scholarly journals ASPERLABS: OPEN SOURCE VIRTUAL LABORATORIES FOR STEM EDUCATION

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (5) ◽  
pp. 29-37
Author(s):  
Muhammad Alif Mohammad Latif ◽  
Mohd Ezad Hafidz Hafidzuddin ◽  
Marina Mohd Top@Mohd Tah ◽  
Norihan Md Arifin

The main challenge in the development of scientific education in Malaysia is the lack of interest in science among students. One of the reasons for this discrepancy lies in the fact that these fields often require laboratory exercises to provide effective skill acquisition and hands-on experience. Physical experiments increase the costs due to their required equipment, space, and maintenance staff. A virtual laboratory can provide a cost-efficient way to organize high-quality laboratory work for many students. It is a damage resistance laboratory, thus opening the possibility to learn from mistakes. In Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education, virtual laboratories can offer effective scientific exploration at a low cost. The objective of this research is to develop a platform for open-source virtual laboratories for STEM education inside and outside of Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM). The virtual laboratory initiative is known as “AsperLabs”. This web-based interface offers several open-source virtual experiments for three subjects including physics, chemistry, and biology. Asperlabs have been utilized at Foundation level in UPM and STEM programs at local secondary schools. It has received positive feedback from students on both levels and will be included in the course materials for Foundation Program at UPM in the near future.

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-196
Author(s):  
Francisco Javier Triveno Vargas ◽  
Hugo Siles Alvarado

STEM education is a strategy based on four disciplines (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), integrated in an innovative interdisciplinary approach. Although, the concept of STEM education is more relevant today, the discussion of a teaching model with special attention in the four subjects aforementioned began in the early 2000s. Taking into account this context, the strategy presented in this paper has been disseminated in Bolivia’s main universities for the last five years. A country that has not yet managed to associate basic disciplines such as calculus, matrix algebra, and/or differential equations to solve problems of an applicative nature, that is, to establish the link between theory and practice. To establish the connection, it is necessary to deduce differential equations associated with practical problems; solve these equations with numerical methods, appeal to the simulation concept to later introduce programming languages like Python/VPython to build virtual laboratories. The classical problem addressed for this purpose is the satellite of two degrees of freedom.


Author(s):  
Ellen Hamilton-Ford ◽  
Jeffrey D. Herron

The objective of this chapter is to provide an overview of research in the convergence of environmental education and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (E-STEM) education models through a values-based framework for nature. An argument for the interconnectedness of environmental education and STEM programs is presented. A further argument presented that nature-based learning environments engage children in E-STEM. Lastly, an exploration of research suggests how various pedagogical practices incorporate and facilitate the E-STEM paradigm to prepare young children for 21st century workforce that can solve large, complex problems in an information and service-based economy.


Author(s):  
Ifeyinwa E. Achumba ◽  
Djamel Azzi ◽  
James Stocker

The laboratory component of undergraduate engineering education poses challenges in resource constrained engineering faculties. The cost, time, space and physical presence requirements of the traditional (real) laboratory approach are the contributory factors. These resource constraints may mitigate the acquisition of meaningful laboratory experiences by students, which is especially true in developing countries. Virtual laboratories can be used to complement the traditional laboratory to enhance students’ laboratory experience. In extreme cases of lack of resources, the virtual lab can be used as an alternative laboratory . Although some research on the implementation of virtual laboratories has occurred, more efforts are required because of the diverse experiential needs and requirements of the engineering curriculum. This paper presents a low-cost, web-based virtual laboratory workbench for use as part of undergraduate electronic engineering courses. Some distinguishing features of the virtual workbench are that students can undertake curriculum-based laboratory activities in a realistic manner; it integrates a Bayesian Network-based assessment structure for the assessment of students’ performance; and it affords the instructor flexibility in designing laboratory exercises.


Author(s):  
Maurice Dawson ◽  
Sharon L. Burton ◽  
Dustin Bessette ◽  
Jorja Wright

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) are a new phenomenon of course delivery for students, faculty, and administrators to use. As this technology continues to grow in the short term it is essential to develop a method in which Open Source Software (OSS), open source technologies, and open access literature can be incorporated to strengthen the MOOC environment. Strengthening the MOOC environment can be used as a method to increase retention as well as increase enrollment in higher education. As Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) programs are going online it is imperative that the tools meet the demands of today's marketplace. This chapter provides insights on these open technology solutions so that current and future MOOCs can be enhanced with little to no cost added.


2020 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diana Chise ◽  
Margherita Fort ◽  
Chiara Monfardini

AbstractWe provide novel evidence on the existence and extent of the intergenerational transmission of STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) education using a recent large administrative dataset of Italian graduates obtained from the AlmaLaurea survey. We find sizeable intergenerational associations in university graduation from STEM programs and demonstrate that these varies strongly according to both the parent’s and the child’s gender. The paternal outweighs the maternal intergenerational relationship and is larger for sons than for daughters. While the documented STEM education transmission is not driven by parental liberal profession for most STEM fields, this is the case for some non-STEM fields (economic and legal studies), consistent with the presence of barriers to entry into some professions.


Author(s):  
Malchykova D.S. ◽  
Molikevych R.S. ◽  
Saf’yanyk I.S.

The article characterizes the main aspects of STEM-education: the development of critical thinking, integrated learning, active communication of all participants in the learning process, non-standard and innovative approaches and directions of STEM-education development. Its active introduction in teaching natural sciences and mathematics of secondary schools, especially the use of STEM-technologies in teaching. A well-organized, good STEM lesson is, first of all, a coordinated and motivated learning process, where each activity is of special interest and is accessible and understandable for students. To develop this type of training, the teacher must first think in a non-standardized and comprehensive way, experiment and usually constantly improve themselves to achieve the desired result. When designing a quality lesson in STEM format, special attention should be paid to the peculiarities of its creation and organization, namely: all students should form a single joint mechanism of interaction and be actively involved in the productive solution of real situations or problems; it is advisable to invite students to develop their own demonstration models or prototypes; in order to achieve the set goal and produce a truly high-quality innovative product, it is important to work effectively in a team that will work as a single coordinated mechanism, where each of the participants has a task. Following the path of innovative development, the teacher first of all diversifies his pedagogical approach to the presentation of educational material and expands the possibilities of its perception and assimilation by students.Innovative integrated approach to teaching is one of the ways that combines both STEM elements and non-standard forms of presenting information to students. Educational sites, simulation simulators, modern virtual laboratories such as: “VirtuLab”, laboratory – “GoogleSites”, online laboratories “GoLab / Graasp” and interesting, interactive, worksheets: “Liveworksheets” are highly effective in conducting STEM-classes. allowing students to conduct virtual exciting and cognitive experiments in physics, geography, chemistry, biology, ecology and other subjects, in three-dimensional and two-dimensional spaces. STEM-educational space is multidisciplinary, competence-oriented and provides the formation of a unique set of cognitive and social skills, in particular: the ability to identify, pose and solve problems, interact with others in different social and cognitive situations, critically evaluate events and phenomena, motivate and move common goal, etc.Key words: STEM-education, STEM-training, STEM-competencies, STEM-lesson, STEM-games. Стаття характеризує основні аспекти STEM-освіти: розвиток критичного мислення, інтегро-ваного навчання, активного спілкування всіх учасників освітнього процесу, нестандартних та інноваційних підходів та напрямків розвитку природничо-математичної освіти. Активне впровадження STEM-технологій у навчанні перш за все забезпечує злагоджений та мотивований про-цес навчання, де кожна діяльність викликає особливий інтерес та є доступною та зрозумілою для учнів. Щоб забезпечувати такий тип навчання, викладач повинен спочатку мислити нестандартизовано і всебічно, експериментувати і, як правило, постійно вдосконалюватись для досягнення бажаного результату. При розробці якісного уроку у форматі STEM особливу увагу слід звернути на особливості його створення та організації, а саме: усі учні повинні формувати єдиний спільний механізм взаємодії та брати активну участь у продуктивному вирішенні реальних ситуацій чи про-блем; доцільно запросити студентів розробити власні демонстраційні моделі чи прототипи; для досягнення поставленої мети та виробництва справді якісного інноваційного продукту важливо ефективно працювати в команді, яка працюватиме як єдиний злагоджений механізм, де кожен із учасників має своє завдання. Рухаючись шляхом інноваційного розвитку, учитель насамперед урізноманітнює свій педагогічний підхід до викладу навчального матеріалу та розширює можливості його сприйняття та засвоєння учнями. Інноваційний інтегрований підхід до навчання - один із способів, що поєднує як елементи STEM, так і нестандартні форми подання інформації учням. Навчальні сайти, імітаційні тренажери, сучасні віртуальні лабораторії, такі як: «VirtuLab», лабораторія –«GoogleSites», онлайн-лабораторії «GoLab / Graasp» та цікаві, інтерактивні робочі аркуші («Liveworksheets») дуже ефективні у проведенні STEM-класів. Вони дозволяють учням проводити віртуальні захоплюючі та когнітивні експерименти з фізики, географії, хімії, біології, екології та інших предметів, у тривимірних та двовимірних просторах. STEM-освітній простір мультидисциплінарний, орієнтований на компетентністний підхід і забезпечує формування унікального набору когнітивних та соціальних навичок, зокрема: здатність виявляти, ставити та вирішувати проблеми, взаємодіяти з іншими в різних соціальних і пізнавальних ситуаціях, кри-тично оцінювати події і явища, мотивувати та рухатися до спільної мети тощо.Ключові слова: STEM-освіта, STEM-навчання, STEM-компетентності, STEM-урок, STEM-ігри.


2019 ◽  
Vol 178 (24) ◽  
pp. 33-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Avraam Chatzopoulos ◽  
Michail Papoutsidakis ◽  
Michail Kalogiannakis ◽  
Sarantos Psycharis

Author(s):  
Ifeyinwa E. Achumba ◽  
Djamel Azzi ◽  
James Stocker

The laboratory component of undergraduate engineering education poses challenges in resource constrained engineering faculties. The cost, time, space and physical presence requirements of the traditional (real) laboratory approach are the contributory factors. These resource constraints may mitigate the acquisition of meaningful laboratory experiences by students, which is especially true in developing countries. Virtual laboratories can be used to complement the traditional laboratory to enhance students’ laboratory experience. In extreme cases of lack of resources, the virtual lab can be used as an alternative laboratory . Although some research on the implementation of virtual laboratories has occurred, more efforts are required because of the diverse experiential needs and requirements of the engineering curriculum. This paper presents a low-cost, web-based virtual laboratory workbench for use as part of undergraduate electronic engineering courses. Some distinguishing features of the virtual workbench are that students can undertake curriculum-based laboratory activities in a realistic manner; it integrates a Bayesian Network-based assessment structure for the assessment of students’ performance; and it affords the instructor flexibility in designing laboratory exercises.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 199-212
Author(s):  
Ellene Tratras Contis ◽  
Batoul Abdallah

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programs that attract and sustain student interest feature learning that is experiential, investigative, hands-on, personally significant to both students and faculty, connected to other inquiries, and suggestive of practical application to students’ lives. Such learning flourishes in a community in which faculty are committed equally to teaching, to maintaining their own intellectual vitality, and to partnering with students in learning, and in which institutional support for such a community exists. The Creative Scientific Inquiry Experience (CSIE) Program at Eastern Michigan University (EMU) is involved in retaining and increasing the number of STEM graduates by including faculty professional development, student connectedness to the sciences and mathematics through academic service-learning, and curricular reform. In this conference paper we report on the success of the CSIE program, including course development, student engagement, student success, especially among underserved students, and sustainability. This work is important because it offers insight into the development, sustainability, and scalability into faculty-driven STEM education reform spanning 15 years. Keywords: STEM education, retention strategies, undergraduate STEM, majors/non-majors


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