A Mole at the Virtual Design Center
CET Sat Nov 27 2004

An important chemistry concept is helping the NASA-sponsored Classroom of the Future improve curriculum design through its Virtual Design Center.

The Virtual Design Center uses NASA resources to ensure that new designs for classroom investigations are based on good science and solid educational design theory.

Classroom of the Future educational researcher Dr. Debbie Denise Reese and chemistry specialist Dr. Jim Coffield have specified a concrete metaphor for one of the concepts that challenges beginning chemistry students—the mole, as used in balanced chemical equations. Researchers will use the mole metaphor to design an interactive computer interface according to Reese’s analogical designs model for metaphor-enabled learning. The interface will be used in empirical research that develops and grounds the Virtual Design Center metaphor principle.

Dr. Brian Curry, director of science for the Classroom of the Future, says that chemistry students who don’t understand the concept of the mole are at risk. The concept is covered near the beginning of introductory chemistry courses. A student who doesn’t understand moles falls behind and is liable to do poorly or drop the course.

December 09, 2004