Transcript INNOVATIONS 2012 What Works & WHY? Finding Effective Learning Technology David E. Kephart, PhD Adjunct Professor of Mathematic University of South Florida Director of Academic Research Link-Systems International Students.

INNOVATIONS 2012
What Works & WHY?
Finding Effective Learning
Technology
David E. Kephart, PhD
Adjunct Professor of Mathematic
University of South Florida
Director of Academic Research
Link-Systems International
Students Use the Web To Get their Education
Going the Distance: Online Education in the United States, 2011, Sloan Consortium
The Hopes for Online Technology
Anywhere, anytime, just-in-time educational impact
Remotely located learners become engaged learners
Learning, participation, and effort can be directly measured
Learners always have a take-away
Educator can adapt practice to learner preferences and culture
Versus Online Learning Technology-phobia
Will it be offer too little real support? Too much?
Will the technical challenge of using it be a hindrance to progress?
Will it convey information accurately? Can we even tell?
Will it compete with or replace established campus resources?
A New Meaning for “Evidence-Based”
Quantitative comparison & coexistence with f2f solutions
Student achievement (end-of-course, GPA, etc.)
Student persistence in the course
Student retention in program
A New Meaning for “Evidence-Based”
The overall quality of the learning experience
Students fluency with a changing technology
Faculty “speaking” and at ease with a new educational medium
Administrative comprehension of which products offer better prospects
A New Meaning for “Evidence-Based”
The development of fundamentally better learners & educators
Continuation into & successful completion of four-year programs
Adoption of learning practices known to favor skill development and
success
Collaborative learning changes learning in traditional circumstances
Testing for Educational Effectiveness
The mix
Campus originates, maintains, and develops technology
Campus-based technology complemented by vendor-based technology
Vendor provides, maintains, and develops technology
Tests for Educational Effectiveness
The cases
Hampton State University/Thomas Nelson Community College, 1999
Stony Brook (SUNY), 2004
University of Idaho, 2005
Pima Community College, 2006
University of South Florida, 2008-2010
University of Phoenix/Axia College, 2011-2012
Mount San Antonio College, 2012-2013
Gathering the Evidence: Research Type
Comparative studies
Investigative studies
Feasibility studies
Surveys
Gathering Evidence: Criteria
Practicality
Statistical power
Non-ambiguity
Audience potential
Gathering Evidence: Instruments
Surveys
Interviews
Campus statistics
Vendor or portal-specific data
Hampton State University/Thomas Nelson
Community College
Feasibility-type study
Principle Investigator: Arun Verma
Technology: LSI WorldWideWhiteboard®/campus office hours
Academics: tandem use of online office hour technology
Classes selected by investigator
Technology set up in cooperation with vendor
Post-semester assessment written up by PI
Results
Affirm the notion that students will talk with professors online
Show that mathematics notation is vital to that discussion
Stony Brook (SUNY)
Product comparison study
Investigators: Gordon Smith and William Klein
Technology: LSI NetTutor® and WorldWideWhiteboard, Blackboard WebEQ®
Subject participation mandatory
Technology set up in cooperation with vendor
Post-semester assessment written by investigators
Results
Suggest superiority of fully flexible whiteboard environment for online
teaching
Robustness of technology is key to faculty use
Ability to express subject-specific concepts is more important than
perceived convenience of technology
University of Idaho
Comparative study using community of inquiry model
Investigators: David Thomas, Qing Li, Libby Knott, Zhongxiao Li
Technology: WorldWideWhiteboard, 3 basic math courses
Academics: matrix of interrelationships between students in three
mathematics courses
Results
The roles that students play in online discussions are strongly
correlated to individual achievement
Asynchronous discussions can play a verifiably critical role in
establishing content-focused dialogue
Pima Community College
Survey and longitudinal research into implementation of campus online
mentoring
Investigators: Penney Turrentine, Lucy MacDonald
Technology: various campus solutions, online tutoring vendor, LSI
WorldWideWhiteboard
Academics
Results
Online programs are practicality and supplement the existing curriculum
Solutions vary in applicability and must be customized for use by campus
programs
The use by students and institutions is increasing and giving birth to
unexpected alliances within the institution
University of South Florida
Investigation of the effectiveness of online tutoring
Principal investigator: Gladis Kersaint
Technology: LSI NetTutor Online Tutoring Service
Classes: eight courses in College Algebra
Results:
Gains in content knowledge of students who used the tutoring services
was better than those who did not use it
Students least prepared for College Algebra were most likely to seek
help from an online tutoring service
Persistence rates were 25% higher among test subjects and particularly
among students who used NetTutor
University of Phoenix/Axia College
Longitudinal, multi-observer study
Principal Investigator: Susan Brewer
Technology: UOP-based small group tutoring with LSI WorldWideWhiteboard,
after-hours one-on-one tutoring from LSI NetTutor
Academics: 40,000 students in Mathematics and Writing
Results [in progress]
Initial surveys demonstrate initial student attitudes and tendencies
Rubric measures intra-session learning attained in online interactions
Mt. San Antonio College
Investigative study of campus online tutoring and live classroom participation
Principal investigator: Bailey Smith
Technology: WorldWideWhiteboard-powered online tutoring lab
Academics: faculty participants, writing across the curriculum, QEP verification
Results [in progress]
Surveys establish tutor attitudes and development
Surveys gauge student collaborative learning response
(Subject to IRB agreement) Campus data correlates activities to
measurable achievement.
Some Last Points
Research design is pivotal
Consider all stakeholders
Braid resources
Aim to reach your colleagues, not just the institution
Power of research hinges on quantity, practicality hinges on involvement
Buy-in by investigators
Buy-in by faculty
Buy-in by affected learners
Wanted: Research Collaborators
Large budget not necessary
Work with existing research programs
Tap resources from the local university
Find a distance learning software vendor will to find out what you
want to find out
Potential Areas of Investigation
Student benefit from locally designed online homework
Use of HTML5 and mobile technology by students
Outreach via Web-based learning to maximize funding impact
What have you wondered about?
Thanks!
Questions & Answers
Where to Find the Studies Cited
Kersaint, G., Barber, J., Dogbey, J. & Kephart, D. (2011). The Effect of Access to an Online Tutorial Service
on College Algebra Student Outcomes. Mentoring and Tutoring: Partnership in Learning. 19(1), February,
2011.
Smith, G. and Klein, W. (2004). Diagrams and math notation in e-learning. International Journal of
Mathematics Education in Science and Technology. 35(5) pp. 681-695.
Thomas, D., Li, Q., Knott, L., & Li, Z. (2006). The Structure of Student Dialogue in Web-Assisted
Mathematics Courses. Journal of Educational Technology Systems. (2007-2008). 36(4). pp. 415-431.
Retrieved March 1, 2011 from http://academic.research.microsoft.com/Paper/13612573.
Turrentine, P. & MacDonald, L. (2006). Tutoring Online: Increasing Effectiveness with Best Practices.
National Association for Developmental Education Digest. 2(2). Fall 2006. Retrieved March 15, 2011 from
http://lacmsig.pbworks.com/f/tutoring%20online.pdf , p. 4.
Verma, A. K. (1999), Using “NetTutor” for Conducting Online Interactive Office Hours. Proceedings of the
International Conference on Technology in Collegiate Mathematics. 12(017). Retrieved March 7, 2011 from
http://archives.math.utk.edu/ICTCM/VOL12/C017/paper.pdf
Resuchle, S. & Loch, B. (2008). "Conducting a Trial Web Conferencing Software." Turkish Online Journal of
Distance Education''. 9(3). July, 2008. 19—28. Retrieved from
http://tojde.anadolu.edu.tr/tojde31/pdf/Volume9Number3.pdf.
Still More Reading
Anderson, L. W. (Ed.). (2001). A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom's Taxonomy of
Educational Objectives. Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon.
Berk, L., & Winsler, A. (1995). Scaffolding Children's Learning: Vygotsky and Early Childhood Education. Washington, DC:
National Association for the Education of Young Children.
Bloom, B. (1956). Taxonomy of Educational Objectives, Handbook I: The Cognitive Domain. New York: David McKay Co., Inc.
Krathwohl, D. (Autumn 2002). Revising Bloom's Taxonomy. Theory Into Practice, 41(4), 212-218.
Lee, F. J., & Anderson, J. R. (2001). Does learning of a complex task have to be complex? A study in learning decomposition.
Cognitive Psychology, 42(3), 267-316.
Menon, S. (2010). A Pedagogy/Andragogy-Neutral Learning Platform for Improving Effectiveness of Online Learning.
Proceedings of the Sixth Pan-Commonwealth Conference. Kochi, India: In Press.
Neville, Alan J. (1999). The problem-based learning tutor: Teacher? Facilitator? Evaluator? Medical Teacher. 21(4), pp. 393401.
Perin, D. (2011). Facilitating Student Learning Through Contextualization. CCRC Brief, 1-4.
Piaget, J. (1998). De la pedagogie. Paris: Odile Jacob.
Rosenbloom, P. S., Laird, J. E., & Newell, A. (1987). The Chunking of Skill and Knowledge. Pittsburgh, PA: Carnegie-Mellon
University Artificial Intelligence and Psychology Project.
Vygotsky, L. (1962). Thought and Language. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
REFERENCES
More about Link-Systems International
Anthony, A. Enhancing the Online Tutoring Experience Through Synergistic Tutor
Training, Association for the Tutoring Profession 2011 (ATP). Orlando, Florida:
March 29, 2011
Cengage Learning. (n.d.). GEAR UP Partners. Retrieved from
http://www.cengage.com/enterprise/partners.html.
Kephart, D. The Methodology of Link-Systems International: Integrated
Cognitive Contextualized Learning. LSI White-paper series. July, 2011 (in
manuscript)
Workforce Distance Learning Services LLC. (n.d.). ALEKS. Retrieved from
http://wdls.net/aleksnettutor.html