To create a computer-based instructional module on identifying
plant families.
This prototype was created as part of a course on computer-based
instruction and illustrates a possible intersection of environmental
education and technology.
Goals
Users will learn that plants are classified into families
by the features of their flowers.
Users will learn to identify two distinct flower families.
Users will actively engage in developing their own understanding
instead of passively receiving information.
Challenges and Limitations
Short time frame of project - 6 weeks
Most computer-based instruction displays information and gives
a quiz, but does not actually engage students - and thus has little
benefit for students over traditional teaching methods. This
module must not simply be drill-and-test format.
Solutions
The module shown is a prototype only and shows two families
of flowers
The module begins not by displaying textbook-type information,
but by asking users to form their own hypotheses about
how plants are classified. Information is given in increments,
and at several places, users are asked to revise their hypotheses.
Before practice and testing begin, students are given all the
necessary information and are asked to formalize their hypotheses
according to what they've learned.
