Design of an online global learning community: international collaboration of grades 7-9 science students

This paper describes the design decisions made in the construction of an online global learning community for grades 7-9 science students. The collaborative learning tools of class profiles, student-scientist forums, and peer review featured in the From Local to Extreme Environments curriculum are discussed in detail. Initial evaluation of these tools and student reactions to global collaborations in this ongoing study will be accomplished through feedback during the unit and embedded surveys. 
 Following is a discussion of design decisions made in the development of three online tools featured in the From Local to Extreme Environments (FLEXE) project. The three tools (i.e. partner profiles, students-scientists forums, and online peer review) comprise the primary modes of interaction within the FLEXE online global learning community (GLC). The goals of the study are to characterize student involvement and reactions to online collaborations with diverse peers from different environments and to understand how science students use different scientific data sources as evidence in their written arguments. The project is currently in pilot use and evaluation. The on-line GLC presented in this paper is defined as the student, teacher, and scientist members of the FLEXE community that participate in FLEXE learning activities. These members represent diverse nationalities, cultural backgrounds, native languages, local environments, and scientific knowledge bases. The term global, in this study, means outside of an individual classroom. The FLEXE GLC is possible through the use of web-based technology that facilitates communication between schools and between schools and scientists in different parts of the world. Students in the FLEXE project are engaged in activities similar to the science community. Students may be challenged by cultural differences and multiple languages but are aided by the universal inquiry process of science.