Principal Investigator: Annemarie Palincsar
CoPrincipal Investigator(s): Elliot Soloway
Organization: Regents of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor

Abstract:
The PIs are proposing an EAGER to assist in the development and study of WeInvestigate, an application that will run on a mobile device. The application will help support learners as they engage in artifact construction using multiple media while two or more learners can be synchronously collaborating either face-to-face or at a distance. WeInvestigate is leveraging the research that learning in collaboration with others associated with higher engagement and learning outcomes. The PIs are investigating the experiences of teachers and students as they implement WeInvestigate to support their engagement and learning about scientific phenomena. They are also looking at the value-added of the support for synchronous collaboration and its impact on student learning. The WeInvestigate application has the potential to reach a high number of students since it is likely that more schools have access to mobile devices and college readiness standards will be looking for collaborative tools such as WeInvesitgage that integrate collaboration and the reading of complex text. PIs are partnering with the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) who are building a platform to support the applications for the Next Generation Science Standards.