An official website of the United States government
Abstract Introductory biochemistry courses are often challenging for students because they require the integration of chemistry, biology, physics, math, and physiology knowledge and frameworks to understand and apply a large body of knowledge. This can be complicated by students' persistent misconceptions of fundamental concepts and lack of fluency with the extensive visual and symbolic literacy used in biochemistry. Card sorting tasks and game‐based activities have been used to reveal insights into how students are assimilating, organizing, and structuring disciplinary knowledge, and how they are progressing along a continuum from disciplinary novice to expert. In this study, game‐based activities and card sorting tasks were used to promote and evaluate students' understanding of fundamental structure–function relationships in biochemistry. Our results suggest that while many markers of expertise increased for both the control and intervention groups over the course of the semester, students involved in the intervention activities tended to move further towards expert‐like sorting. This indicates that intentional visual literacy game‐based activities have the ability to build underdeveloped skills in undergraduate students.
more »
« less
This content will become publicly available on May 19, 2026
Virtual Reality as a Methodological Tool to assess Disaster Preparedness
While disaster preparedness is known as a force multiplier to reduce impacts for individuals, there is limited research or practice to measure the influence of preparedness activities. Most metrics focus on how many people received preparedness information or how many pamphlets were distributed. This study outlines a project to use virtual reality to measure preparedness among the public. Focused initially on older adults, the goal is to create a game that can be used on multiple populations, which will collect data about preparedness activities. The tool will be used in an experimental design to assist in further refinement. The mixed method experiment includes surveys, field study with the VR headsets, and observational data. Once complete the game will be useful for researchers or practitioners needed actionable data regarding the preparedness practices of individuals and households.
more »
« less
- Award ID(s):
- 2425223
- PAR ID:
- 10627185
- Publisher / Repository:
- ISCRAM
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
More Like this
-
-
When large-scale disasters occur, people often are left on their own to seek critical resources: food, water, medications, and other important items. Historically, government agencies have developed disaster preparedness strategies focused primarily on either the level of the individual or household or on the ability of government agents to provide relief to affected areas. Such approaches do not consider the potential for community members to share needed resources with one another—a crucial factor in survival when earthquakes, floods, landslides, and other disruptions to transportation and communications cut off whole communities from external aid. In this study, we used a simple random sample survey to measure households’ actual and perceived preparedness and assess individuals’ willingness to share essential resources following a large disaster using survey data gathered from three communities in the Pacific Northwest of the US (N 1⁄4 638; overall response rate 20.1%) and Nagoya, Japan (N 1⁄4 1,043; response rate 13.6%), two regions that expect to experience a magnitude 9.0 megaquake. Analysis of the survey data using an ordered response probit model found that the strength of social ties and levels of social trust strongly influence willingness to share in both regions. Differences between the Japanese and American responses suggest different dependencies on and roles for government agencies in the two societies, as well as differences in the types of resources that community members are willing to share, and with whom. Trust emerges as the most important factor across both study regions and for all resources. Willingness to share may be enhanced through trust-building interventions and should be regarded as an effective focus for preparedness efforts, especially if it is shown to be beneficial for a variety of social purposes.more » « less
-
During historic cold weather events, massive infrastructure failures can leave people without water for days. Government agencies, such as city utilities, distribute disaster-preparedness information to help the public understand and mitigate potential risks. Individuals must take a proactive approach to better prepare for extreme cold weather events, and limited research exists on the specific factors that motivate people to prepare for extreme cold weather. This study investigated ways to improve individual disaster preparedness by focusing on message effectiveness, risk perception, and trust in different sources. We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze survey data from 405 residents in two Texas cities. The SEM employed combined and comparative approaches to identify general patterns and context-specific water infrastructure preparedness strategies. Results indicated that effective messaging, heightened risk perception, and trust in informants are crucial to enhancing disaster preparedness, and they operate differently depending on whether people are preparing their homes before or during an extreme cold event. Differences between the models for each city suggest that tailored strategies are necessary for different communities. The findings in this study can provide valuable insights for local government, utilities, and individuals to improve risk communication and disaster preparedness.more » « less
-
While many forms of action research exist, Participatory Action Learning and Action Research (PALAR) combines multiple theories for a comprehensive, dynamic structure for community engagement. Participants will be introduced to the principles and four recurring stages of PALAR as a theoretical framework for social change. A series of presentations and activities will then guide them through applying PALAR to develop action plans. Participants will begin to apply the concepts of PALAR by selecting a provided case study or a self-identified context or project they would like to develop during the workshop. To support participants in developing their case study, presenters will share examples from their application of PALAR to an inter-institutional collaboration between a predominately white institution and a historically black university focused on informal engineering education to develop a living-learning lab with a traditionally underserved community. Participants will then explore applying PALAR to attain impactful and transformative social change. Exploring PALAR will include assessing and attending to knowledge production, power relations, and relationship building. Through centering collaboration with other participants, incorporating personal examples, and fostering an environment for sharing ideas, individuals will have the opportunity to explore their projects and discern how to integrate PALAR into their work. Participants will learn about research methodologies used to measure outcomes in a student-led project outside the classroom, where grades do not define student success. Presenters will share their successes/pitfalls and lessons learned during the project’s first year. Participants will also understand the importance of transparency when collecting data from stakeholders to ensure data authenticity. Finally, participants will use what they learned to draft a data collection plan for their project. Participants will engage in hands-on exercises tailored to the NCORE community, guiding them in applying PALAR principles to real-world scenarios. They will collaboratively develop action plans aligned with the specific needs and goals of racially and ethnically diverse communities, incorporating iterative design for continuous improvement based on reflection and feedback. Join us for an immersive NCORE experience in PALAR, where theory seamlessly meets practical application for impactful social change.more » « less
-
A Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) earthquake will cause widespread damage along the Pacific Northwest (PNW) coast of the United States. It is, therefore, crucial to understand how to reduce future impacts across this region and assess current levels of household preparedness. Here, we examine whether decades of risk and preparedness campaigns have established protective knowledge and promoted hazard adjustments for residents of the Portland, Oregon metropolitan (PDX) region, an area where risk and preparedness campaigns have been increasing over the last decade. We also explore how PDX preparedness levels compare to those in other PNW regions using analogous data from multiple surveys over a 20-year time interval and assess PDX respondent’s perceptions of risk information sources. We find that 63% of PDX residents do not intend to “Drop, Cover, and Hold On” (DCHO) when earthquake shaking starts and that, although residents are generally aware of earthquake hazards in the area, they are less aware of the specific risks for their homes. Furthermore, PDX residents’ preparedness levels seem to be comparable to those recently surveyed in Washington, but somewhat less than those surveyed two decades ago in California, though more comprehensive data are needed to verify these results. We also find that people rate risk information provided by emergency managers and their websites as more accurate, understandable, relevant, and new than other sources. Our results suggest that significant gaps remain in translating broad awareness of the CSZ earthquake into personal knowledge and preparedness. This work provides guidance to PDX emergency educators for more targeted messaging and provides methods to measure preparedness variables in other regions for future comparisons. By paying close attention to preparedness gaps, local officials can use their limited resources more effectively to develop strategies to inform their communities and improve preparedness before a major earthquake strikes.more » « less
