This study evaluated a new Integrated Science Learning Environment (ISLE) that bridged the gaps between the traditionally separate classroom, field trip, and information technology milieus. The ISLE model involves a multi-faceted design to address the three basic forms of learning: acquisition of knowledge, change in emotions or feelings, and gain in physical or motor actions or performance. A holistic approach to teaching at the university level encompassed a step-wise, cumulative strategy that reinforced all scales of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (Personal Relevance, Uncertainty of Science, Shared Control, Critical Voice, and Student Negotiation) and minimised the potentially detrimental effects of information overload and non-linear processing. By addressing individuals and recognising limitations, the same conceptual and logistical frameworks were applied to teachers and to students uniformly in the classroom and in the field. This key factor of the ISLE program broadened all participants’ horizons and enabled them to see their role within the ‘big picture’. Thus, the common elements (knowledge) and basic components (understanding) in each realm became evident and the power of transfer for both content and concept was realised. A process approach to information technology provided a logical and meaningful mechanism for continuously scaling the program perspective from the classroom setting to the unique global environment of the World Wide Web. The final product of the ISLE program (virtual field trip) was constructed by linking the elements common to the supporting learning environments (university classroom, field trip, and information technology) at their basic levels: newness, massiveness, and appropriateness. / A combination of qualitative methods and quantitative measures provided insight into the field trip milieu and evaluation of the near- and far-term effects of exposure to constructivist pedagogy answering the general question of whether changing teachers’ learning environments might affect a change in their respective students’ learning environments. Quantitative assessment through learning environment dimensions, attitude scales, and concept map analyses was supported by qualitative data derived from reflective field journals, interviews, and observations to investigate the impact of the emergent model. Data were collected from classroom teachers and their students to assess the impact of the ISLE program in terms of promoting a constructivist classroom learning environment, teachers’ attitudes toward information technology, and teachers’ conceptual development. School teacher and student subgroups were compared in terms of the teachers’ university/field trip program experience and content background. To this end, three new versions of the Constructivist Learning Environment Survey (CLES) were shown to be valid and useful in secondary schools and graduate university courses in Texas. Data from 1079 students in 59 classes in north Texas were subjected to principal components factor analysis confirmed the factor structure, internal consistency reliability, discriminant validity, and the ability to distinguish between different classes and groups for the comparative student form (CLES-CS). Descriptive statistics supported the usefulness of the comparative teacher (CLES-CT) and adult (CLES-A) forms. Administration of these versions of the same instrument was used to characterise the learning environment of the ISLE university/field trip program, as well as the public/private school classrooms. / Further analysis and interpretation of these data suggest that the ISLE program was effective in terms of the degree of implementation of constructivist teaching approaches in the teachers’ school classrooms as assessed by teachers’ perceptions of the learning environment of their current classroom environment relative to other classes taught by them previously and students’ perceptions of the learning environment of their classroom environment relative to classes taught by other teachers in their school classrooms. Additional data suggest that the ISLE program was effective in terms of teachers’ perceptions of the university/field trip learning environment; changes in teachers’ attitudes to information technology; and teachers’ conceptual development. When an ANOVA was used to compare students’ perceptions of THIS and OTHER classes, statistically significant differences were found for some CLES scales. In particular, students whose teachers had attended the ISLE program (THIS) perceived higher levels of Personal Relevance and Uncertainty of Science in their classrooms relative to the classrooms of other teachers in the same schools (OTHER). From a practical point of view, this study documents a new model for improving learning and understanding in the field of education, specifically science education. Participation in the ISLE program provided a tangible opportunity for teachers to gain organised knowledge to make practical changes in their school classrooms. From a research point of view, this study makes a unique contribution to the field of learning environments by evaluating a comprehensive professional development program that used information technology to initiate teacher change from the central perspective of the learning environment. / Development and validation of the CLES-CS contributes to a useful range of instruments for a variety of classroom contexts within the burgeoning field of learning environments research. The real world is where theory and practice come together and science becomes relevant, making sense that leads to understanding. The conceptual and logistical frameworks of the ISLE model seamlessly merged theory and practice with science and education through effective applications of information technology to create a rich learning environment. Virtual field trips, based on the ISLE model, can enable the principles of student-centred inquiry and constructivism to be practised for the benefit of all styles and ages of lifelong learners.

The geology learning environments in college generally fall into three categories: learning based on lectures, field excursions, and laboratory activities. Engaging students in these environments and developing their interest, critical thinking skills, and problem-solving ability have always been challenging in college geology education. This research developed virtual learning methodology and integrated it into traditional geology education to achieve active learning in order to engage students in the learning process. Virtual geology learning tools (VGLTs), high-resolution virtual representation of geologic objects and/or the realistic virtual 3D environment embedded with real-world terrains and animated photorealistic game objects, are the outcome of the effort. VGLTs were integrated into different college geology learning environments and were tested for their effectiveness. The primary finding of this study is that integrating VGLTs into traditional college geology education was affirmed by geology professionals and non-professionals as being helpful in creating effective learning environments that can facilitate the active learning of students in both formal and informal educational settings. VGLTs helped address students’ needs in many aspects of college geology education by utilizing interactive and realistic virtual technologies. VGLTs are important because they can help address different aspects of traditional college geology learning, increasing the versatility and integrity of virtual learning in tandem with traditional learning. However, VGLTs should not replace learning in the physical environment since geology is a discipline that aims to increase our understanding of the physical world.

abstract: Education through field exploration is fundamental in geoscience. But not all students enjoy equal access to field-based learning because of time, cost, distance, ability, and safety constraints. At the same time, technological advances afford ever more immersive, rich, and student-centered virtual field experiences. Virtual field trips may be the only practical options for most students to explore pedagogically rich but inaccessible places. A mixed-methods research project was conducted on an introductory and an advanced geology class to explore the implications of learning outcomes of in-person and virtual field-based instruction at Grand Canyon National Park. The study incorporated the Great Unconformity in the Grand Canyon, a 1.2 billion year break in the rock record; the Trail of Time, an interpretive walking timeline; and two immersive, interactive virtual field trips (iVFTs). The in-person field trip (ipFT) groups collectively explored the canyon and took an instructor-guided inquiry hike along the interpretive Trail of Time from rim level, while iVFT students individually explored the canyon and took a guided-inquiry virtual tour of Grand Canyon geology from river level. High-resolution 360° spherical images anchor the iVFTs and serve as a framework for programmed overlays that enable interactivity and allow the iVFT to provide feedback in response to student actions. Students in both modalities received pre- and post-trip Positive and Negative Affect Schedules (PANAS). The iVFT students recorded pre- to post-trip increases in positive affect (PA) scores and decreases in negative (NA) affect scores, representing an affective state conducive to learning. Pre- to post-trip mean scores on concept sketches used to assess visualization and geological knowledge increased for both classes and modalities. However, the iVFT pre- to post-trip increases were three times greater (statistically significant) than the ipFT gains. Both iVFT and ipFT students scored 92-98% on guided-inquiry worksheets completed during the trips, signifying both met learning outcomes. Virtual field trips do not trump traditional in-person field work, but they can meet and/or exceed similar learning objectives and may replace an inaccessible or impractical in-person field trip. / Dissertation/Thesis / Masters Thesis Geological Sciences 2018

La recherche en didactique de l’histoire a analysé de nombreuses approches et ressources employées pour atteindre les diverses visées éducatives de l’enseignement des sciences sociales au secondaire. Elle traite cependant peu de l’usage des artéfacts ou des sites historiques pour faire apprendre aux élèves la démarche critique associée à la pensée historienne et à son mode de lecture. Dans le cadre de cette recherche qualitative et exploratoire, nous avons tenté de réduire cette lacune en documentant et en analysant l’apport d’un cours-voyage virtuel pour enseigner l’euristique de contextualisation partir d’artéfacts et de sites historiques de la Grèce ancienne pris comme objets d’interprétation de l’histoire. Cette étude de cas s’est déroulée dans un collège privé de la région métropolitaine de Montréal durant l’année scolaire 2019-2020. Les participants de cette étude (n= 23), âgés de 16 et 17 ans, étaient inscrits à un cours d’histoire hors programme menant à un voyage en Grèce. L’annulation des voyages scolaires au Québec à la mi-mars 2020 a eu pour effet de « virtualiser » le cours-voyage en intégrant le mode découverte (TD) du jeu vidéo à caractère historique Assassin’s Creed Odyssey. Afin de décrire l’apport de ce cours-voyage virtuel sur la mobilisation de l’euristique de la contextualisation, nous avons opté pour l’analyse de sources multiples et variées, comme le questionnaire, les lettres de motivation, l’observation participante, les productions didactiques et les entretiens de groupe. Les résultats obtenus montrent entre autres que les élèves accordent une grande confiance aux artéfacts, sites historiques et restitutions archéologiques pour étudier le passé. De plus, les élèves contextualisent des artéfacts et des sites historiques lorsqu’ils sont engagés dans une enquête historienne à titre d’interprètes de l’histoire. Enfin, les résultats indiquent que l’action médiatrice de l’enseignant dans les démarches d’apprentissage représente un atout pour la mobilisation des composantes de l’euristique de la contextualisation par les élèves. Ces résultats apportent un éclairage dans le champ indépendant, récent et à défricher de cette euristique de l’histoire, tout en interrogeant l’effet des pratiques enseignantes sur la mobilisation des composantes de la mise en contexte pour la compréhension des réalités sociales. Les résultats serviront de guides pour (re)penser nos cours, ainsi que pour juger de la progression des élèves et de l’efficacité de nos interventions éducatives. / Research in history didactics has analyzed many approaches and resources used to achieve the various educational aims of teaching social sciences in secondary school. However, it does not deal much with the use of artifacts or historical sites to teach students the critical approach associated with historical thinking and its mode of reading. As part of this qualitative and exploratory research, we have tried to reduce that gap by documenting and analyzing the contribution of a virtual field trip to teach a heuristic from artifacts and historical sites of ancient Greece taken as objects of interpretation of history. This case study took place in a private college in the Montreal area during the 2019-2020 school year. The participants in this study (n = 23) between the ages of 16 and 17 years old, were enrolled in an extra-curricular history course leading to a trip to Greece. The cancellation of school trips in Quebec in mid-March 2020 had the effect of “virtualizing” the initial field trip by integrating the Assassin’s Creed Odyssey Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece. To document and describe the contribution of this virtual field trip on the mobilization of the heuristics of contextualizing, we opted for the analysis of multiple varied sources such as a questionnaire, motivation letters, participant observation, historical inquiry, and group discussions. The results obtained show, among other things, that the students perceive artifacts, historical sites, and archaeological restitutions as documents of great confidence for the study of the past. Furthermore, students contextualize artifacts and historic sites when engaged in a historical inquiry as interpreters of history. Finally, the results indicate that the mediating action of the teacher in the learning process represents an asset for the mobilization of the components of the heuristic of contextualization by the students. These results shed light on the independent and recent field of research of this heuristic, while questioning the effect of teaching practices on the mobilization of the components of contextualization for the understanding of social realities. They will serve as guides for (re)thinking our courses, as well as for assess student progress and the effectiveness of our educational interventions.