Supporting collaborative guided inquiry in a learning environment for biology

We describe a learning environment for high school biology called BGuILE that engages students in scientific investigations in which they can explore interesting problems in evolution and ecology. The environment supports productive inquiry by two interrelated means. First, the system structures students’ investigations, encouraging them to compare competing hypotheses, articulate predictions, and record interpretations according to specific task models of biological inquiry. Second, the system provides a context for collaboration in which the biological task model is used to drive the content of students’ discussions.