Design and evaluate the effectiveness of online formative assessments and feedback with simulations in supporting student understanding of molecular structures and properties

It is well known that students learn better from words and pictures (i.e., multimedia learning) than from words alone. This is especially believed to be true for content that is not readily-visible in the natural world, such as in the domain of chemistry where structures and processes occur at a scale that is invisible to the learner. As a result, a number of simulations have been developed by chemistry researchers and educators to help introductory students visualize and understand naturally-invisible chemistry concepts. The objective for this seed grant application is to design and determine through randomized controlled trials (RCT), effective online formative assessments and the associated feedback for online simulations presenting content about two fundamental introductory chemistry concepts, molecular structures and their properties. These supports will be aimed at adapting and differentiating instruction to meet the learning needs of students from different backgrounds with varying levels of spatial skills, which are fundamental to students? chemistry understanding, especially about molecular structures. The proposed research will significantly impact the design and implementation of online simulations for teaching spatially-demanding chemistry content. Moreover, it will improve online STEM education by informing how to effectively differentiate instruction in online learning environments.