Transcript www.physics.oregonstate.edu

Integrating writing research with curricular
development in large-enrollment introductory
physics
Dedra Demaree
Oregon State University
Background:
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Physics PhD research emphasis in Physics
Education Research (PER):
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Focused on writing to learn issues
Thesis: TOWARD UNDERSTANDING WRITING TO
LEARN IN PHYSICS: INVESTIGATING STUDENT
WRITING
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Hired to lead introductory course reform at OSU
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Current intro courses are ~250 students per section
Under-staffed, can not easily reduce class sizes
Algebra-based, calc-based, and non-science classes
My primary focus is implementing and assessing
course changes
Do We Know if Writing is Helpful in
Physics Courses?
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No one questions the benefits of educating
people to write
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but why take the time to do it in the curriculum?
and why explicitly in physics?
There is no clear evidence in the literature to
show the effectiveness of writing to learn!
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Most writing studies are entirely qualitative and
not controlled
Why MIGHT Writing be Helpful?
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everyone raised their hands when polled if they
think writing helps learning
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(at American Association of Physics Teachers
conference)
Students interviewed state “writing helps
learning”
Students do better with a positive epistemology
Writing involves logical argumentation structure
Writing helps structure conceptual
understanding?
Maybe writing = active engagement?
Why Might Students NOT Learn?
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Struggling with content and writing is
overwhelming
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Ideas can’t be organized if they aren’t already
present in some form
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Issues with activating and managing their
knowledge resources (research exists to support
this)
Are writing activities striking the right balance?
Students may not be reflective when writing
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Can we generate writing assignments that force
reflection?
What Does Writing “Research” Tell Us?
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How writing could help learning:
 Ideas are transformed while writing
 Rhetorical goals are refined while writing
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Literature provides minimal evidence to support these
‘Knowledge-telling”: novices tell what they know experts plan, write, and revise
 Novices -> cosmetic changes
 experts -> goal-oriented revisions
How do our students approach writing and revision?
How can we quantitatively study this?
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Develop methods for tracking and coding writing to allow for
controlled studies of the effects of writing in the curriculum
What do my prior studies tell us?
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Played with writing and writing instruction in place of traditional labs
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Difficult and time consuming to quantify writing quality – need to find
better ways to study this!!
Developed a quantitative way to track writing – found clear novice
and expert-like behavior
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Saw physics improvements when writing was done instead of additional
traditional lab activities
Saw physics improvements when minimal writing instruction was given
vs. those who wrote without instruction
No improvements were measured in the long term or in different contexts
We see no evidence that writing behavior changes with practice
We find no clear predictors based on tracked behavior for which essays
will be good
Writing studies are complex, and need to be done with a clear
framework, and blended quantitative/qualitative study
Collaboration with U. of Cape Town:
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Disadvantaged students in bridging program
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Find methods to help them succeed
Assigned 1-page chapter summary writing:
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Does writing summaries help them gain more from
lecture?
Can students produce summaries that are useful to them
as they work through the course or on the exams?
Can we quantify the quality of their summaries?
 What are their defining characteristics?
 Can we correlate summary quality with success?
 If we learn what is effective – can we teach them to do
something more productive and help their success?
Developing a coding scheme:
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Framework based on Waywood (1992: Journal writing &
learning mathematics, 12, 2, pgs (34-43)
 Recounting: telling what happened
 Summarizing: putting it into your own words
 Dialoging: including sense-making and perhaps
things like posing questions back about what things
mean
 Add category about what students choose to include
Code: content, global issues (do they show a hierarchy,
organization, grouping of content?), and miscellaneous
details (length, density, and completeness)
 Make note of anomalies – things that are hard to
categorize and correctness issues
Code number of incidences
 Want percent of items in each category
Content
type
Choices
(2-level ranking)
Recount
Summarize
Dialogue
Methods (explicit
vs. implicit) (RHR,
problem solving…)
General or not
(important or
not?)
Copied
from text
Re-worded
Put into context,
Do they generalize beyond the
printed text?
Equations
General vs.
Special case
Copied
from text
Terms/symbols
Defined, stating
In words
Uses/limits, what results tell us
Definitions
(Terminology/laws)
General or not
(important or
not?)
Copied
from text
Re-worded
Applications, pitfalls, questions
they have about it,
reflection/adding more
Diagrams
Trivial vs
something hard to
state in words
Copied
from text
Synthesized
labeled
Explained – uses, how it shows
the physics
Graphs
Trivial vs
something hard to
state in words
Copied
from text
Synthesized
labeled
Explained – uses, how it shows
the physics
Derivations
Algebra vs
Understanding
(length?)
Copied
from text
Add or delete
Steps, state
What you find
State how you get from here to
there – why physics is
connected
Examples
Do they lend
Themselves to
General cases?
Copied
from text
Add or delete
Steps, state
What you find
What types of problems it is
useful for (broader context)
Large enrollment course reform ideas:
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Students out of traditional introductory physics:
 Minimal conceptual understanding
 “Plug-and-chug” problem solving skills
 Worse attitudes than when they registered
Interactive-engagement is more effective
Sophisticated epistemologies are encouraged when
students are metacognitive
We gain more with focus on Higher-order learning goals
Traditional lecture halls do NOT encourage students to
build their knowledge!
How to improve this in a large-lecture classroom??
 Need an interactive environment!
Oregon State’s Calc-based physics reform:
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Currently have:
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Change to:
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3 h lecture, 3 h lab, 1 h optional recitation
250 people per lecture, 30 per lab with 1 TA
2 h lecture, 4 h activity-based learning in 2 h blocks,
possibly keep 1 h optional extra help time
Possibly have lecture on M and F – keep all students
at same pace in activity sections
210 people per lecture, 70 per activity section with 1
senior instructor/TA and 1-2 TAs/undergrads
Work in a renovated lecture hall and new large
active-engagement classroom
Paradigms program
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~10 years of reforming upper division physics
Award-winning with Consistent NSF funding
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Corinne Manogue just won the AAPT
undergraduate teaching award
Team-based reform efforts unanimously
approved by whole department
Brings active-engagement into advanced
courses
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Integrated lecture/lab/discussions
Group work
Extensive use of small and large whiteboards
Our Approach:
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Build on existing Paradigms expertise
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Borrow and adapt materials
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Problem solving, group work… (ABET)
Find goals that fit the needs of physics majors as
they segue to the paradigms
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ISLE: Investigative Science Learning Environment: Rutgers
SCALE-UP: Student-centered active learning – NC State
Find goals that fit the needs of the students
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We know extensively what the students know and struggle with after the
current intro courses
Earlier activity-based experience, more sophisticated problem solving,
need more data analysis skills
Build our goals into all aspects of the intro course
Goals for New Curriculum:
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Model “real” scientific behavior: ISLE – students:
 Reflect on how they know what they know, Actively
reconcile their knowledge, Understand the applicability of
their models, understand fundamental laws
 Representing information, conducting experiments,
thinking divergently, collecting and analyzing data,
constructing, modifying and applying relationships and
explanations, being able to coordinate these abilities
Integrate simulations with experiments to explicitly address
models and simplifications
Have students design and analyze their own experiments –
teach them to build knowledge
 Teach data analysis in the labs – build this in to fit current
lack in overall program
 Understand estimations and approximations
Allow for integration of these activities in a SCALE-UP
environment
Implementing goals in our structure:
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Lecture is for:
 Introducing definitions, Motivating students
 Create common language use, Show examples
 Wrap-up: Summarize important points, Look at
capstone issues, Go over things people struggled
with
Activity-based SCALE-UP section for developing
specific goals and scientific discourse
Lab for integrating goals and larger design projects
Integrate goals into exams and homework
assignments
Testing some ideas in Energy course:
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Want students prepared for lecture
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Integrate pre-class reading assignments and
quizzes (following JITT model)
Use existing technology – blackboard is powerful
Want to develop discourse skills – apply
concepts to have “real” debate about issues
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Use class time to scaffold up to sophisticated
discussions
Use online tools for collaborative writing – “Wiki”
Group info gathering and posting then online
discussions
Ph212 homework Problem Solving Guide
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Understand and restate the problem
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Read. Read the problem carefully. What are the key words? What information is given? What might you need to know in order to solve this?
Explicitly state (in your own words) what is the problem asking including clarifying the problem statement. For example, if the problem states
when will the two cars collide, you can state when will the two cars have the same coordinates for x and t.
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Visualize. Visualize the situation described with a mental picture. What are the important features of the situation? What physically might
happen? Think about what physics might be involved? (Repeat steps 1.a and 1.b as needed until you’re ready for step 1.c  )
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Simplify. Think of what assumptions you can make: can you ignore the size of the objects and consider them particles? Can you ignore friction?
(Usually if the information about some properties of objects or interactions is missing from a problem statement, this means it is not important
and you can ignore it.) In your homework you must explicitly state how this simplifies the problem – for example if you are ignoring friction in a
collision it means you will be using momentum conservation for the system.
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Picture and translate. Translate the text of the problem into a picture – record all given quantities in the picture and identify symbolically (name!)
the relevant variables and unknowns. Choose and show the coordinate axis(es). Explain your picture with words if that makes it more clear.
(Sometimes this step can be skipped and you can combine it with step 2.b – but only if you are very confident with the other steps.)
Devise and explain the plan
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Determine what concepts/laws apply. Think what physics concepts are involved and which will be more helpful to solve the problem. For
example, think whether the problem involves concepts of energy or force. Explain why you made the choice of this (these) particular physics
concept(s). You may want to refer to 1 c. here, as in the example given there.
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Represent physically. Represent the situation with the appropriate type of physical representation. This can be a free-body diagram, an energy
bar chart, a ray diagram…. (If you skipped step 1.d, you must record all the given quantities and symbols for relevant variables and unknowns
here.)
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Represent mathematically. Use the physical representation to construct a mathematical representation. Make sure that this representation is
consistent with previous ones. You might need to use additional definitions of physical quantities or laws combined with these equations to solve
the problem.
Carry out the plan
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Solve. Use mathematical relationships from part 2.c to solve for the unknown quantity (quantities). Make sure that you use consistent units. If
you do not have enough equations to solve for what you need, go back and check all above steps to make sure you haven’t overlooked some
piece of physics given or implied by the situation.
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Symbolic and numeric solutions. A complete solution should have the equations given in terms of the symbols, and only then should you plug
in numbers to get a numerical answer
Look back – explain what you did, was your answer as expected?
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Evaluate the result. Have you answered all parts of the question? Is the number reasonable? Are the units appropriate? Does the result make
sense in limiting cases? Include a written explanation for why your result makes sense and what it tells you about the physics of the situation
(what happens?)
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If solution does not make sense… go back and re-visit your interpretation of the problem and the assumptions you made – did you overlook
something? Was something that you thought could be ignored too large to ignore? Check your math, did you make a mistake?
Ph212 Problem Solving detail
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Understand and restate the problem
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Devise and explain the plan
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Solve.
Symbolic and numeric solutions.
Look back – explain what you did, was your answer as expected?
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Determine what concepts/laws apply.
Represent physically.
Represent mathematically.
Carry out the plan
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Read.
Visualize.
Simplify.
Picture and translate.
Evaluate the result.
If solution does not make sense…
(Adapted from ISLE and U. Minn)
Ph212 homework Grading Rubric
Points:
0
1
2
3
1 a.
Statement of what
the problem
is asking
No problem
statement is
written
The problem statement is restated word for word
The problem is stated in the students own
words but provides no more
definition than the original statement
The problem is stated in the students
own words, with the problem
more directly defined than in the
original question
1 c.
Simplify and state
assumptions
No information is
given about
assumption
s
Trivial or incorrect
assumptions are listed
Correct assumptions are listed with no
information about how they simplify
the problem, or an important
assumption is missing
Correct assumptions are listed along
with a correct statement about
how they simplify the problem
2 a.
Statement
explaining
which
concepts/laws
apply
No such statement
is written
Incorrect concepts/laws are
provided
There is a statement that explains which
concepts/laws apply but does not
explain why, or does not give the
correct reasoning as to why
There is a statement clearly explaining
which concepts/laws apply, as
well as why they apply – this
may refer to your response from
1 c.
2 b.
Physical
representatio
n
No physical
representati
on is given
An incorrect physical
representation is
given, or one that is
correct, but does not
include any labels or
defined quantities
A correct physical representation is given,
but is not clearly labeled, does not
include all quantities, or a clear
representation is given but it
contains a mistake
A clearly labeled, correct physical
representation is given, with all
quantities and symbols defined
2 c. Mathematical
representatio
n
No mathematical
representati
on is given
The mathematical
representation given
is incorrect
An incomplete mathematical
representation is given
A complete mathematical
representation is given
3 a/b.
Solution
No solution is
given
Only a partial solution or an
incorrect solution is
given
Only the symbolic or numeric solution is
given, or there is some mistake such
as incorrect units
A complete solution is given both
symbolically and numerically
with correct units
4 a.
Evaluation of the
result
No evaluation is
given
Very little information is
given to evaluate the
result
A partial explanation is given for why the
result makes sense (or does not
make sense if the incorrect answer
was reached), and what it tells us
about the physics of the situation
A clear and complete explanation is
given for why the result makes
sense (or does not make sense if
the incorrect answer was
reached), and what it tells us
about the physics of the situation
Homework Grading Rubric detail
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4 a. Evaluation of the result
0: No evaluation is given
1: Very little information is given to evaluate the result
2: A partial explanation is given for why the result
makes sense (or does not make sense if the incorrect
answer was reached), and what it tells us about the
physics of the situation
3: A clear and complete explanation is given for why
the result makes sense (or does not make sense if the
incorrect answer was reached), and what it tells us
about the physics of the situation
Guiding Questions for Physics Writing
(Paradigms – Junior year)
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1. State the problem. What is the problem that you are trying to solve, and what – if any – assumptions or
idealizations are being made about the physical situation.
2. Outline the general strategy. What physics concepts are relevant? Which general physical equations will be useful
in solving this problem? Explain how the physical quantities are related to one another? Connect the dots between any
quantities in any ways that you can.
3. Explain your terminology. What is the role of each of the symbols in these equations? For constants, just list their
names and values if used in numerical calculations. For variables, briefly describe what they represent.
4. Set-up your equations. How did you apply the information in your problem to the general equations? How did your
example fit into and change the general equation. Think about how you went about putting in the information from the
example you cared about, and any raw data taken, into the general equations.
5. Explain any data taking procedures used in collecting information needed to solve to solve the physical problem.
Remember to include all pertinent information, including how to setup any apparatus used and detailed instructions on
how data was acquired.
6. Organize your data. List any raw data taken. Use graphs and charts to show concisely the relevant quantities in
relationship to one another.
7. Analyze your data. Explain how the data fits into the theory governing the problem you are solving. Comment on
any unusual or anomalous data, providing an explanation of how it may have come about being recorded.
8. What were the mathematical manipulations used in the process of solving the problem? Show the steps of
algebra used to solve any tricky parts of the problem, write a short sentence for each explaining why they are true, and
include any areas of difficulty that may have lead to dead ends.
9. Reflect on your final answer. What is it that this answer tells you about the physical quantities involved, and how
they are related to each other? Is this a limiting case, or are there limiting cases to this answer for which it is valid?
Were there any better ways to solve the problem that you could consider? How did your solution compare and tie into
work that others have done in this field of work? What was the most important, significant finding made in solving the
problem?
Guiding Questions detail
1. State the problem.
2. Outline the general strategy.
3. Explain your terminology
4. Set-up your equations
5. Explain any data taking procedures used in collecting
information needed to solve the physical problem.
6. Organize your data.
7. Analyze your data.
8. What were the mathematical manipulations used in
the process of solving the problem?
9. Reflect on your final answer.
Rubric detail:
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Content Criterion: Did the writer convey an understanding
of what the final results tell about the physics?
Very Good: Writer clearly explained what the final results
tell about the physics of the problem and described what
is physically interesting or unique about the solution to
the problem.
Fair: An attempt is made to relate the mathematical
manipulations to the physical concepts, but the physical
situation is weakly related to these results.
Poor: The writer made no attempt at describing how their
final solution related to the physical concepts.
Improving Written Hmwk Efficiency:
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Problems with current homework system:
 High grading load for paid undergrad workers
 Papers get lost
 Returning papers is a pain
 Recording grade takes time and yields errors
Moving to online homework:
 Much of the work is graded automatically
 Records are kept automatically
 Writing-aspects can be built into the existing problems
and graded online more efficiently
 Gain additional features such as tutorials
Abstract
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Multiple research projects have been undertaken as part of an ongoing
study to develop methods to do quantitative assessment of writing to
learn within physics. The ability to make use of writing to learn at first
glance appears limited in large-enrollment courses due to the timeintensive nature of essay writing and grading. However, effective ways
to implement writing are quite possible. One study that will be
discussed required students to do textbook summary writing in
introductory physics in the 2007 spring semester of the “Foundation
Physics Course” at the University of Cape Town. This course is a
component of the special access program which contains mostly
second language English speakers. Another use of writing will be
reported that is currently being used in the introductory physics course
at Oregon State University as a way to enhance problem solving. This
project is also aimed at scaffolding students toward goals in our upper
division courses. This talk will report on some of what we know about
writing to learn, how we are working to improve ways to study it
quantitatively, and how we are incorporating some aspects of it in
accessible ways in large-enrollment introductory courses.
Curricular Assessment Plans/Ideas:
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Concept tests and exemplar problems on exams
Attitude/epistemology surveys
Free response surveys
Specific assessments based on course goals
(example assessments from Purdue):
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looking at conceptual thinking in problem solving
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Interviews using talk-aloud protocol
Are important course ideas/skills are being used by students
looking at TA training and attitudes toward inquirybased learning
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see if the TA attitudes toward teaching and learning are
impacted by teaching the course
Why lecture at all? (besides staffing)
Activities won’t be effective if students aren’t ready
Prepare students for activity-based hours
 Introduce definitions, Motivate students
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Both can be done with readings
Create common language use, Show examples
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Both can be done in activity-based hours
Wrap-up after activity-based hours
 Summarize important points, Look at capstone
issues, Go over things people struggled with
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All can be done in activity-based hours
Case Study: Iowa State University
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Two lecture halls: one with fixed
seats and one with swivel chairs –
both nice and new
 Use “Peer Instruction”
Swivel chairs made a measurable
difference in learning gains:
 Group discussions were
physically easier
 swivel lecture hall had higher
percentage of correct
responses after talking to
neighbors
 swivel lecture hall did 6% points
higher on the final exam
Proposal for
Weniger 151:
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Swivel chairs for ease of discussion
Chairs and aisles organized to
promote group work
Aisles for instructor access to all groups
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Clump chairs in sections to minimize the number of needed aisles
and maximize the number of seats
Boards (ideally smartboards) along the edges for groups
to present ideas to the entire class
Multiple projectors up front so people can see from every
angle
Camera to project demonstrations onto an overhead so
everyone can see details
Weniger 151 layout details:
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Students face forward in staggered chairs for lecture
Students can rotate to work in groups of 3-4 people
Each section has 4 rows – can form 2 rows of groups
with people paired back to back
Instructor has access to each group
Minimally reduces the number of seats from 266 to just
over 200
Model for new physics classroom:
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Design a modern activitybased classroom
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Design to fit our course
goals/activities
Use modern technology to
increase options
Test and assess new
curricular ideas in this
space
Inspired by SCALE-UP
and echoing goals and
activities in Paradigms
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Start here because we
know this works
Can we do better than this?
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Lessons from PKAL (Project Kaleidoscope):
 SHOW VIDEO (made by a KSU Anthropology class)
Students…
 Want to build community
 Use informal learning spaces
 Work more on online activities
 Rely on multi-tasking
Education community…
 Thinks about green concerns
 Highly values activity-based learning
 Knows the importance of assessment
 Emphasizes the use of technology
Building Flexibility for the future
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A space that invites different types of activities
Floor that allows for ease of making new configurations
Technology that promotes collaborative work
Possibility of a
design/work area
Cabinets that can be
easily moved later
Flexible lighting,
power, and media
Whiteboards on
wheels
A window into and out
of the room
Entering the Text (What Students See):
Notice the
program
tracks and
displays a
running word
count.
It also saves
the student’s
name, email
address,
their section,
and which
assignment
is being
submitted
The Log File:
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Saves a snapshot of the text each time a student
pauses, backspaces, deletes, or moves the cursor
Indexes each event, gives the time, what type of
activity the student is doing, the text snapshot, and
the cursor location
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Tags include: Typing, Backsp, Naviga, Delete, Pa{s}
(pause and length in seconds), <CU> (cursor location)
Example:
1310:57:027 AM:
1410:57:033 AM:
1510:57:036 AM:
1610:58:043 AM:
1710:58:053 AM:
Typing A circuit is all <CU>
Backsp A circuit <CU>
Typing A circuit is the flow <CU>
Pa{67}
Backsp <CU>
Quantitative Information we can get
From the Data:
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Do students mostly write new content, or do they go
back and revise while or after they write?
When students revise do they cut in bulk and rewrite,
or do they modify existing text?
How often students write vs. edit or pause
How much do students work after the word limit?
Do observed behaviors match self-reports from
interviews?
Can look at a lot of writing at once, but
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Can’t automate information on the quality of the revisions!!
Student with low final exam but good
essay content – 2nd draft:
first rephrased needed content needed then cut
extraneous text. Then did detailed editing pass
through the entire essay, then one last check
Location and Sizes of Revisions in Order they Occurred
1.2
Location of revision in essay
Has clumps of edits
around specific text
(she reported
struggling with
some ideas)
Relatively
sophisticated
revisions!
1
0.8
Additions
0.6
Deletions
Edits
0.4
0.2
0
0
50
100
Sequence of revision events