Dino Extinction Educational Software-Ideas wanted

[m-runyan@nwu.edu (Marc Runyan)]

We are looking for scenario ideas concerning a piece of educational
software we are developing in the area of dinosaur extinction.

Who we are: The institute of learning sciences at Northwestern
University, a multi-disciplinary program combining learning theory,
Educational theory, and computer science.  Three of us graduate
students are creating a piece of software that will teach reasoning
skills through using the debate concerning dinosaur extinction.

Software Description:
We are targeting high school level students because we feel the ideas
and evidence in the debate are complex.  Our software has students
looking at 4 current theories of dino-extinction: Asteroid, Volcanist,
Gradualist (disease via Bakker), and a bogus theory.  We are not
asking students to figure out the right theory, or are we concerned
with the right theory, rather we want students to investigate the
evidence at the K/T boundary.  We want students to explore biological
evidence, geological evidence, paleontological evidence, and
astronomical evidence.  Then we want them to back up each theory with
evidence and choose the best theory.  The learning is within the
process of reasoning and formulating of a good theory.  We are
conducting video interviews in the chicago area to get the experts
view-points.  We plan to have a large database from experts in the
field.  The students will then have access to the video-clips of the
experts and get their viewpoint, but we can't give everything away.

We need ideas for an introduction Scenerario.  Our current
introduction scenario is one where students are a private eye that
needs to investigate and find out the solution to the unsolved mystery
of dinosaur extinction.  We have heard that a musuem has done a
similar presentation of the debate, but do not know which musuem.  We
are looking for any help and ideas that will help students be
motivated to explore the debate surrounding dinosaur extinction.
P.S. we are not concerned about anybodys personal opions concerning
the debate, rather we are concerned with evidence, so that students
can form their own opinions.  Of course, our software will be
analyzing the validity of the students formuluation of ideas.

Please send me mail with any suggestions,
        Thanks
                Marc Runyan.

--
Marc Runyan
Northwestern University
http://pubweb.acns.nwu.edu/~msr746/marcr.html