Comment on Zacharia et al., A review of data about effectiveness of guidance in computer supported, inquiry based learning laboratories and simulations

Abstract

This review is in response to “Identifying potential types of guidance for supporting student inquiry when using virtual and remote labs in science: a literature review,” by Zacharia et al. (Educ Technol Res Dev 63:257–302, 2015). This review is focused on the perspective of a high school teacher or college professor attempting to provide a computer supported inquiry learning (CoSIL) environment for use online or in a classroom. The impact of Zacharia et al. is strong, as it is an excellent summary of (1) the optimal phases of inquiry based learning (IBL) experience and (2) the categories of guidance that that are effective at fostering student progress through IBL experiences. Application of this paper is as a Rosetta Stone to allow teachers, game designers and education researchers to communicate and build in the same space to create a blended experience. The limitation of this paper is that there are not yet very many studies of guidance and its effect on computer assisted IBL. Future suggestions are for teachers to use computer based simulations, add discussion and simple, real life activities to provide optimal IBL experience. Teachers can add their own guidance to support computer based simulations thus providing an enhanced experience for shifting to digital.