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The CoMPASS hypertext system is used in conjunction
with the curriculum units that we have designed: a seven
to ten-week simple machines unit for sixth grade and
a forces and motion unit for eighth grade. The curriculum
units draw on the pedagogical framework of Learning
by Design (Kolodner et al., 2003), providing students
with multiple opportunities to incrementally construct,
evaluate, discuss, and revise both the models they are
designing and their conceptions. The curriculum units
are structured such that students have to engage in
extended inquiry in order to solve a complex design
problem. For example, in the simple machines unit, students
are presented with the problem of building a device
using simple machines to lift a 16-ounce can of food
. Each unit lasts around ten weeks and students use
CoMPASS as a resource throughout the design process.
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