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Reserach Contributors
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Latest Presentations
- G4LI PIS PLASS, HOMER PRESENT GOOGLE TECHTALK
- G4LI PRESENTS A POSTER AT THE JEAN PIAGET SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING
- 4TH ANNUAL SUBWAY SUMMIT: POSTURE AS AN INDICATOR OF ENGAGEMENT IN HANDHELD AND LAPTOP GAME-PLAY
- G4LI GAME DESIGN PATTERNS RUBRIC PRESENTED AT GLS 6.0
- GDC TALK– THE GAMES FOR LEARNING INSTITUTE: RESEARCH ON DESIGN PATTERNS FOR EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL GAMES
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Latest Publications
- HOMER & PLASS: EXPERTISE REVERSAL FOR ICONIC REPRESENTATIONS IN SCIENCE SIMULATIONS
- DOMAGK, SCHWARTZ, & PLASS: INTERACTIVITY IN MULTIMEDIA LEARNING: AN INTEGRATED MODEL
- ANNOUNCING THE RELEASE OF COGNITIVE LOAD THEORY, CO-EDITED BY G4LI’S JAN L. PLASS
- NYU CREATE RELEASES MOLECULES & MINDS FINAL REPORT
- OPTIMIZING COGNITIVE LOAD FOR LEARNING FROM COMPUTER-BASED SCIENCE SIMULATIONS
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Latest White Papers
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- G4LI REPORT OF MAY 28TH, 2010 MEETING—A DISCUSSION OF THE POTENTIAL OF VIDEO GAMES TO TRANSFORM THE FUTURE OF LEARNING
- EDUCATIONAL GAME DESIGN PATTERN CANDIDATES
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Design Factors for Effective science simulations: Representation of Information
Published October 9th, 2009
Category Research
By Jan L Plass
Topics Cognitive load, icons, interface design, learning, prior knowledge, representation; science, self-efficacy, Simulation, spatial ability, symbols,
Jan L. Plass • Bruce D. Homer • Catherine Milne • Trace Jordan • Slava Kalyuga • Minchi Kim • Hyunjeong Lee
We propose that the effectiveness of simulations for science education depends on design features such as the type of representation chosen to depict key concepts. We hypothesize that the addition of iconic representa- tions to simulations can help novice learners interpret the visual simulation interface and improve cognitive learning outcomes as well as learners’ self-efficacy. This hypothesis was tested in two experiments with high school chemistry students. The studies examined the effects of representation type (symbolic versus iconic), prior knowledge, and spatial ability on comprehension, transfer, and self-efficacy under low cognitive load (Study 1, N=80) and high cognitive load conditions (Study 2, N=91). Results supported our hypotheses that design features such as the addition of iconic representations can help scaffold students’ comprehension of science simulations, and that this effect was strongest for learners with low prior knowledge. Adding icons also improved learners’ general self-efficacy. More…
