Project description

How can the potential of digital learning material be best used to support learning processes? The eChemBook project focused on this question. A team of researchers and practitioners developed and evaluated an evidence-based prototype of a chemistry textbook. Results are used to create design recommendations and teaching manuals that are evaluated and transferred to practice.

The project aimed at developing and evaluating an evidence-based eBook for chemistry education as well as interactive whiteboard learning tasks to optimize the use and benefit of digital media in educational practice. This was realized by combining instructional design research (IWM) and chemistry education research (Prof. Dr. Sascha Schanze and Nina Ulrich, Leibniz Universität Hannover) as well as practical expertise of teachers and media designers (Schroedel-Westermann and SMART Technologies).

Based on a situation- and requirement analysis regarding the use of digital media in schools and the requirements of teachers regarding a digital teaching concept, an evidence-based teaching concept consisting of an eBook prototype and interactive whiteboard tasks were developed. The eBook prototype and the interactive learning tasks were evaluated in schools and investigated in further optimization studies. In the evaluation study with 15 classes and almost 400 students from Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony the learning effectiveness of the eChemBook could be demonstrated. The learning performance was also robust during a period of 6 to 10 weeks after learning.

The results of the evaluation and optimization studies were documented in manuals: (1) best-practice examples for teachers and (2) design recommendations for media developers and textbook authors. As part of the project “tabletBW trifft Wissenschaft”, teachers used the eChemBook independently in their lessons. This allowed answering the question how the motivation and competence of the teachers, prerequisites of the learners and the actual use of the eChemBook are related to the learning success and the quality of teaching.

Cooperations

Prof. Dr. Sascha Schanze, Leibniz Universität Hannover

Nina Ulrich, Leibniz Universität Hannover

Schroedel-Westermann Verlag

SMART Technologies

Publications

Richter, J., Ulrich, N., Scheiter, K., & Schanze, S. (2016). eChemBook: Gestaltung eines digitalen Schulbuchs. Lehren & Lernen. Zeitschrift für Schule und Innovation aus Baden-Württemberg, 7, 23-29.

Scheiter, K., & Richter, J. (2015). Multimediale Unterrichtsmaterialien gestalten. Ergebnisse der empirischen Lehr-Lernforschung. Naturwissenschaften im Unterricht Chemie (Digitale Werkzeuge), 26(145), 8-11.

Ulrich, N., Richter, J., Scheiter, K. & Schanze, S. (2014). Das digitale Schulbuch als Lernbegleiter. In J. Maxton-Küchenmeister & Jenny Meßinger-Koppelt (Eds.), Digitale Medien im Naturwissenschaftlichen Unterricht (S. 75-82). Hamburg: Joachim Herz Stiftung.