high school students in scientific fields. Prior

research was referred to, and a report made on a

practical application using a research system.

At present, the design of the abovementioned

website is being renewed. It will be similar to that of

the SNS (social network site) format recently

increasing in use among young people. This

innovation will enable learners to more readily

engage in information-based learning activities.

In the future, the authors wish to study educational

efficiency in actual classroom application through

questionnaires, interviews, and observations from

the point of view of “motivation to study science and

self-starting study,” “the scientific way of thinking,

and a scientific outlook,” and “becoming informed

about leading edge science and technology” through

ongoing and wide-ranging application.

Furthermore, by referencing multiple cases, in the

future in will be necessary, to gain further in-depth

experience with learner activity situations and

thoroughly grasp ideal issues for discussions at a

level of possible participation.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

A part of this research has received the assistance of

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority

Areas (No. 17011061, Representative: Satoru

Fujitani) from the Japanese Ministry of Education,

Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

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ACTIVITIES - For Exploring Emerging Science and Technology

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