X-DBER 2021 Conference

Next Generation PhET Simulations: New Opportunities for Education Research in Science and Math

For nearly 20 years, the PhET Interactive Simulations group at the University of Colorado Boulder has focused on creating research-based, student-tested simulations (sims) for teaching and learning science and mathematics. Whether the topic is circuits, molecule polarity, natural selection, or linear regression, PhET’s collection of 150+ simulations create interactive, game-like environments in which students learn central concepts and engage in STEM practices through exploration and experimentation. Motivated by the emergence of new educational platforms, potential for interoperability among educational technologies, and advances in data analytics, PhET launched a new initiative to create next generation PhET simulations – simulations that are built on state-of-the-art HTML5 technologies, support customization, integration, and back-end data delivery, and are increasingly accessible for students with disabilities. With these highly flexible capabilities, education researchers and learning scientists can ask and answer new questions around pedagogy, learning, and assessment. They can now “see” students thinking at work. Imagine assessments, for instance, that can better measure the full range of desired STEM education outcomes from conceptual understanding to practices to persistence. In this talk, I will highlight examples from our research on student learning with PhET simulations, present work by our collaborators on learning and assessment, share the new enhanced capabilities, and look at the future frontiers and challenges on the horizon.