Embed puzzles and challenges in simulations for continued engagement and self-assessment¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · no claims cited

Description¶

To sustain engagement after initial exploration, the article recommends designing conceptual puzzles and challenges into sims — implicit goals such as making sense of a behavior or representation, or explicit questions that promote exploration without directing how to answer. The authors write: "These puzzles and challenges provide students with motivation to explore and opportunities for built-in self-assessment". Puzzles are intrinsic to the sim context, letting students identify inconsistencies in their own knowledge.

Design Implications¶

Context¶

Requirements¶

• Puzzles must be intrinsic to the sim context; explicit challenges should not direct students in how to use exploration to answer

Constraints¶

Target Learners¶

• middle school and other simulation users

Target Learning Goals¶

• continued engagement
• self-assessment
• conceptual understanding

Affordances¶

• Implicit Scaffolding Framework

Related Strategies¶

• Learning Games

Examples¶

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Key Sources¶

• Podolefsky, N. S., Moore, E. B., & Perkins, K. K. (2013). Implicit scaffolding in interactive simulations: Design strategies to support multiple educational goals. http://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulation/energy-skate-park-basics. doi:10.48550/arxiv.1306.6544