How the Introduction of Content Relates to Performance in a Middle School Modeling and Simulation Environment

Abstract

Modeling and simulation activities are common in secondary technology and engineering education classrooms. Virtual simulations are used to integrate engineering design into classroom instruction. The performance outcomes of a student’s final virtual design usually depend on the level of knowledge application. When applying the learned content to the virtual design, a student may reach the limit to which the theoretical knowledge can be applied. At this point, students may resort to other problem-solving processes to improve the design, such as trial and error. This study measures the performance outcomes of students introduced to the content in different formats to determine how the introduction of knowledge impacts their performance within a virtual simulation. The activity in this study is a bridge-building project where the students use virtual modeling software to design a truss. The results show that students with more exposure to the content at the beginning of the activity have significantly better performance outcomes in the initial designs. However, students that receive less content initially can perform equally well if given enough opportunities to engage in the simulation activity.