Measuring Inquiry Cycles in Simulation-Based Leaning Environments

The project "An Inquiry-Based Simulation Learning Environment for the Ecology of Forest Growth" consisted of three main stages of approximately one year each: software development, curriculum development, and classroom implementation. We evaluated the software, called SimForest, in clinical and college classroom settings, then ran a professional development program to support eight secondary school teachers in incorporating the software and curriculum into their classes. This paper focuses on our results from the clinical and classroom trials in which we observed students working in pairs using the software. SimForest is a simulation-based learning environment in the domain of forest ecology that simulates tree and forest growth, the succession of tree species over time, and the effects of environmental and man made disturbances on forest growth (see Figure 1). In the simulation students set environmental parameters such as rainfall, temperature, soil fertility, soil texture, and soil depth; they plant a plot of trees from a list of over 30 species; and they "run" the simulation and observer the trees as they grow and the forest evolves. A forest plot's sensitivity to natural and man-made disturbances can be evaluated, and emergent properties such as species succession can be observed.