Thanks Marius! We’re always happy to hear about the use of PhET simulations by other projects. One of our goals from the very start of PhET has been to make the simulations as flexible as possible to address multiple uses and contexts.

Hi Arthur,

Each PhET simulation centers around a foundational concept in science or mathematics and provides an open-ended exploratory environment for students to interact with. One of the features that we think make PhET simulations unique is our use of implicit scaffolding – which is the use of implicit cueing through design choices (rather than the use of onscreen or voiced instructions) to guide students into productive inquiry. While we encourage teachers and other implementers of the simulations to provide the scaffolding they feel appropriate to support the specific needs of their student population (for example, with the use of a guided-inquiry handout), our implicit scaffolding approach supports a very student-friendly, exploratory space. This allows students to jump right into productive question-asking and investigations without requiring a lot of explicit guidance regarding exactly how to interact with the sim and what might be useful observations to make.

Currently, PhET simulations convey information to students through a highly visual interface and some use of sound effects. This design can be particularly useful for students who are deaf (as there is minimal to no reliance on the use of sound to convey information), and students with certain learning disabilities that may make it challenging for them to learn through primarily text-based materials. The experience of being able to learn through interaction and exploration can provide new opportunities for these students to engage with material that may be traditionally conveyed through text. It is precisely this experience, learning through interaction and exploration, that the DRK-12 project presented here wants to expand to all students, including students with mobility impairments, visual impairments, and other challenges that are not currently met with the highly visual interface. We are excited to be exploring new input and output modalities for these students and expect to find that these additional features will support all students – not only those with disabilities – in learning.
Thanks for your questions!

Hi Susan,

Great questions! The work of making highly interactive, highly dynamic, science simulations accessible is very much in early stages (for PhET simulations and all others). There are many challenges to be addressed, and correspondingly so much opportunity to positively impact the learning experiences of students.

I would say one of our biggest challenges has been in developing strategies to support effective layering of accessibility features. Each of features (e.g., auditory descriptions, sonification) can provide benefits individually, and also when layered together. It is a challenge to understand how to design each accessibility feature to be used in contexts where other features may or may not be in use by the student, and to technically support multiple features to “play well” together when potentially interfacing with multiple assistive technologies.

Regarding successes, I would definitely have to say I have personally been impressed with how quickly we were able to begin seeing incredibly productive interactions with student testing of our simulations with auditory descriptions. We still have much to learn, and refinements to make, but we have already been able to see the potential of PhET simulations that are accessible to students with visual impairments – and this is so encouraging (and heartwarming) to personally witness!

Hi Elissa,
Thanks for using the PhET sims! We have sims for science and mathematics topics that span elementary to college level – so a very broad range of ages.

We have not yet studied students specifically with a focus on design for learning disabilities, though we are very interested in understanding more about effective design for this student population. We plan to investigate these needs in the future in collaboration with researchers who specialize in learning disabilities.

In the meantime, we have heard teacher feedback that the sims can be very helpful for students with certain print-based learning disabilities, and the auditory descriptions and sonification we are currently working on will provide additional opportunities for support.

Thanks for your questions!

Hello Sarah-Kay,
The PhET website has a number of relevant resources for you. You can find a list of publications from PhET researchers, and from other researchers at: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/research. These are categorized by general topic.

You can also track publications specifically related to PhET’s efforts in accessibility at: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/accessibility/rese.... All of our research studies are still “in press,”but as soon as they available from the publisher online I will update these with a direct link. Thanks!

Hi Deborah,
Thanks for using PhET sims, and for using the teacher-posted activities. Feel free to share your own activities, we’d love to have even more teacher-created and classroom-tested materials available.
We’re working very hard to get more PhET sims into HTML5 for increased device compatibility – glad to hear these efforts are benefiting you and your students!
~ Emily

Hi Ryan,

You teach quite a span of student ages and topics! It’s great to hear that the PhET simulations are able to support your teaching across all of these student populations.

~ Emily

Thanks Meryl,

We have also found that using guided-inquiry handouts with the simulations can be very helpful in supporting students in addressing specific learning goals. Here’s a resource we created that you might find helpful when creating or adapting your own worksheets: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/teaching-resources....

Thanks for sharing about your use of PhET simulations!

~ Emily

Hi Jose,
Thanks for sharing! It’s great to hear that you have found that the PhET simulations are beneficial for your students.

We didn’t mention it in the video presentation, but your comment reminded me that viewers might be interested in knowing that all PhET simulations are translatable and are available in many different languages, which is also a way to increase accessibility and support STEM for All.

~ Emily

Hi William,

It’s been foundational to the PhET project that our simulations are available for free to all students around the world, precisely so that all students can have equal access to great STEM education resources. Thanks for highlighting the need to consider diversity in socio-economic backgrounds when discussing STEM for All.
~ Emily

Hi Z.,
When we decide on simulations to create, we focus on foundational concepts and aim to align with typical state standards. It’s great to hear feedback that you’re finding the simulations align with your curriculum.

Regarding worksheets, make sure you check out the teacher-submitted activities that are posted under “For Teachers” on each simulation’s download page. I would also like to encourage you to share your worksheets through the PhET website, so that others may benefit from your goal-oriented activities.

Thanks for your comment!
~ Emily

Hi Jeff,

That’s great to hear that PhET is such a trusted resource at your school! We strive to ensure that all of our materials are consistently of very high quality and support active participation.

Best,
~ Emily

Hi Chris,

Thanks for watching the video. I just checked out your website. It looks like you’re doing really wonderful work in increasing inclusiveness in the geosciences. We should definitely talk more.
I have been working on bringing together a community of folks working towards accessible interactive STEM learning resources. I’ll send you an email about these efforts, I think you’ll be interested, and I’d love to learn more about the structure and future plans of the IAGD.
Best,
~ Emily

Hello Rajeeb,

Thanks so much for your kind words. We feel quite privileged to be able to do the work we do at PhET – in addition to being impactful, it’s also a lot of fun. I’ll make sure your comment is shared with all the members of the PhET team.

~ Emily

Hi Steven,

Thanks for using PhET simulations! You might find this list of Chromebook-compatible PhET simulations useful for future reference: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/catego....

Circuit Construction Kit is one of PhET’s most popular simulations, and we are hard at work redesigning it to work well with tablet devices, and porting it into HTML5 for greater device compatibility. We are excited to have it in HTML5, and it’s great to hear feedback that this would be helpful to you and your students.

Best,
~ Emily

Hi Anita,

Here’s a list of Chromebook-compatible PhET simulations: https://phet.colorado.edu/en/simulations/catego.... We are working hard to get PhET simulations into HTML5, hopefully this list helps you as you plan for your next year.

Best,

~ Emily

Thanks for you comment, Andrew! It’s great to hear from teachers that have been using PhET since the beginning.
~ Emily

Hi Dan,

Yes, PhET simulations have been Open Educational Resources (OER) from the start. Thanks for sharing, and for supporting OER!
~ Emily

Hi Mae,

Thanks for your comments, and your contribution!

~ Emily

Hi Doug,

You make a great point! It is central to PhET’s design approach to minimize the use of text on-screen to encourage students to learn by exploring and experimenting. As we design auditory descriptions (e.g., for students with visual impairments) and sonification, we have found that the use of sonification allows for more simplified auditory descriptions (so as not to overwhelm students who are relying on the auditory information), and can also provide access to actions in the simulations that are particularly challenging to describe. For example, changes in acceleration are difficult to convey with words as an object is moving – it takes time to describe what is occurring and can lose the real-time connection to the object’s motion. In contrast, sonification can map directly to the motion of the object, and immediately convey changes in acceleration.
Thanks for your comment!

~ Emily

Hi Bryson,

Thanks for your comment!

~ Emily

Thanks Shaimaa!

~ Emily

Hi Norberto,

Muito obrigada!

~ Emily