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Index: modules/gerd/roleclicker/description.tex
diff -u modules/gerd/roleclicker/description.tex:1.58 modules/gerd/roleclicker/description.tex:1.59
--- modules/gerd/roleclicker/description.tex:1.58 Wed May 18 11:22:09 2005
+++ modules/gerd/roleclicker/description.tex Wed May 18 12:03:43 2005
@@ -29,7 +29,8 @@
\section{Introduction}\label{intro}
\subsection{Overview}
-Peer Instruction has been around for almost 15 years; its effect has been well-researched, and the techniques have found broad adoption, particularly in science teaching. As part of the classroom activities, the educator would present a question (typically multiple-choice style), and learners are asked to individually respond (through hand signs, colorful cards,
+Peer Instruction has been around for almost 15 years; its effect has been well-researched, and the techniques have found broad adoption, particularly in science teaching. As part of the classroom activities, the instructor would
+present a question (typically multiple-choice style), and students are asked to respond individually (through hand signs, colored cards,
or technological means such as Personal Response Systems (PRSs, ``clickers'')).
Based on the initial response distribution, the educator might decide to follow up with a second round of having the learners
discuss the problem with each other (``think-pair-share''), and then responding again.
@@ -41,10 +42,10 @@
to others (consistent with research that shows high-ability students benefit from collaboration\cite{mref25,mref26}), and students answering incorrectly benefit from individualized explanations and the opportunity
to ask follow-up questions of their classmates.
-At the heart of Peer Instruction are these learner-learner discussions
-However, to our knowledge, formal research data on the discussion process itself is missing:
+At the heart of Peer Instruction are student-student discussions.
+However, a formal research study of the discussion process itself has not been carried out:
while most instructors employing Peer Instruction would walk around the classroom during discussion periods and eavesdrop on
-learners, we are not aware of a systematic study of these discussions. Are they as effective as they could be?
+students, we are not aware of a systematic study of these discussions. Are they as effective as they could be?
\begin{itemize}
\item what happens in groups where all partners agree?
@@ -61,7 +62,7 @@
\begin{itemize}
\item the software does not guide the process of group formation
\item the question format is limited to single-response multiple-choice
-\item all students are receiving the same question
+\item all students receive the same question
\end{itemize}
@@ -71,16 +72,17 @@
is entirely based on seating arrangements: ``turn to the student sitting next to you.'' Peer instruction works best if learners
need to convince each other and discuss the merrits of different possible solutions - which is not likely to happen naturally if all
learners in the randomly formed group initially chose the same option. In computer-guided group formation, the computer will be forming the groups based on the initial learner responses, and ensure that within the constraints of the lecture hall seating arrangement, groups with a diversity of initial opinions are formed.
-{\bf Hypothesis:} Ensuring that students with different initial responses are involved in the discussions will improve discussion quality.
+\newline{\bf Hypothesis} to be tested: Ensuring that students with different initial responses are involved in the discussions improves discussion quality.
\item[Different Question Types] - in current practice, the questions presented to learners are mostly single-response multiple-choice style. This is due to the limitation of current response mechanisms. More sophisticated response devices allow for the deployment of more sophisticated question types, such as image-response, mix-and-match, multiple-response multiple-choice and open-ended numerical/symbolic math questions. Of particular interest will be the incorporation of simulations into the classroom.
-{\bf Hypothesis:} Question types different from single-response multiple-choice will improve discussion quality and be a truer reflection of student learning.
+\newline{\bf Hypothesis} to be tested: Question types different from single-response multiple-choice improves discussion quality and is a truer reflection of student learning.
\item[Randomized Questions] - in current practice, all students in a course are answering the exact same question. More sophisticated response devices allow for randomizing scenarios just enough such that students can discuss the same underlying principle, yet still need to draw their own conclusions and arrive at their own solutions.
-{\bf Hypothesis:} Randomized questions will lead to more active discussion involvement by all students, since each students needs to arrive at their own solution.
+\newline{\bf Hypothesis} to be tested: Randomized questions leads to more active discussion involvement by all students, since each students needs to arrive at their own solution.
\end{description}
-While the necessary technology at the current time is still be cost-prohibitive in large enrollment courses, we believe that
+While the necessary technology at the current time is still cost-prohibitive in large enrollment courses, we believe that
within the next five years every student will own or be able to afford a two-way interactive personal wireless communication device, such as an internet-enabled PDA, PocketPC, cellphone, or even more likely a combination of these.
-We believe that the current ``clickers'' are a transient technology, and that the next generation communication devices will open up new avenues for personal responses and Peer Instruction, and be an enabling tool for new pedagogies - pedagogies we aim to explore today.
+We believe that the current ``clickers'' are a transient technology, and that the next generation communication devices will open up new avenues for personal responses and Peer Instruction, and be an enabling tool for new pedagogies
+-- pedagogies we aim to explore today, while at same time, we are offering a phased transition path to both early and late adapters of current classroom technology.
The proposed project has three phases:
\begin{enumerate}
@@ -98,18 +100,20 @@
\item Bill Junkin at Erskine College
\end{itemize}
\subsection{Intellectual Merit}
-Peer Instruction has proven successful in outcome-oriented evaluations of techniques limited by currently widely available technology. This project will add process-oriented data to the research body around Peer Instruction and study the effect of extensions to this technique, which we believe can significantly change both the process and the outcome of applying these techniques.
+Peer Instruction has proven successful in outcome-oriented evaluations; in its first phase,
+this project will add process-oriented data to the research body. In its second phase, the project will extend and enhance the Peer Instruction technique through advanced technological means, and assess the impact of these
+modifications, both in outcome and process.
\subsection{Broader Impact}
Currently, every semester approximately 350,000 US students are taking introductory undergraduate physics courses similar to at least one of the courses at the participating institutions~\cite{aapt}.
For many of these students, it is both their first and their last formal exposure to physics. Students will go into a large spectrum of careers, with or without an understanding of the basic concepts of the physical world.
-This project has the potential of broader impact, since like many of the other efforts in Physics Education Research (PER), it is carried out within regular college
+This project has a broader impact potential, because, like many of the other efforts in Physics Education Research (PER), it is carried out within regular college
venues. The three participating institutions, an ivy league school, a large state university, and a small liberal arts college, host different student
populations and offer different teaching environments. This allows to study a wide and diverse range of educational settings. There is also a regional
component, since the collaborating schools come from three culturally different parts of the United States.
-The tools developed in the proposed project are flexible and can be used nationwide by instiutions with very different resources, including community colleges and high schools.
+The tools developed in the proposed project are flexible and can be used nationwide by institutions with very different resources, including community colleges and high schools.
Both the tool and any developed, implemented, and adapted materials will be readily available for physics faculty.
\section{Relevant Results from Prior NSF Support}\label{results}
@@ -213,7 +217,7 @@
effective than passive learning. Our experiences with Peer Instruction, as well as those of many others, who have
responded to our survey, show Peer Instruction to be an effective collaborative approach to learning.
-The primary resource needed for teaching with Peer Instruction is a supply of suitable ConcepTests (CTs) -questions that test students' understanding of the basic concepts covered \cite{mref11}. We have developed and
+The primary resource needed for teaching with Peer Instruction is a supply of suitable ConcepTests (CTs) -- questions that test students' understanding of the basic concepts covered \cite{mref11}. We have developed and
refined over 1,000 CTs for use in introductory physics courses. These CTs are freely available to instructors through the ILT web site (detailed below), together with over 400 additional CTs that have been contributed by others.
An indicator of the rapid spread of the method is the availability of books with ConcepTests for chemistry, astronomy, and calculus courses.
The group developed Project Galileo (DUE \#9554870, On-line server of educational resources, \$800,000, 3/1/96-3/1/00; DUE \#9980802 Creating a community of Peer Instruction users: dissemination and
@@ -246,13 +250,15 @@
\subsection{Pre-Tests and Assessment Instruments}
\label{inventories}
-The project involves three academic institutions of very different character. In order to compare and contrast results gathered across these institutions, initial conditions for our
-analyses need to be established.
+The project involves three academic institutions of very different character. In order to compare and contrast results gathered across these institutions,
+it is important to assess attitutides and prior subject knowledge of the different student populations in order to compare and contrast research findings.
-Instruments have been developed to assess epistemological beliefs, for example the Epistemological Beliefs Assessment for Physical Science (EBAPS) Instrument~\cite{EBAPS}. Related to epistemological beliefs are learners' expectations and attitudes, and of particular interest is the Maryland Physics Expectations (MPEX) survey~\cite{MPEX}.
+Instruments have been developed to assess epistemological beliefs, for example the Epistemological Beliefs Assessment for Physical Science (EBAPS) Instrument~\cite{EBAPS}.
+Related to epistemological beliefs are learners' expectations and attitudes, and of particular interest to research in physics education is the Maryland Physics Expectations (MPEX) survey~\cite{MPEX}.
To assess prior knowledge of the subject area, we will use existing concept inventory surveys as both pre- and post-tests.
-The qualitative Force Concept Inventory~\cite{fci} and the quantitative companion Mechanical Baseline Test~\cite{hestenesmech} have been used in a large number of studies connected to the teaching of introductory mechanics. The Foundation Coalition has been developing a number of relevant concept inventories~\cite{foundation}, namely the Thermodynamics Concept Inventory, the Dynamics Concept Inventory, and the Electromagnetics Concept Inventory (with two subcomponents, namely Waves and Fields). Since these were designed from an engineering point of view, some adjustment might be necessary. In addition, the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM)~\cite{maloney} is available for the second semester course.
+The qualitative Force Concept Inventory~\cite{fci} and the quantitative companion Mechanical Baseline Test~\cite{hestenesmech} have been used in a large number of studies connected to the teaching of introductory mechanics.
+The Foundation Coalition has developed a number of concept inventories~\cite{foundation}, namely the Thermodynamics Concept Inventory, the Dynamics Concept Inventory, and the Electromagnetics Concept Inventory (with two subcomponents, namely Waves and Fields). In addition, the Conceptual Survey of Electricity and Magnetism (CSEM)~\cite{maloney} is available for the second semester course.
\subsection{\label{subsec:problemcat}Problem Classification}
Kashy~\cite{kashyd01} showed that student mastery of different types of homework problems correlates differently with the students' performance on final exams ---
@@ -263,10 +269,11 @@
\noindent{\bf Single-Response Multiple-Choice:} The most basic and most easily computer-evaluated type of question, where only one option is correct,
see for example the original ConcepTest problems on the left of Figs.~\ref{repre} and \ref{reprecoll}.\newline
-{\bf Multiple-Response Multiple-Choice} This type of problem, a first step beyond conventional problems, requires a student to evaluate each statement and make a decision about it. The problem on the right side of Fig.~\ref{repre} is of this type.
+{\bf Multiple-Response Multiple-Choice} This type of problem, a first step beyond single-response problems, requires a student to evaluate each statement and make a decision about it. The problem on the right side of Fig.~\ref{repre} is of this type.
\newline
{\bf Numerical and Formula Short Answer:} Numerical answers (potentially in multiple dimensions and including physical units), such as ``\verb!17 kg/m^3!" or mathematical expressions (potentially in multiple dimensions), such as ``\verb!1/2*m*(vx^2+vy^2)!", are expected. \newline
-{\bf Ranking-Tasks:} This type of problem requires a student to rank a number of statements, scenarios, or objects with respect to a certain feature. For example, a student might be asked to rank a number of projectiles in the order that they will hit the ground, or a number of locations in order of the strength of their local electric potential.Several options may have the same rank (``tie'').The left panel of Fig.~\ref{reprecoll} is of this type.
+{\bf Ranking-Tasks:} This type of problem requires a student to rank a number of statements, scenarios, or objects with respect to a certain feature. For example, a student might be asked to rank a number of projectiles in the order that they hit the ground, or a number of locations in order of the strength of their local electric potential.
+Several options may have the same rank (``tie''). The left panel of Fig.~\ref{reprecoll} is of this type.
\newline
{\bf Click-on-Image:} Learners need to click on different parts in an image, for example on where to cut a wire in order to brighten up a lightbulb elsewhere in a circuit diagram.
@@ -280,8 +287,8 @@
In addition, we consider the following features, which may or may not apply to any question type (adapted from Redish~\cite{redish}):
\noindent
-{\bf Representation-Translation:} This type of problem requires a student to translate between different representations of the same situation, for example from a graphical to a numerical or textual representation. The answer might be required in different formats, see for example
-Fig.~\ref{repre}. Translation between representations can be surprisingly challenging for physics learners~\cite{mcdermott,beichner}.
+{\bf Representation-Translation:} This type of surprisingly challengingi~\cite{mcdermott,beichner} problem requires a student to translate between different representations of the same situation, for example from a graphical to a numerical or textual representation. The answer might be required in different formats, see for example
+Fig.~\ref{repre}.
\newline
{\bf Context-based Reasoning:} The distinguishing characteristic of these problems is that they are set in the context of real-world scenarios and not in the context of the artificial ``zero-friction" laboratory scenarios of typical textbook problems.
@@ -291,7 +298,7 @@
before and after the introduction of extensions to the current Peer Instruction technique.
The PIs of this project have experience analysing student discussions from a prior project which examined asynchronous online student discussions around different types of online homework problems.
-After categorization of both the problem types and the discussion contributions, significant differences in the student discussion behaviour around different problem types could be extracted.
+After categorization of both the problem types and the discussion contributions, significant differences in the student discussion behavior around different problem types were extracted (subsection~\ref{priormsu}).
\begin{figure} [t]
\includegraphics[width=8cm]{collOrig}
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