[LON-CAPA-cvs] cvs: modules /gerd/concept description.tex

[www]

This is a MIME encoded message

--www1089386896
Content-Type: text/plain

www		Fri Jul  9 11:28:16 2004 EDT

  Modified files:              
    /modules/gerd/concept	description.tex 
  Log:
  Oh what fun ...
  
  
  
--www1089386896
Content-Type: text/plain
Content-Disposition: attachment; filename="www-20040709112816.txt"

Index: modules/gerd/concept/description.tex
diff -u modules/gerd/concept/description.tex:1.7 modules/gerd/concept/description.tex:1.8
--- modules/gerd/concept/description.tex:1.7	Thu Jul  8 22:26:16 2004
+++ modules/gerd/concept/description.tex	Fri Jul  9 11:28:15 2004
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@
 \end{quote}
 and that by the reverse token --- within the limitations of online computer-evaluated problems ---
 \begin{quote}
-{\bf Hypothesis 1b:} There are classes of online formative assessment computer-evaluated problems which make learners confront their non-expertlike epistemologies and encourage expertlike problem-solving strategies\end{quote}
+{\bf Hypothesis 1b:} There are types of online formative assessment computer-evaluated problems which make learners confront their non-expertlike epistemologies and encourage expertlike problem-solving strategies\end{quote}
 
 Hewitt in the preface to his textbook "Conceptual Physics"~\cite{hewitt} argues that the mathematical language of physics often deters the average non-science students, a notion which concurs with Tobias' concept of "math phobia"\cite{tobias}, which is a particular issue for students in the "second tier"\cite{tobiasST} of science course.  For them, the use of mathematics in physics courses can present a hurdle, and a lack of skills or confidence to perform basic algebraic manipulations ("$V=RI\ \Rightarrow\ R=V/I"$), or even problems operating their pocket calculators, can hinder students' learning progress in physics at a very basic level.
 
@@ -126,46 +126,59 @@
 Dr.~Kortemeyer received his Diplom (ÒM.Sc.Ó) in physics in 1993 from the UniversitŠt Hannover, Germany (Advisor Prof. P. U. Sauer), and his Ph.D. in physics from Michigan State University in 1997 (Advisor Prof. W. Bauer).He has been working at Michigan State University since 1997. His first appointment has been as an Academic Specialist in the Division of Science and Mathematics Education (DSME), where he has been leading instructional technology development projects for the College of Natural Science, and is the director of the Learning{\it Online} Network with Computer-Assisted Personalized Approach (LON-CAPA) project, see section~\ref{loncapa}.  He also taught introductory physics in a completely online mode, as well as co-taught in a more traditional on-campus setting.
 
 Starting August 2004, Dr.~Kortemeyer will be working in a tenure-track position as Assistant Professor of Physics Education. His appointment will be split 75/25\% between the Lyman Briggs School of Science (LBS) and DSME. He will also be holding an appointment as Adjunct Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. His teaching responsibilities will include the introductory calculus-based physics sequence (lecture and lab) in LBS, as well as seminars in special topics. His research will be focused on postsecondary science teaching and learning, with a special emphasis on the use of technology.\subsection{Michigan State University}Michigan State University is one of the earliest land-grant institutions in the United States. MSU is committed to providing equal educational opportunity to all qualified applicants; at the undergraduate level, the university offers comprehensive programs in the liberal arts and sciences, and provides opportunities for students of varying interests, abilities, backgrounds, and expectations.  The total enrollment is approximately 44,000, 35,000 of which are undergraduates. 54\% of the student population are women, 8.1\% African American, 5.1\% Asian/Pacific Islander, 2.8\% Chicano/Other Hispanic, and 0.6\% Native American. Of the freshman class, the average high school GPA is 3.58.\subsection{Lyman Briggs School of Science}The Lyman Briggs School (LBS) at Michigan State University is a residential learning community devoted to studying the natural sciences and their impact on society. All under one roof, LBS encompasses physics, chemistry, biology, and computer laboratories; classrooms; faculty, administrative, and academic support staff offices; student residences; a dining hall; and a convenience store. With approximately 1500 students, LBS offers the benefits of a small, liberal arts college with the resources of a large research university.\subsection{Division of Science and Mathematics Education}The Division of Science and Mathematics Education (DSME) was founded at Michigan State University in 1989, and is co-administered by the College of Natural Science and the College of Education. Academic specialists and faculty members with partial appointments in various departments and other colleges, graduate and undergraduate students, and professional and clerical staff work together in DSME to conduct a variety of research projects, as well as to offer courses, degree programs, and other activities in support of its mission.
-\subsection{Model System: The Learning{\it Online} Network with CAPA}\label{loncapa}For several aspects of the proposed project, the Learning{\it Online} Network with Computer-Assisted Personalized Approach (LON-CAPA; {\tt http://www.lon-capa.org/}) will be the model system. LON-CAPA is an open-source freeware distributed learning content management, course management, and assessment system, and also the model system of the current NSF-ITR grant, see section~\cite{results}. Dr.~Kortemeyer is the director of the LON-CAPA project. \subsubsection{Shared Distributed Content Repository}LON-CAPA is designed around the concept of easy sharing and re-use of learning resources. The ITR research showed that this is only possible by integrating all layers of the infrastructure to give instructors a seamless user experience: pure library systems, such as NSDL, do not offer instructors the ability to in one system:\begin{enumerate}
-\item locate existing content\item generate and publish new content\item enforce secure digital rights management
-\item assemble (sequence) content\item deploy the assembled content in a complete course management system\item have continual assessment of the learning content quality, both subjective and objective\end{enumerate}In addition, the system has to be highly scalable, and avoid single points of failure.In LON-CAPA, the underlying distributed content repository spans all servers in a given cluster. Navigation through selected resources is provided by an internal sequencing tool, which allows assembling, re-using, and re-purposing content at different levels of granularity (pages, lessons, modules, chapters, etc). LON-CAPA provides highly customizable access control on resources, and has a built-in key mechanism to charge for content access. The shared content pool of LON-CAPA currently contains over 60,000 learning resources, including more than 18,000 personalized homework problems. Disciplines include astronomy, biology, business, chemistry, civil engineering, computer science, family and child ecology, geology, human food and nutrition, human medicine, mathematics, medical technology, physics, and psychology. A large fraction of these resources are also available through the gateway to the National Science Digital Library. In addition, the problem supplements to a number of commercial textbooks are available in LON-CAPA format.The network provides constant assessment of the resource quality through objective and subjective dynamic metadata. Selection of a learning resource by instructors at other institutions while constructing a learning module does both establish a de-facto peer-review mechanism and provide additional context information for each resource. In addition, access statistics are being kept, and learners can put evaluation information on each resources.\subsubsection{Formative and Summative Assessment Capabilities}LON-CAPA started in 1992 as a system to give personalized homework to students in introductory physics courses.  ÒPersonalized" means that each student sees a different version of the same computer-generated problem: different numbers, choices, graphs, images, simulation parameters, etc, Fig.~\ref{twoproblems}.
-\begin{figure}\label{twoproblems}
-\includegraphics[width=6.5in]{atwood}
-\caption{Web-rendering of the same LON-CAPA problem for two different students.}
-\end{figure}Students can thus discuss the problems and collaborate on finding solutions, but not simply exchange the answers.
+\subsection{Model System: The Learning{\it Online} Network with CAPA}\label{loncapa}For several aspects of the proposed project, the Learning{\it Online} Network with Computer-Assisted Personalized Approach (LON-CAPA; {\tt http://www.lon-capa.org/}) will be the model system. LON-CAPA is a distributed learning content management, course management, and assessment system, and also the model system of the current NSF-ITR grant, see section~\cite{results}. 
 
-Any problem can be rendered for a variety of purposes: online homework, printed homework, online exams, and printed exams with answer "bubbles."\subsubsection{Course Management}Over the years, the system added a learning content management system and standard course management features, such as communications, gradebook, etc., which are comparable to commercial course management systems, such as BlackBoard, WebCT, or ANGEL. See 
-Refs.~\cite{features,edutools} for an overview of features, and comparisons to other systems.In addition to standard features, the LON-CAPA delivery and course management layer is designed around STEM education, for example:
-\begin{itemize}\item support for mathematical typesetting throughout (\LaTeX\ inside of XML) Ð formulas are rendered on-the-fly, and can be algorithmically modified through the use of variables inside formulas.\item integrated GNUplot support, such that graphs can be rendered on-the-fly, and allowing additional layered labeling of graphs and images\item support for multi-dimensional symbolic math answers\item full support of physical units\end{itemize}
-\subsubsection{Open-Source Freeware}LON-CAPAÕs core development group is located at Michigan State University, and in addition to faculty members, has a staff of three fulltime programmers, two user support staff, one technician, one graduate student, and one project coordinator. LON-CAPA is open-source (GNU General Public License) freeware, there are no licensing costs associated. The LON-CAPA group offers training and support, as well as hosting.
+LON-CAPAÕs core development group is located at Michigan State University, and in addition to faculty members, has a staff of three fulltime programmers, two user support staff, one technician, one graduate student, and one project coordinator. LON-CAPA is open-source (GNU General Public License) freeware, there are no licensing costs associated. The LON-CAPA group offers training and support, as well as hosting.
 
-\subsection{Collaborative Learning Laboratory}
+Dr.~Kortemeyer is the director of the LON-CAPA project. \subsubsection{Shared Distributed Content Repository}LON-CAPA is designed around the concept of easy sharing and re-use of learning resources. The ITR research showed that this is only possible by integrating all layers of the infrastructure to give instructors a seamless user experience: pure library systems, such as NSDL, do not offer instructors the ability to in one system: locate existing content; generate and publish new content; enforce secure digital rights management; assemble (sequence) content; deploy the assembled content in a complete course management system; and have continual assessment of the learning content quality, both subjective and objectiveIn addition, the system has to be highly scalable, and avoid single points of failure.In LON-CAPA, the underlying distributed content repository spans all servers in a given cluster. Navigation through selected resources is provided by an internal sequencing tool, which allows assembling, re-using, and re-purposing content at different levels of granularity (pages, lessons, modules, chapters, etc). LON-CAPA provides highly customizable access control on resources, and has a built-in key mechanism to charge for content access. The shared content pool of LON-CAPA currently contains over 60,000 learning resources, including more than 18,000 personalized homework problems. Disciplines include astronomy, biology, business, chemistry, civil engineering, computer science, family and child ecology, geology, human food and nutrition, human medicine, mathematics, medical technology, physics, and psychology. A large fraction of these resources are also available through the gateway to the National Science Digital Library. In addition, the problem supplements to a number of commercial textbooks are available in LON-CAPA format.The network provides constant assessment of the resource quality through objective and subjective dynamic metadata. Selection of a learning resource by instructors at other institutions while constructing a learning module does both establish a de-facto peer-review mechanism and provide additional context information for each resource. In addition, access statistics are being kept, and learners can put evaluation information on each resources.\subsubsection{Formative and Summative Assessment Capabilities}LON-CAPA started in 1992 as a system to give personalized homework to students in introductory physics courses.  ÒPersonalized" means that each student sees a different version of the same computer-generated problem: different numbers, choices, graphs, images, simulation parameters, etc, Fig.~\ref{twoproblems}.
+\begin{figure}
+\includegraphics[width=6.5in]{atwood}
+\caption{Web-rendering of the same LON-CAPA problem for two different students.\label{twoproblems}
+}
+\end{figure}
+In the context of this project, this feature is important in two aspects:
+\begin{itemize}
+\item results are not tainted by students simply exchanging the answers, i.e., every student in the end has to work out their own answers
+\item as a result, lively discussions take place, both online and in the helproom --- both of which will be analyzed in this project, see section~\ref{discussion}
+\end{itemize}
+
+Students are usually given immediate feedback on the correctness of their solutions, and in some cases additional help. They are usually granted multiple attempts to get a problem correct. This allows to follow a learner's thought process, both through statistical analysis (see~\ref{statistical}) and data-mining (see~\ref{datamining}) approaches.\subsubsection{Course Management}Over the years, the system added a learning content management system and standard course management features, such as communications, gradebook, etc., which are comparable to commercial course management systems, such as BlackBoard, WebCT, or ANGEL. See 
+Refs.~\cite{features,edutools} for an overview of features, and comparisons to other systems.In addition to standard features, the LON-CAPA delivery and course management layer is designed around STEM education, for example: support for mathematical typesetting throughout (\LaTeX\ inside of XML) Ð formulas are rendered on-the-fly, and can be algorithmically modified through the use of variables inside formulas; integrated GNUplot support, such that graphs can be rendered on-the-fly, and allowing additional layered labeling of graphs and images; support for multi-dimensional symbolic math answers; and full support of physical units.\subsection{Collaborative Learning Laboratory}
 The Lyman-Briggs School of Science Collaborative Learning Laboratory, which is expected to be completed in 2005. It is modeled in part after a setup by the North Carolina State University Physics Education R\&D Group~\cite{ncsu}, and offers a space where students can collaborate on homework while their interactions and online transactions are recorded.
 
 In addition to having whiteboards and wireless laptop computers for students to work with in flexible group settings, the facility will have integrated observation equipment to video- and audio-record student interactions. All recorded information is immediately digitized and made available for transcription and analysis using the Transana~\cite{transana} software system.
 \subsection{Courses}
 The project will be carried out  LBS course sequence LBS 271/272 (calculus-based physics I \& II), which have an enrollment of over 200 students each semester. 
-\section{Classes of Online Formative Assessment Problems}
-Redish~\cite{redish} distinguishes eight classes of exam and homework questions, an adapted version of which will form the general classification scheme for Hypothesis 1b:
+\section{Classification of Online Formative Assessment Problems}
+Redish~\cite{redish} distinguishes eight types of exam and homework questions, an adapted version of which will form the general classification scheme for Hypothesis 1b:
 \begin{description}
-\item[Multiple-choice and short-answer questions]
-\item[Multiple-choice multiple-response questions]
-\item[Representation-translation questions]
-\item[Ranking-tasks]
-\item[Context-based reasoning problems]
-\item[Estimation problems]
+\item[Multiple-choice and short-answer questions] The most basic and most easily computer-evaluated type of question, representing the typical back-of-chapter textbook problem.
+
+For the purposes of this project, "multiple choice" and "short-answer" will be considered as separate classes, where short-answer includes numerical answers such as "$17 kg/m^3$."  The problems on the left side of Figs.~\ref{threemasses} and \ref{trajectory} are examples of "short-(numerical)-answer" problems.
+\item[Multiple-choice multiple-response questions]  This type of problem requires a student to evaluate each statement and make a decision about it. The problem on the right side of Fig.~\ref{threemasses} is of this type.
+\item[Representation-translation questions] 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 given in different formats, for example in the problem on the right side of Fig.~\ref{trajectory}, it is a short-numerical-answer.
+
+For the purposes of this project, "representation-translation" will be considered a feature, which may apply or may not apply to any of the other problem types.
+\item[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 points in order of the strength of their local electric potential.
+\item[Context-based reasoning problems] 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.
+
+As in the case of "representation-translation," "context-based-reasoning" in this project will be considered a feature, which may apply or may not apply to any of the other problem types.
+\item[Estimation problems], also known as "Fermi Problems" require the student to form a model for a scenario, and make reasonable assumptions. A typical example is "How many barbers are there in Chicago?" or "How long will I have to wait to find a parking spot?" While students find it initially hard to believe that these questions have anything to do with physics, hardly any expert physicist would deny their significance in learning how to solve problems~\cite{mazur96}.
+
+A component of this project (see section~\ref{estimate}) will be to find and implement mechanisms to implement these question-types within an online system in an authentic yet scalable fashion.
 \item[Qualitative questions]
 \item[Essay questions]
 \end{description}
 
-\begin{figure}\label{trajectory}
-\includegraphics[width=6.5in]{trajectoryjpg}
-\caption{Web-rendering of the same LON-CAPA problem for two different students.}
-\end{figure}
 
-\begin{figure}\label{threemasses}
+\begin{figure}
 \includegraphics[width=6.5in]{threemassesjpg}
-\caption{Web-rendering of the same LON-CAPA problem for two different students.}
+\caption{Example of two LON-CAPA problems addressing the same concepts. The problem on the left is a traditional short-numerical-answer problem, while the problem is of type "multiple-choice multiple-response."\label{threemasses}}
+\end{figure}
+
+\begin{figure}
+\includegraphics[width=6.5in]{trajectoryjpg}
+\caption{Example of two LON-CAPA problems addressing the same concepts in two different representations. The problem on the left is a traditional short-numerical-answer problem, while the problem is of type "multiple-choice multiple-response."\label{trajectory}}
 \end{figure}
 
 \section{Research Methodology}

--www1089386896--