Evaluation of an Immersive COVID-19 Data Visualization.

COVID-19 restrictions have detrimental effects on the population, both socially and economically. However, these restrictions are necessary as they help reduce the spread of the virus. For the public to comply, easily comprehensible communication between decision makers and the public is thus crucial. To address this, we propose a novel 3-D visualization of COVID-19 data, which could increase the awareness of COVID-19 trends in the general population. We conducted a user study and compared a conventional 2-D visualization with the proposed method in an immersive environment. Results showed that the our 3-D visualization approach facilitated understanding of the complexity of COVID-19. A majority of participants preferred to see the COVID-19 data with the 3-D method. Moreover, individual results revealed that our method increases the engagement of users with the data. We hope that our method will help governments to improve their communication with the public in the future.

The Effect of Cluster Teaching with Worksheets on Students' Academic Achievement in Distance Education

The aim of this study is to examine the effect of teaching with worksheets prepared for the 6th grade clusters in distance education on the academic achievement of students. The research was conducted with 39 students studying in a public secondary school in eastern Turkiye in the first semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. In the study, a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest control group was practiced to collect data. In the experimental group, the subject of cluster was taught with worksheets prepared in accordance with the constructivist teaching, and in the control group, with general teaching methods. After the practice, the "Clusters Achievement Test" was applied to the experimental and control group students as pre-test and post-test. The academic achievement of the experimental and control groups were compared and it was determined that there was a statistically significant difference in favor of the experimental group. Data analyzes showed that the worksheets prepared for the subject of clusters in distance education increased the academic achievement of the students. At the end of the practice carried out within the scope of the study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 students in the experimental group who fully participated in the studies and activities. The findings obtained from the interviews showed that the students adopted the lessons taught with the worksheets. In addition, it was determined from the statements of the students that they were satisfied with the teaching of the lessons using worksheets in the distance education process, they participated more actively in the online lessons, and they made extra efforts in using materials and completing the activities.