International Journal of Computer Applications (0975 – 8887) Volume *– No.*, ___________ 2011 1 Design, Implementation and Evaluation of a Digital Educational Resource in Science Education Paula Costa Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa Alameda da Universidade Portugal paulacosta@campus.ul.pt Isabel Chagas Instituto de Educação da Universidade de Lisboa Alameda da Universidade Portugal michagas@ie.ul.pt ABSTRACT The purpose of this paper is to describe a Digital Educational Resource (DEL) that was developed for the Portuguese 6 th grade science education curriculum. The topic under study is the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and problem-based learning (PBL) is the pedagogical method for integrating the resource in the teaching-learning process. The resource described is part of a larger project dedicated to the design, implementation and evaluation of DEL for science literacy, enhancing science process skills, critical thinking, problem solving, and cooperative work. The criteria for the validation of this resource are focused on the content, pedagogical approach, linguistic and technical issues, values and attitudes. In this paper a description is presented about the design process of the resource, its implementation in two 6 th grade classes of a middle-school near Lisbon, and the evaluation of the resource itself and its potentialities concerning students’ science skills learning. Results show the relevance of pedagogical methods such as PBL in science education, and its adequacy for DEL design, development, and curriculum integration. Keywords Digital Educational Resources, Problem Based Learning, Science Education. 1. INTRODUCTION Digital Educational Resources (DER) have evolved remarkably in recent years with the advent of the Web 2.0. New web-based learning environments for science education have emerged as a result not only of the evolution of the technology itself but also of the theoretical principles associated with the processes of teaching and learning in the presence of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). As a consequence of a paradigm shift regarding the technology, the Web is presently seen as a platform with new applications that enable participation, interaction, collaboration, and cooperation, transforming it into a “social Web” [1]. The Web 2.0 is characterized by the existence of environments that allow the creation and maintenance of social networks, software applications which are no longer seen as a product but as a service, and the content is created and maintained dynamically by users [2]. Everything is viewed as raw material and the social nature of the software allows anyone to assemble and edit content collaboratively, facilitating networking and sharing of certain types of resources that, in most cases, have free access. Publishing tools available on the network are revolutionizing the way people consume, interpret, produce and disseminate information, especially blogs, wikis, trackback, podcast, video blogs, among others. With these tools Internet users are no longer mere silent receptors of information and become designers, authors, and publishers [3]. Teachers use to claim that the quality of Digital Educational Resources available is a major factor for the use or not use of ICT in their teaching practices [4] [5]. Participants in a study focused on teachers’ perceptions about DER [6], revealed the use of a limited number of resources, the lack of resources in Portuguese and the need for products related to the curriculum. The authors considered a problem the access to resources of interest and emphasized the need to assist teachers in the development or reuse of resources tailored to the students and curriculum requirements. A decade earlier [5] had described the following qualities identified by teachers about educational software: adequacy to the curriculum, flexibility, conceptual demand, scientific and pedagogical high quality, easiness to integrate into the curriculum, technological sophistication, and ability to surprise and capture the attention, sustaining students’ interest. The purpose of this paper is to describe a DER that was developed for the Portuguese 6 th grade science education curriculum, more specifically the organizing theme “Better Life on Earth”. The topic under study is the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and problem-based learning (PBL) is the pedagogical method for integrating the resource in the teaching- learning process. The processes concerning the design and implementation of the resource are explained as well as the evaluation procedures that were guided by the Portuguese Assessment System, Certification Use and Support Software for Education and Training (SACAUSEF) [8]. 1.1 Digital Educational Resources [7] define DER as a software product or a document (or a collection of documents) with the following properties: (1) it has intrinsically educational purposes, (2) it is framed in the needs of the educational system; (3) it shows identity and autonomy in relation to other objects, (4) it complies with quality standards previously defined. The same authors clarify that this definition