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By analyzing student artifacts, the study identifies engagement patterns with the simulation and reports a positive learning experience. Recommendations address designing effective reflection prompts and defining simulation scope and scale in time for evolution learning.",{"@graph":14,"@context":72},[15,34,55],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/","Research & 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simulation was used to support learning about natural selection?","Question",{"text":62,"@type":63},"The study used SEPUP, a web-based simulation that explains evolution through changes across generations of bird populations.","Answer",{"name":65,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":66},"What was the main research question of the pilot study?",{"text":67,"@type":63},"It asked how elementary preservice teachers conceptualize natural selection when engaging with a simulation.",{"name":69,"@type":60,"acceptedAnswer":70},"What do the findings suggest about teaching with simulations?",{"text":71,"@type":63},"Using a simulation to teach natural selection provided students with a positive learning experience, which the authors suggest might not be achievable as easily 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of Natural Selection  \nNicole Juliana Thomas1* and Tina Vo1  \n1 University of Nevada, Las Vegas  \n4505 South Maryland Parkway  \nLas Vegas, Nevada 89154  \n*Corresponding Author: [Nicole.thomas1@unlv.edu](Nicole.thomas1@unlv.edu)  \nABSTRACT  \nNatural Selection is prevalent throughout life science learning standards across K-12 contexts. Additionally, undergraduates who are interested in the fields of biology and education must also be well informed on the topic, as it is foundational to some biology research and necessary to touch upon within elementary and secondary classrooms. This pilot study explores the understanding of undergraduate preservice teachers’ understanding of evolution mediated by a simulation called SEPUP, which explains evolution within generations of bird populations. By utilizing this simulation, we were able to identify how students engaged with a simulation to think about natural selection. Through analyzing student artifacts, findings suggest that employing a simulation to teach natural selection afforded students’ a positive learning experience which likely could not have been easily achieved otherwise. This work provides recommendations for technology usage (e.g. creating meaningful reflection questions which target content) and development (e.g. ensure simulations provide a clear scope and scale around time) for evolution simulations.  \n Keywords: natural selection; undergraduate learning; simulations   \nIntroduction  \nNatural selection is a staple learning standard taught at all grade levels. Despite this, some students may lack a baseline understanding of it. The concept of natural selection is first introduced to elementary students in third grade as they begin to explore the concepts of inheritance, variation, and diversity in traits. These concepts, pursuant to Standards 3-LS4-2 Biological Evolution: Unity and Diversity as well as 3-LS3-1 Heredity: Inheritance and Variation of Traits (NGSS, 2013), begin to form the base of a structure that ultimately lends itself to understanding pivotal biological concepts and theories. In order to explore comprehension of this topic at the college level, we employed the use of a simulation encompassed within a classroom session focused on science and technology learning. This pilot study aimed to measure the practicality of using a web-based simulation in order to instruct a group of undergraduate preservice science educators regarding the topic of natural selection, answering the research question:  \nHow do elementary preservice teachers conceptualize natural selection when engaging with a simulation?  \nBackground Literature  \nThere are three main facets of science education literature that we have identified in contributing to the background of this study: science education as it relates to natural selection, preservice elementary teachers’ misconceptions about evolution, and the use of simulations to garner scientific understanding.  \nScience Education in Biology & Natural Selection  \nUnderstanding natural selection is not limited to primary or secondary educational levels—it is a fundamental pillar of understanding biology, and this is carried into the collegiate level of teaching, as well. Research has shown that undergraduate students still harbor misconceptions surrounding natural selection even after taking one semester of introductory biology in college (Nehm and Reilly, 2007) . The results of this study determined that although 99% of the students enrolled in the course had heard of natural selection or had been taught it previously, only a few students were able to effectively provide an accurate definition of these concepts. This is important to note, as many of these students will progress onto teaching in science classrooms prior to identifying their own misconceptions. Nehm and Reilly (2007) discuss the importance of capturing the variation in experi","cbCail59bKAxTpAT","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCail59bKAxTpAT","pdf",598658,11,"English","# Abstract\n# Introduction\n# Background Literature\n## Science Education in Biology & Natural Selection\n## Preservice Teachers’ Experiences in Evolution","[{\"question\":\"What simulation was used to support learning about natural selection?\",\"answer\":\"The study used SEPUP, a web-based simulation that explains evolution through changes across generations of bird populations.\"},{\"question\":\"What was the main research question of the pilot study?\",\"answer\":\"It asked how elementary preservice teachers conceptualize natural selection when engaging with a simulation.\"},{\"question\":\"What do the findings suggest about teaching with simulations?\",\"answer\":\"Using a simulation to teach natural selection provided students with a positive learning experience, which the authors suggest might not be achievable as easily otherwise.\"}]","Using Simulations to Support Undergraduate Elementary Preservice Teachers’ Biological Understanding of Natural Selection | PDF",1792080323,28]