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1. Connected STEM Learning in Research & Practice

   Dierking, L.D.; Falk, J.H.; Shaby, N.; Staus, N.L.; Taylor, K.H.; Xu, G.; Benavides, A.; Calabrese Barton, A.; Tan, E.; Bliesener, S.; et al (January 2023, Connected STEM Learning in Research & Practice)

   Murphy, B.; Roberts, K. (Ed.)

   In the summer of 2020, NSTA received the exciting news that it had received a grant from the National Science Foundation to engage in a project to help advance the field of connected STEM learning. The goal of this project was to publish resources in Connected Science Learning (CSL) that would support STEM educators in applying the latest research to the design and delivery of connected STEM learning experiences. This ebook is a culmination of this work. 

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2. Work-in-Progress–—Game Design Informed by Learning Progressions for Science Practices

   https://doi.org/10.23919/iLRN52045.2021.9459406  

   Metcalf, Shari J; Sommi, Amanda; Haddadin, Sima; Scianna, Jennifer; Gagnon, David (May 2021, IEEE)

   Learning progressions allow researchers to describe key milestones along a pathway of thinking about a topic or practice that ranges from beginner to advanced. For learning related to science practices, some progressions can be abstracted from specific content; others are connected to specific science understandings. This research centers on the design of a middle school science game to support learning of science practices through simulated immersive experiences in which students engage in science practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation. This work-in-progress paper describes the application of current research on learning progressions to the design of the game interface and interactions for Aqualab, a game to teach middle school science practices related to aquatic ecosystems. 

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3. About iLRN 2021

   https://doi.org/10.23919/iLRN52045.2021.9459323  

   Metcalf, S.J.; Sommi, A.; Haddadin, S.; Scianna, J.; Gagnon, D. (May 2021, 2021 7th International Conference of the Immersive Learning Research Network (ILRN))

   Learning progressions allow researchers to describe key milestones along a pathway of thinking about a topic or practice that ranges from beginner to advanced. For learning related to science practices, some progressions can be abstracted from specific content; others are connected to specific science understandings. This research centers on the design of a middle school science game to support learning of science practices through simulated immersive experiences in which students engage in science practices of experimentation, modeling, and argumentation. This work-in-progress paper describes the application of current research on learning progressions to the design of the game interface and interactions for Aqualab, a game to teach middle school science practices related to aquatic ecosystems. 

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4. Implementing Cognitive Science and Discipline-Based Education Research in the Undergraduate Science Classroom

   https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.18-12-0240  

   Davidesco, Ido; Milne, Catherine; Coffman, Clark (September 2019, CBE—Life Sciences Education)

   Cognitive science research on learning and instruction is often not directly connected to discipline-based research. In an effort to narrow this gap, this essay integrates research from both fields on five learning and instruction strategies: active retrieval, distributed (spaced) learning, dual coding, concrete examples, and feedback and assessment. These strategies can significantly enhance the effectiveness of science instruction, but they typically do not find their way into the undergraduate classroom. The implementation of these strategies is illustrated through an undergraduate science course for nonmajors called Science in Our Lives. This course provides students with opportunities to use scientific information to solve real-world problems and view science as part of everyday life. 

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5. Connecting the Dots between Active Learning and Science Communication in the Graduate Classroom

   Cashwell, H; McNeal, K (April 2025, Tranformative dialogues)

   Active learning and science communication have previously been separated in the literature. A science communication course was developed for graduate students within a Geosciences department to educate students on how to communicate about the research they are completing while pursuing their degree. This course used active learning techniques throughout the education of the material to engage students. This article aids in bridging the gap between active learning and science communication in this graduate level science communication course. The initial premise of this study was to see how graduate students connected using active learning techniques to enhance their science communication. However, through class observations and one-on-one interviews, it was found that students did not realize the methods that were being used in class for instruction were active learning techniques. Students were not connecting the dots with the information that they were learning about communication was given to them in active learning formats. Those active learning formats could also be used to enhance their own communication techniques when discussing the research that is being conducted. Conclusions from this work generate methods of how active learning can be incorporated in science communication to improve how students learn how to talk about their research which also contributes to the advancement in the scholarship of teaching and learning around science communication. 

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