Reconsidering simulations in science education at a distance: features of effective use C. Blake & E. Scanlon Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology (CREET), The Open University, Milton Keynes, UK Abstract This paper proposes a reconsideration of use of computer simulations in science education. We discuss three studies of the use of science simulations for undergraduate distance learning students. The first one, The Driven Pendulum simulation is a computer-based experiment on the behaviour of a pendulum. The second simulation, Evolve is concerned with natural selection in a hypothetical species of a flowering plant. The third simulation, The Double Slit Experiment deals with electron diffraction and students are provided with an experimental setup to investi- gate electron diffraction for double and single slit arrangements.We evaluated each simulation, with 30 students each for The Driven Pendulum and Evolve simulations and about 100 students for The Double Slit Experiment. From these evaluations we have developed a set of the features for the effective use of simulations in distance learning. The features include student support, multiple representations and tailorability. Keywords simulations, distance learning. Introduction In this paper we discuss what needs to be taken into con- sideration when using simulations, when students are learning science at a distance. Computer simulations are programs that contain a representation of an authentic system or phenomenon. Because there are many computer-based activities that are called simulations, we now need to explain our definition of a simulation. Alessi and Trollip (2001) define simulations as a repre- sentation of ‘some phenomenon or activity that users learn about through interaction with the simulation’ (p. 213). In this definition, the word interaction implies that the learner and the simulation communicate inter- actively in some way. In this paper we are considering simulations that allow students to change some of the parameters in the program and observe what happens as a result. This type of simulation is sometimes called the interactive simulation in the literature (see Repenning et al. 1999). Simulations have a number of features that are of par- ticular help in the teaching of science (Wellington 2004). Simulations can help where the activities cannot be performed in the school laboratory because of the danger involved or ethical considerations of animal testing; they can help in reducing the cost of expensive laboratory experiments; it is also possible that some time consuming experiments can be performed more quickly using a simulation (although it is possible to spend considerable time exploring all the possibilities offered by a well-designed simulation); and they free up teacher time so that they can interact with students instead of dealing with the management of the experi- mental setup/apparatus and supervision. More impor- tantly simulations offer an easy way of controlling experimental variables, opening up the possibility of exploration and hypothesizing. An additional advantage of simulations is presenting a variety of representational Accepted: 6 March 2007 Correspondence: Canan Tosunoglu Blake, Centre for Research in Education and Educational Technology, CREET, The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK. Email: c.tosunoglu@open. ac.uk doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2729.2007.00239.x Original article © 2007 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2007 Blackwell Publishing Ltd Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (2007), 23, 491–502 491