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Index: modules/gerd/alt2007/graphing.bib
diff -u modules/gerd/alt2007/graphing.bib:1.6 modules/gerd/alt2007/graphing.bib:1.7
--- modules/gerd/alt2007/graphing.bib:1.6	Sat Mar 31 14:46:02 2007
+++ modules/gerd/alt2007/graphing.bib	Wed Apr  4 21:29:44 2007
@@ -195,6 +195,14 @@
    title = "Performance on multiple-choice diagnostics and complementary exam problems"
 }
 
+@CONFERENCE{steinberg97,
+   author = "Richard N. Steinberg and Micheal C. Wittmann and Edward F. Redish",
+   year = "1997",
+   booktitle = "The Changing Role Of Physics Departments In Modern University, AIP Conference Proceedings",
+   pages = "1075-1092",
+   title = "Mathematical Tutorials in Introductory Physics"
+}
+
 @BOOK{aaas93,
   author="American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)",
   title="Benchmarks for Science Literacy",
Index: modules/gerd/alt2007/graphing.tex
diff -u modules/gerd/alt2007/graphing.tex:1.9 modules/gerd/alt2007/graphing.tex:1.10
--- modules/gerd/alt2007/graphing.tex:1.9	Sat Mar 31 14:46:02 2007
+++ modules/gerd/alt2007/graphing.tex	Wed Apr  4 21:29:44 2007
@@ -53,7 +53,7 @@
 \section{Introduction}
 The ability to work with graphs is a basic skill of any scientist. Sketching is a skill that allows one to express general relationships with just a few strokes. When scientists are discussing concepts and phenomena, they quickly resort to sketches of one variable versus another, sometimes just three lines on a paper: two axes and a curve. But how often do we intentionally teach our students about this important representation format?
 
-Even with the relatively simple concept of position, velocity, and acceleration, students have unexpected difficulties translating between graphical representations and both the mathematical representation and the ``real world''~\cite{mcdermott,beichner,meltzer05,clement81}. These difficulties can sometimes have subtle origins that lead to cognitive disconnects. For example,  using a graph showing the position of a bouncing ball versus time, Ferrara~\cite{ferrara} found that even the sign, i.e., measuring the distance from the ground versus from the launch points, can make a large difference. Students might misinterpret a graph as a pictorial representation of a situation~\cite{elby00}, mix up what is on the axes, or become confused when approximating the slope of a graph that does not start at the origin~\cite{beichner}. 
+Even with the relatively simple concept of position, velocity, and acceleration, students have unexpected difficulties translating between graphical representations and both the mathematical representation and the ``real world''~\cite{mcdermott,beichner,meltzer05,clement81}. These difficulties can sometimes have subtle origins that lead to cognitive disconnects. For example,  using a graph showing the position of a bouncing ball versus time, Ferrara~\cite{ferrara} found that even the sign, i.e., measuring the distance from the ground versus from the launch points, can make a large difference. Students might misinterpret a graph as a pictorial representation of a situation~\cite{elby00}, mix up what is on the axes, or become confused when approximating the slope of a graph that does not start at the origin~\cite{beichner}. Sketches have also been successfully used in tutorial settings to provide the link between the conceptual and the mathematical understanding of physics phenomena (e.g., wave propagation~\cite{steinberg97}).
 
 Students need practice in both generating and interpreting graphs, but appropriate formative assessment frequently is lacking in the typically large enrollment introductory courses due to scalability problems: there are simply not enough teaching assistants to give the students appropriate feedback on these complex tasks. Too often, instead the problems given in physics courses focus on numerical calculations, e.g., ``A car accelerates from rest at $2 m/s^2$ for 10 seconds. What is the distance covered?'' Students can ``solve'' these problems without any understanding of the underlying concepts~\cite{lin,heuvelen}. 
 Going beyond these types, problems may require selecting from a series of possible graphical answers in a multiple choice setting, inputting an equation and having the software sketch it~\cite{kennedy04}, or plotting a given function or set of data. It has been found, however, that such traditional representation-translation problem types do not lead to significantly increased conceptual (or less procedural) solution strategies~\cite{kortemeyer05ana}, i.e., they do not lead students to construct any new knowledge in a manner different from numerical or other multiple-choice problems. 
@@ -61,7 +61,7 @@
 The sketching of graphs is an example of a more constructivist approach to teaching conceptual and visualization skills, requiring students to make a number of decisions:
 \begin{itemize}
 \item Where does the graph start and finish (are the start and end points known and/or significant)?
-\item What is the general shape of the curve (e.g., exponential growth or decay, a hysteresis, sinusoidial, asymptotic)?
+\item What is the general shape of the curve (e.g., exponential growth or decay, a hysteresis, sinusoidal, asymptotic)?
 \item Are there singularities or significant points along the way?
 \end{itemize}
  (list expanded from \cite{kennedy04}). In short, students need to {\it construct} the curve, not reproduce it or select it from a set of prefabricated solutions.
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@
 \item Translate from one graphical representation to another (for example, sketch a v-t graph from an x-t graph)~\cite{disessa04}.\vspace*{-2mm}
 \item Conceptual understanding of physics topics.\vspace*{-2mm}
 \end{itemize}
-We also expect that a better qualitative understanding of graphs will lead to improved quantitative generation and interpretation of graphs. When producing a graph ``dot-to-dot,'' it is easy to get lost in details. An increased qualitative understanding of graphs is expected to enable students to visualize the whole graph before embarking into the task of the ``dot-to-dot'' graphing.
+We also expect that a better qualitative understanding of graphs will lead to improved quantitative generation and interpretation of graphs. When producing a graph ``dot-to-dot,'' it is easy to get lost in details. An increased qualitative understanding of graphs is expected to enable students to visualize the whole graph before embarking on the task of the ``dot-to-dot'' graphing.
 
 \subsection{Technology Goals}
 This project goes beyond offering different options for graphs or drawing graphs based on adjustable parameters to splines. It will develop algorithms that evaluate freehand input of graphs with various randomized constraints or scenarios. The constructed rule set and its tolerances will be adaptive and allow adjustment through feedback loops. Usability and accessibility testing is part of the design process, and scalability concerns will be strongly taken into account in order to develop a widely usable tool, not a laboratory-type proof-of-concept. The tools will be developed on top of an existing software infrastructure, but will be kept modular and be made available open-source, so they can be deployed in other contexts.
@@ -112,9 +112,9 @@
 developed the cross-institutional learning content management system Learning{\it{}Online} Network with Computer Assisted Personalized Approach (LON-CAPA)\cite{loncapa} and researched methods to assess the educational impact of
 content resources and representations within its shared content pool.
 
-LON-CAPA is open-source (GNU General Public License) freeware, there are no licensing costs associated. 
+LON-CAPA is open-source (GNU General Public License) freeware, with no licensing costs associated. 
 Both aspects are important for the success of this project: the open-source nature of the system allows researchers to modify and adapt the system in order to address research needs, and the freeware character allows 
-easier dissemination of results, in particular adaptation and implementation at other universities.
+easier dissemination of results, in particular, adaptation and implementation at other universities.
 The system started in 1992 as a tool to deliver personalized homework to students, ``personalized'' meaning that each student sees a different version of the same 
 computer-generated problem: different numbers, choices, graphs, images, simulation parameters, 
 etc~\cite{kashyd01} (see Fig.~\ref{induction} for an example).
@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@
 \begin{quote}
 Draw a graph of acceleration versus time for a car that first stands at a red light, drives off when the light turns green, and then coasts with a constant velocity. Take ``forward'' to be positive.
 \end{quote}
-Fig.~\ref{acccorrect} shows possible acceptable solutions. Note that any solution that would show a positive acceleration for a limited time would be correct. Also note that due to the lack of precision in graphical input with a mouse, the left edge of the curve in the right panel actually slightly bends backward -- the software should accept these minor flaws.
+Fig.~\ref{acccorrect} shows possible acceptable solutions. Note that any solution that would show a positive acceleration for a limited time would be correct. Also note that, due to the lack of precision in graphical input with a mouse, the left edge of the curve in the right panel actually slightly bends backward -- the software should accept these minor flaws.
 \begin{figure}
 \includegraphics[width=3in]{figures/acccorrect1}
 \includegraphics[width=3in]{figures/acccorrect2}
@@ -177,21 +177,21 @@
 \begin{figure}
 \includegraphics[width=3in]{figures/correct1}
 \includegraphics[width=3in]{figures/correct2}
-\caption{Examples of acceptable solutions (blue, solid) for the example problem described in section~\ref{potproblem}. The system provides a graph of a potential versus location along an axis that has two charges placed on it (black, dashed). The electric field is given by $\vec E=-\nabla V$.\label{potentialcorrect}}
+\caption{Examples for acceptable solutions (blue, solid) for the example problem described in section~\ref{potproblem}. The system provides a graph of a potential versus location along an axis that has two charges placed on it (black, dashed). The electric field is given by $\vec E=-\nabla V$.\label{potentialcorrect}}
 \end{figure}
 The graphs in Fig.~\ref{potentialincorrect} are not correct because of a sign error and the assumption that the field is zero where the potential is zero, respectively.
 
 \begin{figure}
 \includegraphics[width=3in]{figures/incorrect1}
 \includegraphics[width=3in]{figures/incorrect2}
-\caption{Examples of incorrect solutions for the example problem in section~\ref{potproblem}.\label{potentialincorrect}}
+\caption{Examples for incorrect solutions for the example problem in section~\ref{potproblem}.\label{potentialincorrect}}
 \end{figure}
 Different randomizations of this problem will have other charge distributions or relative strengths, which will result in different system-provided graphs for the potential.
 \subsection{Significant versus spurious features}
 When the system evaluates a student-provided graph, it is important to distinguish significant from spurious graph features. Examples for significant features might include:
 \begin{itemize}
-\item linear versus non-linear\vspace*{-2mm}
-\item asymptotic behavior at infinity or other points\vspace*{-2mm}
+\item linear versus nonlinear\vspace*{-2mm}
+\item asymptotic behavior at infinity or at particular points\vspace*{-2mm}
 \item approximate positions of maxima and minima\vspace*{-2mm}
 \item approximate positions of axis intercepts\vspace*{-2mm}
 \item curvature (convex/concave)
@@ -202,9 +202,9 @@
 \item artifacts from inputting the graph using a mouse or trackpad\vspace*{-2mm}
 \item exact position of axis intercepts, minima and maxima\vspace*{-2mm}
 \end{itemize}
-Which features to which degree are significant depends on the problem posed. Also, features that the instructor might characterize as spurious may not be seen as such by the students - ignoring this possibility may lead authors to miss some key difficulties that students face. Thus, the problem-specific list of spurious features may need to be evaluated and revised based on the study's findings. For example, for the acceleration problem in section~\ref{accproblem} the exact shape of the graph is irrelevant, as long as the graph starts with zero and ends with zero, and is positive for a finite time in-between. In the potential versus field problem~\ref{potproblem} on the other hand, the asymptotic behavior at certain positions and the position of crossing axes is important. 
+Which features are significant, and to what degrees, depends on the problem posed. Also, features that the instructor might characterize as spurious may not be seen as such by the students - ignoring this possibility may lead authors to miss some key difficulties that students face. Thus, the problem-specific list of spurious features may need to be evaluated and revised based on the study's findings. For example, for the acceleration problem in section~\ref{accproblem} the exact shape of the graph is irrelevant, as long as the graph starts with zero and ends with zero, and is positive for a finite intermediate time. In the potential versus field problem of Section~\ref{potproblem} on the other hand, the asymptotic behavior at certain positions and the position of crossing axes is important. 
 \subsection{Rules}\label{rules}
-Rather than constructing the graph using B\'ezier curves and checking if the parameters are within acceptable tolerance~\cite{kennedy04}, we propose to evaluate the graphs using rule sets for the function itself and its derivatives. Figures~\ref{accrule} and \ref{potrule} show examples of what these rules might look like.
+Rather than constructing the graph using B\'ezier curves and checking if the parameters are within acceptable tolerance~\cite{kennedy04}, we propose to evaluate the graphs using rule sets for the function itself and its derivatives. Figures~\ref{accrule} and \ref{potrule} show examples for what these rules might look like.
 \begin{figure}\begin{center}
 \begin{tabular}{|l|l|l|l|l|l|}\hline
 {\bf Type}&{\bf From $x$}&{\bf To $x$}&{\bf From $y$}&{\bf To $y$}&{\bf Rules}\\\hline
@@ -256,7 +256,7 @@
 \end{itemize}
 An even harder task may be the determination of the appropriate fuzziness. To this end, after the specification of the rule set, the author will be asked to provide a number of correct sketches for different randomizations of the problem. The system will then either determine the appropriate fuzziness or reject the rule set, in which case the author will be asked to modify it.
 \subsection{Refining the Rule Set}
-LON-CAPA has a built-in feedback system to the instructors and authors. When a student sends a message using this system, the instructor is provided with complete contextual information, i.e., the version of the problem that the student had, and his or her previous attempts~\cite{kortemeyer05feedback}. As students are working on problems, they frequently contact instructors with questions why their solution is wrong, and at times, errors in problems get detected this way. In such cases, the instructor can manually give credit and notify the author. We will enhance this author feedback loop such that student solutions can be used to adjust the rule set or fuzziness of problems. In addition, authors, since they will be able to see the student input, can use it to define conditional student feedback rules (section~\ref{adaptive}), and thus close the feedback loop.
+LON-CAPA has a built-in feedback system to the instructors and authors. When a student sends a message using this system, the instructor is provided with complete contextual information, i.e., the version of the problem that the student had, and his or her previous attempts~\cite{kortemeyer05feedback}. As students work on a problem, they often query the instructor as to why their solution is wrong, occasionally exposing an error in the problem. In such cases, the instructor can manually give credit and notify the author. We will enhance this author feedback loop such that student solutions can be used to adjust the rule set or fuzziness of problems. In addition, authors will be able to use student feedback to define conditional student feedback rules (section~\ref{adaptive}), and thus close the feedback loop.
 \section{Tool Development}\label{tool}
 Most of the infrastructure for the sketching tool is already in place, including all of the content and course management features. We will need to develop
 a client-side tool that can take the graph input and the server-side functionality that is to be used to author and evaluate the rule sets.
@@ -267,9 +267,9 @@
 \end{itemize}
 The initial coding will be carried out by members of the MSU LON-CAPA group and is expected to take approximately nine months. As the tool is refined, additional coding will be necessary.
 \section{Usability Testing}
-The ease of authoring is crucial for the widespread adoption of the tool, and has been one of the limiting factors to the dissemination of the original Interactive Graphing Tool.~\cite{kennedy04}. The same is true for the student interface: a tool that students cannot use is not likely going to find wide adoption by instructors. In order to ensure that the graphing tool meets user expectations and that the interaction between the system and the user is optimized, user-centered design methodologies should be incorporated into the product development process. User-centered design means that products are developed such that they are easy, effective, accessible, and enjoyable to use from the {\it users'} perspective, supporting the tasks that they are trying to accomplish. We propose that conducting a usability evaluation (with representative end users) and a web accessibility evaluation will significantly enhance the toolÕs usability, thereby resulting in a more successful, usable, enjoyable product.
+The ease of authoring is crucial for the widespread adoption of the tool, and has been one of the limiting factors to the dissemination of the original Interactive Graphing Tool~\cite{kennedy04}. The same is true for the student interface: a tool that students cannot use is not likely going to find wide adoption by instructors. In order to ensure that the graphing tool meets user expectations and that the interaction between the system and the user is optimized, user-centered design methodologies should be incorporated into the product development process. User-centered design means that products are developed such that they are easy, effective, accessible, and enjoyable to use from the {\it users'} perspective, supporting the tasks that they are trying to accomplish. We propose that conducting a usability evaluation (with representative end users) and a web accessibility evaluation will significantly enhance the toolÕs usability, thereby resulting in a more successful, usable, enjoyable product.
 \subsection{Testing Facility}\label{uac}
-The usability evaluation and/or usability focus group would be conducted at the MSU Usability \& Accessibility Center. The facility is equipped with Internet connectivity and video recording equipment, operated from a separate control room. The facility enables both the recording of one-on-one usability sessions and/or focus groups, as well as their live observation from a separate area~\cite{msuusabilitylab}.
+The usability evaluation and/or focus group would be conducted at the MSU Usability \& Accessibility Center. The facility is equipped with Internet connectivity and video recording equipment, operated from a separate control room. The facility enables both the recording of one-on-one usability sessions and/or focus groups, as well as their live observation from a separate area~\cite{msuusabilitylab}.
 \subsection{Usability Evaluation}\label{usability}
 Usability specialists will conduct two usability evaluations: Faculty user group, consisting of 10 representative faculty members, and a Student user group comprised of 10 representative college students. The goal of the user experience testing is to assess the degree to which the product matches the way that they expect to interact with the graphing tool based on their background and experience. This study would involve conducting one-on-one user experience sessions lasting 1-1/2 hours each. Additionally, the session will consist of users performing 5-6 task scenarios that concentrate on the core functionality of the product. For the Faculty group, the tasks will include general problem editing, specifying which characteristics of the graphs are important, using the tool to test problems, and working with student results. The tasks for the Student group will concentrate on inputting their graphs, making corrections to graphs, and the quality of the feedback by the system. Key usability goals would include effectiveness, which refers to how well a system does what it is supposed to do (measures: percentage of tasks completed successfully; number and types of errors); efficiency, or the way a system supports users in carrying out their tasks (measure: time to perform a particular task successfully); and satisfaction which relates to the subjective responses users have to the system (measures: user satisfaction ratings; verbal and written feedback). This usability evaluation will save time and reduce development costs by anticipating user expectations and reactions before the product design or redesign is finalized. \subsection{Web Accessibility Compliance Inspection}\label{accessibility}
 Accessibility experts will evaluate the graphing tool and identify the improvements needed to ensure legal compliance with Section 508 standards~\cite{section508}. Coding the tool with accessibility design principles in mind will enhance the user experience of customers who use assistive technology as they interact with the product, thus increasing the ability to reach and satisfy the broadest possible audience. Additionally, including common accessibility features would dramatically improve the user experience for customers using mobile phone browsers, personal digital assistants, and even low-bandwidth connections. 
@@ -311,7 +311,7 @@
 
 Research results will be published in the standard journals, including The Physics Teacher for application studies, and the American Journal of Physics or the Physical Review ST-PER cognitive studies. Presentations will be given at the American Association of Physics Teachers conferences and associated PER conferences.
 \section{Project Management}
-The primary project responsibility will be with the PI, Gerd Kortemeyer. Dr.~Fortus will coordinate the educational research component, and together with and Dr.~Kortemeyer  supervise the postdoctoral associate in physics education research, who will assist in both the content development and the study of the educational effectiveness. Drs.~Denton and Kortemeyer will develop the problems and use them in their courses, which will be the venue for the evaluation of the tool. Stuart Raeburn will be the lead programmer for the tool development. All coding efforts will be coordinated with the LON-CAPA Technical Director, Guy Albertelli.  Sarah Swierenga, Director of the Usability \& Accessibility Center at MSU, will be responsible for the direction of the usability and accessibility study.
+The primary project responsibility will be with the PI, Gerd Kortemeyer. Dr.~Fortus will coordinate the educational research component, and together with and Dr.~Kortemeyer  supervise the postdoctoral associate in physics education research, who will assist in both the content development and the study of the educational effectiveness. Dr.~Kortemeyer and the postdoctoral associate will develop the problems in consultation with Dr.~Denton. Drs.~Kortemeyer and Denton will use the problems in their courses at MSU and NDSU, which will be the venues for the evaluation of the tool. Stuart Raeburn will be the lead programmer for the tool development. All coding efforts will be coordinated with the LON-CAPA Technical Director, Guy Albertelli.  Sarah Swierenga, Director of the Usability \& Accessibility Center at MSU, will be responsible for the direction of the usability and accessibility study.
 \section{Project Timeline}
 \begin{description}
 \item[Year 1]
@@ -326,12 +326,12 @@
 \end{description}
 \section{Qualifications of the PIs}
 \begin{description}
-\item[Gerd Kortemeyer] is an assistant professor of physics education at Michigan State University. He has taught introductory calculus-based physics for a number of years. He is the Principal Investigator of the LON-CAPA Project (section~\ref{loncapa}), has contributed to its code base, and has authored more than 1200 online resources (problems, text pages, and images) within the system. In addition, he is currently authoring problem for the Serway physics textbook~\cite{serway}, and authored a book on numerical coprocessors with a significant portion devoted to discrete signal processing~\cite{copro}.
+\item[Gerd Kortemeyer] is an assistant professor of physics education at Michigan State University. He has taught introductory calculus-based physics for a number of years. He is the Principal Investigator of the LON-CAPA Project (section~\ref{loncapa}), has contributed to its code base, and has authored more than 1200 online resources (problems, text pages, and images) within the system. In addition, he is currently authoring problems for the Serway physics textbook~\cite{serway}, and authored a book on numerical coprocessors with a significant portion devoted to discrete signal processing~\cite{copro}.
 \item[David Fortus] is a senior scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel and an assistant professor of science education at Michigan State University. He is a co-PI on the IQWST project 
 (section~\ref{iqwst}), has won research awards from the National Association for Research on Science Teaching (NARST) and from the American Psychological Association (APA), and has worked as a project manager in the hi-tech industry. 
 \item[Stuart Raeburn] is currently a postdoctoral staff member in the Division of Science and Mathematics Education (DSME) at Michigan State University, where he is a member of the LON-CAPA development team.  In the past decade at Michigan State University (prior to joining DSME) he was a visiting faculty in the Department of Geological Sciences, where he taught a variety of geology courses, from introductory to graduate level, and he was also a developer and administrator for a number of course management systems in the centrally-supported Faculty Facility for Creative Computing. 
 \item[Sarah Swierenga] is the director of the MSU Usability \& Accessibility Center (UAC, section~\ref{uac}) and Professor by Courtesy in the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies, and Media. She is responsible for developing and disseminating innovations in theory building, research methodologies, and technologies to enhance usability and accessibility in Web and information technology contexts. She has worked with users in commercial, military, and academic environments. Swierenga received a Ph.D. in human factors psychology with a concentration in human-computer interaction from the University of South Dakota, and a B.A. in psychology from Calvin College. She is also a Certified Professional Ergonomist (C.P.E.).
-\item[Alan Denton] is an associate professor of Physics at North Dakota State University.  He facilitated NDSU's implementation of LON-CAPA, which now is the local course-management, homework-assignment, and testing system for all introductory Physics courses (serving 600 students per semester).  Over the past 10 years, he has taught a spectrum of physics courses from undergraduate to advanced graduate, using LON-CAPA from introductory mechanics to senior-level quantum mechanics.  His keen interest in physics pedagogy was sparked by attending an APS/AAPT-sponsored Physics and Astronomy New Faculty workshop.  His research interests are in theoretical and computational condensed matter physics, with emphasis on modeling of colloids, polymers, and other soft materials.
+\item[Alan Denton] is an associate professor of physics at North Dakota State University.  He facilitated NDSU's implementation of LON-CAPA, which now is the local course-management, homework-assignment, and testing system for all introductory physics courses (serving 600 students per semester).  Over the past 10 years, he has taught a spectrum of physics courses from undergraduate to advanced graduate, using LON-CAPA from introductory mechanics to senior-level quantum mechanics.  His keen interest in physics pedagogy was sparked by attending an APS/AAPT-sponsored Physics and Astronomy New Faculty workshop.  His research interests are in theoretical and computational condensed matter physics, with emphasis on modeling of colloids, polymers, and other soft materials.
 \end{description}
 \pagebreak
 \bibliography{graphing}

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