CloudLab: Software Development for Hands-On Science Learning

Prior to receiving this Phase I award, the project team developed PocketLab, a set of web-based hands-on science simulations for middle school classrooms. With this Phase I funding, the team developed and tested a prototype of CloudLab, a classroom management platform to extend the functionality of PocketLab. The prototype included a portal so that a class of students could collaborate on experiments, a lab notebook to analyze experimental data with graphing tools, and a teacher dashboard to monitor student progress in real time. At the end of Phase I, the researchers conducted a pilot study with 3 middle school science teachers and 350 students to determine that the prototype operated as intended. Teachers reported that students engaged in productive scientific conversations as they worked on their lab reports using the prototype. Most students reported that they would be interested in completing more science investigations using this method.