Publications

Visionlearning has been reviewed and cited for excellence in a variety of publications:

Egger, A. E. and Carpi, A., 2013, Revealing data in science: Using and teaching about data-based graphics for analysis and display, in Finson, K. D. and Pederson, J., eds., Visual Data and Their Use in Science Education; Charlotte, NC: Information Age Publishing
http://www.infoagepub.com/products/Visual-Data-and-Their-Use-in-Science-Education

Egger, A. E., Carpi, A., and Lents, N. H., 2010, Understanding theories: Explicitly teaching the process of science to address common misconceptions: Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs, v. 42, no. 5.

Egger, A. E., and Carpi, A., 2008, Teaching the Process of Science: A Critical Component of Introductory Geoscience Courses: EOS Transactions AGU, Fall Meeting Supplement, v. 89, no. 53, p. Abstract ED34A-01.

Carpi, A and Mikhailova,Y. (2003). The Visionlearning Project: Evaluating the Design and Effectiveness of Interdisciplinary Science. Journal of College Science Teaching, 33(1). 1-5.

Although the proliferation of teaching resources on the Internet is extensive, little is known about these materials’ use or utility. The Visionlearning project (available online at www.visionlearning.com) is a multiyear effort to design and evaluate web-based interdisciplinary science teaching resources. The Visionlearning resources are modular in nature and integrate text, simulations, news, history, and interactive exercises into a comprehensive overview of scientific concepts. Students using these resources in a traditional college science course scored significantly higher on a standardized assessment quiz than students who used a printed textbook. Those students who reported frequent use of the website scored better than their classmates who reported less frequent use. This research demonstrates that well designed web-based learning materials can significantly improve science education.

Carpi, A. (2001). Improvements in Undergraduate Science Education Using Web-Based Instructional Modules: The Natural Science Pages. Journal of Chemical Education, 78 (12). 1709-1712.

In the decade since Tim Berners-Lee and CERN first released the hypertext program that has served as the foundation of the World Wide Web, the Internet has grown to become one of the most significant advancements in information distribution since the invention of the printing press (1). Over the past 5 years the number of registered Internet domains has grown from approximately 5 million to more than 93 million (2). The number of Internet users exceeded 400 million in 2000 and the number of Web pages available is expected to exceed 5 billion by the end of 2001 (3, 4). The proliferation of information openly available on the Web has catalyzed a major shift in educational paradigms. Instructors now cite Internet use as one of the most valuable aspects of computer technology for education, nearly half of all U.S. higher education institutions engage in online learning, and 50% of college students own personal computers (5). Many colleges now actively encourage (and some require) faculty to place course material on the Web (6).

Vázquez, J. (April 2003). Standards-Based Instructional Module. The American Biology Teacher. 65 (4), 304-305.

In science education, as in almost any other field, new technologies are changing the way we teach and learn. Through the use of technology, learning can continue after school. Web-based learning, particularly in science, has served a special function for those who are learning in a second language and who might need additional time and resources to organize their thinking. As teachers struggle with the practical issues of curriculum and instruction, assignments, and assessment, they must come to terms with an almost infinite set of choices: what to teach, how to teach, and how to determine if learning has taken place.

Seeing is Understanding: Science Lessons on the Web. (2000). Syllabus 14 (4), 50-51.