Teaching genetics with dragons
Introduction
Teaching genetics with dragons is a free online microworld / simulation environment to learn genetics. It is made by the Concord consortium. It is a followup project of BioLogica. There are three variants for different educational level.
Geniverse includes all features. According to the home page (May 2019), “Geniverse is free, web-based software for high school biology that engages students in exploring heredity and genetics by breeding and studying virtual dragons. Interactive models, powered by real genes, enable students to do simulated experiments, generate realistic and meaningful genetic data and win star ratings for efficient experimentation.”
Use and architecture
According to McElroy-Brown & Reichsman (2019) [1], “Geniventure is designed to be used in classrooms, with guidance and reflection facilitated by a teacher.”.
The system also includes an intelligent tutoring system that “tracks students’ actions as they play, with each action tied to one or more specific genetics concepts. The ITS provides students with real-time visual feed-back and text-based hints targeting the specific concepts the student may be having trouble with. At the same time, the ITS relays the relevant information to a teacher dashboard.”[1]. A teacher dashboard provides teachers with real-time student progress and performance data and allows a teacher to adjust his/her strategy and to coach individual students.
Bibliography
See Articles and papers at concord.org