PowerPoint Presentation - Opportunities in Education

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Dave Brooks
Most work centered on using technology in
instruction
~ 140 papers
~ $3M grants
Teachers
Teachers have among the largest effects on
learning.
In spite of this, my work focuses on systems
that either are teacher free or that queue up
information for a teacher to review.
Performance-Related Feedback
Whenever two instructional strategies are
compared, the one the provides the larger
amount of performance-related feedback
nearly always is the one found to be “best”
(most effective, most efficient, etc.)
Automatic Testing
Demonstrated in 1996
Automatic testing is one way to provide
performance-related feedback.
Web-based, automatic testing makes it
possible to provide performance related
feedback 24/7.
You can’t do everything you might want to
do with automatic testing; you can do a
great deal.
HyperCard
Started with HC in 1987 as videodisc
controller.
HyperCard Server
Run HC on a server. A HyperCard file (stack)
takes information from Web form through
Web software and processes that
information.
A HC script computes the characters needed
for a Web page (e.g., <HTML><HEAD>
etc.), and returns that output. So, HC
creates dynamic Web pages.
Tailored Feedback
We can tailor feedback in response to the
learner’s history and most recent
response(s).
How?
Mac OS 9
WebStar (server software)
Apple event to HC
HC uses ‘on appleEvent’ handler to start
process.
Other Systems
This is not unlike EDU (John Orr) except that
we calculate instructional materials. EDU is
a more robust testing system.
Web Traffic
Had >27,000 ‘hits’ between 4 AM and 4 PM
on 4/16/03. Have had >20,000 essentially
every day for 10 months. Peaks > 70,000
hits/day. Consistent!
UNL Blackboard has ~1,000,000 hits/day.
Current Projects
15 Web courses for chemistry teachers
($716K NSF)
Our Zoo to You -- communications system
(numerous small grants)
AP Chemistry practice question
All of my courses
Impacts of Funding
Some programs target specific needs of
science, math, and engineering.
For example, the biggest leap forward in the
Chemistry Resource Room came as the
result of an NSF CAUSE grant. Room still
functions today.
Professional Development
I’m guessing that grants have given me access
to $100K of hardware and software that I
wouldn’t have gotten otherwise, and have
given me a chance to learn about using
them.
Infrastructure
Excellent
Grant Writing
Monica Norby
Marla Rohrke
Grant Management, Pre-Award
Norm Braaten
Excellent
Statistics Consultation
NEAR Center
Barbara Plake, Ralph De Ayala, others
Excellent
Use of consultants during proposal
preparation.
Good/Very Good
Multimedia Production
Bruce Crampton, Todd Jensen
DEAL Lab
Good
Jim O’Hanlon has been very helpful in getting
recovered overhead into project.
BUT, not consistent across UNL. No overhead
in IS. No infrastructure for research in
education like more conventional lab
research.
By now Bob Fuller and I have >$1M in
overhead; Bob may have that alone!
Good
(Early) successes at NETV.
Poor
Help with understanding learning. Learning
is a much more clear and understandable
process than most believe.
Poor
Killing of the TLC was a uniquely stupid act.
Among other things, no thought was given
as to how such a teaching center supports
research.
Examples involve resources and networking.
Poor
Some bad UNL history -- especially the ‘Class
Project.’
Poor
Space for work.
Bought hardware and sent it home with
people because didn’t have space.
Several early projects would not have been
funded.
Poor (Bad)
IRB
Nearly all research in education is exempt
by Act of Congress. However, local IRBs
across the US have chosen to include this
research.
Unlike medicine, there really are few modal
therapies. For example, think of the ‘whole
language’ fiasco.
Issue
Overhead on some education grants either 0%
or 8%.
Some projects should NOT go forward.
Others should be encouraged.
BUT, whenever you get a ‘real’ grant with
8%, there IS something coming out of our
hide.
Recommendations
Address infrastructure issues
Maintain good aspects of infrastructure
Provide consultative services
Review, modify IRB procedures
Advice for Novices
About 3 of 4 of my proposals are rejected.
Sometimes they fund ones I think of as marginal
but turn down others I think of as really good.
Bob Fuller submitted 6 proposals before his 7th
proposal was funded!
Without a proposal, you (usually) can’t be funded.