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OpenCourseWorld

Using Online Labs in the Classroom

An Introductory Course for Teachers
Available now
Availability
2 Months
Available after start
Unlimited
Available after the end
Unlimited
Available places
Basic
Level
  Video lectures
  practical exercises
  Discussion
  certification

This online course is created to assist science teachers and any people interested in science education in incorporating the use of online labs and supportive inquiry learning apps into their teaching and learning activities. After completing this course, you will know how to create complete inquiry learning scenarios suitable for different subject domains and how to implement these scenarios in a digital learning environment. We will introduce you to the Go-Lab Ecosystem, where you can find appropriate tools and create your own virtual learning spaces. Furthermore, several example scenarios of using online labs are explained in this course.

Module 1 “Inquiry learning with online labs” gives you an introduction to the inquiry-based science education in schools. Main concepts of inquiry learning, as well as its benefits and challenges for school education are presented. The module also gives insight into the teaching practice using innovative tools and future trends in science education.

In Module 2 “Creating an inquiry-oriented lesson plan”, you will learn how to incorporate the use of online labs in your classroom activities, how to create lesson plans containing inquiry-based exercises, and how to implement these lesson plans in web-based Inquiry Learning Spaces (ILSs). This module makes you familiar with a basic pedagogic scenario, which you can use to create ILS.

Module 3 “Creating and editing an Inquiry Learning Space” introduces the Authoring Platform Graasp and gives you a step-by-step guidance in creating your Inquiry Learning Space (ILS). This module contains multiple demo videos explaining the basics of the ILS creation and editing. After studying this module, you will be able to create your own ILSs using the Go-Lab Ecosystem.

In Module 4 “Using learning analytics. Sharing and publishing an ILS”, you will be introduced to some advanced features of the Go-Lab Ecosystem, such as learning analytics. Furthermore, you will learn how to organise your ILSs in Graasp, share them with your students to be used in the classroom, and publish the ILSs in the Sharing Platform Golabz, to make them available for your colleagues.

Module 5 “Setting up inquiry learning apps” demonstrates various apps, which you can find in the Sharing Platform Golabz, such as Hypothesis Scratchpad, Experiment Design Tool, GoModel, and others. In this module, you will learn how to use these apps in different scenarios for individual and collaborative learning, and how to set up the to fit a particular topic of study.

Module 6 “Exploring the Sun” presents the Sun4All Project with its database of solar images collected over the last 90 years and introduces you to the use of the SalsaJ tool for the analysis of these images. Furthermore, several videos are available taking you on a guided tour through the Observatory of the University of Coimbra in Portugal.

Module 7 “Exploring galaxies” introduces you to the Faulkes Telescope Project and to the Galaxy Crash online lab. You will be shown how to book an observation session with a remote telescope, how to observe diverse space objects like, for example, galaxies and star-forming regions, and how to take images of them. Additionally, the use of the Galaxy Crash simulation and the integration of these online labs in a pedagogical scenario are demonstrated.

In Module 8 “Identifying particles with the ATLAS”, the Hybrid Pupils' Analysis Tool for Interactions in ATLAS (HY.P.A.T.I.A) is presented. The video lectures provide an introduction to the HY.P.A.T.I.A online lab and two learning scenarios (“Discover the Z and Higgs bosons” and “The motion of a charged particle in the ATLAS magnetic field”), which can be completed with this lab. Some demo videos are incorporated into the lectures to facilitate the handling of this comprehensive tool.

 

  • Ton de Jong
    Prof Dr Ton de Jong
    University of Twente
    The Netherlands
  • Sofoklis Sotiriou
    Dr Sofoklis Sotiriou
    Ellinogermaniki Agogi
    Greece
  • Eleftheria Tsourlidaki
    Eleftheria Tsourlidaki
    Ellinogermaniki Agogi
    Greece
  • Adrian Holzer
    Dr Adrian Holzer
    École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
    Switzerland
  • Sten Govaerts
    Dr Sten Govaerts
  • Rosa Doran
    Rosa Doran
    Núcleo Interactivo de Astronomia
    Portugal
  • João Fernandes
    Prof João Fernandes
    Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory
    University of Coimbra, Portugal
  • Telma Esperança
    Dr Telma Esperança
    Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory
    University of Coimbra, Portugal
  • Fraser Lewis
    Dr Fraser Lewis
    Faulkes Telescope Project
    United Kingdom
  • Sofia Chouridou
    Dr Sofia Chouridou
    University of Athens
    Greece