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The GlobalEd 2 Project: Interdisciplinary Simulations Promoting Students’ Socio-scientific Literacy

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Learning in a Digital World

Part of the book series: Smart Computing and Intelligence ((SMCOMINT))

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Abstract

Problem-based learning (PBL) is an instructional design approach designed to facilitate student learning in context-rich settings. GlobalEd2 (GE2) is a PBL curriculum intervention that combines face-to-face and online learning environments into a 14-week multi-player (N > 400) simulation of international negotiations among students in the roles of science delegates on global socio-scientific issues. Although GE2 focuses on science and written argumentation, it is implemented within social science classes that can span time zones, geographic and social boundaries while engaging 400+ middle-grade students in an authentically rich and engaging learning environment. This chapter describes the structural components that have made GE2 successful in promoting student learning across middle school grades, high school, college, and professional education. Further, the GE2 provides a multiyear set of data revealing GE2’s impact on students’ knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors (KABs). Implications are discussed regarding the instructional framework that has enabled GE2 to successfully evolve over the past 15 years and the future plans for development.

The authors wish to acknowledge the US Department of Education’s Institute for Education Sciences support through grants #R305A080622; #R305A1391895 and #R305A170588. The opinions expressed here are those of the authors and do not represent the position of the United States Department of Education.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Connecticut, 249 Glenbrook Road Unit 3064, Storrs, USA

    Scott W. Brown

  2. College of Education, University of Illinois, 1040 West Harrison M/C 147, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA

    Kimberly A. Lawless

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  1. Scott W. Brown
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  2. Kimberly A. Lawless
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Correspondence to Scott W. Brown .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Carlos III University of Madrid , Leganés, Spain

    Paloma Díaz

  2. Cyprus University of Technology , Lemesos, Cyprus

    Andri Ioannou

  3. Centre for Educational Technology, Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, India

    Kaushal Kumar Bhagat

  4. University of North Texas , Denton, TX, USA

    J. Michael Spector

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Brown, S.W., Lawless, K.A. (2019). The GlobalEd 2 Project: Interdisciplinary Simulations Promoting Students’ Socio-scientific Literacy. In: Díaz, P., Ioannou, A., Bhagat, K., Spector, J. (eds) Learning in a Digital World. Smart Computing and Intelligence. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-8265-9_15

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