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

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Index: modules/gerd/roleclicker/description.tex
diff -u modules/gerd/roleclicker/description.tex:1.62 modules/gerd/roleclicker/description.tex:1.63
--- modules/gerd/roleclicker/description.tex:1.62	Wed May 18 15:41:05 2005
+++ modules/gerd/roleclicker/description.tex	Wed May 18 15:58:00 2005
@@ -145,7 +145,7 @@
 \includegraphics[width=80mm]{KortemeyerFig5}
 \includegraphics[width=80mm]{KortemeyerFig6}
 \end{center}
-\caption{\small \label{fig:gradecorrel}Prominance of discussion contribution characteristics by student grade (left panel) and question difficulty (right panel).}
+\caption{\footnotesize \label{fig:gradecorrel}Prominance of discussion contribution characteristics by student grade (left panel) and question difficulty (right panel).}
 \end{figure}
 
 \noindent{\it Student Course Grade:} The left panel of 
@@ -272,59 +272,49 @@
 Fig.~\ref{formation} is a mock-up of a possible configuration of two nearest neighbors within a lecture hall. 
 We will implement a hybrid scheme, where internet based two-way communication, telling the individual student where to turn, will be combined with
 a projection of the map to the front of the class . This implementation is very flexible, since it can be used in almost any teaching environment independent of the technological resourcs available.
-\begin{figure}[t]\begin{center}\includegraphics[width=2.2in]{seatfig.eps}\caption{\small Computer-guided group formation.\label{formation}}\end{center}\end{figure}
+\begin{figure}[t]\begin{center}\includegraphics[width=2.2in]{seatfig.eps}\caption{\footnotesize Computer-guided group formation.\label{formation}}\end{center}\end{figure}
 The system records group configurations and makes analyses of pre- and post-discussion responses within the groups possible.
 
-\subsection{Implementation of the Resource Pool}
-In LON-CAPA, the underlying distributed multimedia content repository spans across all of the currently over 30 participating institutions, and currently contains over 60,000 learning content 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. 
-Any content material contributed to the pool is immediately available and ready-to-use within the system at all participating sites, thus facilitating dissemination of curricular development efforts. 
-A large fraction of these resources are also available through the gateway to the National Science Digital Library (NSDL).
-
-The ConcepTest library will be ported to the LON-CAPA, whichoffers scalable cross-institutional content and rights management features. 
-Where appropriate, gateways will be established to have different system components access the sameoriginal content.
-
 \subsection{\label{subsec:problemcat}Different Question Types}
-\begin{figure}\includegraphics[width=3.5in]{dell.eps}\includegraphics[width=2.7in]{sharp2.eps}\caption{\small Rendering of a problem on PDA devices\label{pdaview}}
+\begin{figure}\includegraphics[width=3.5in]{dell.eps}\includegraphics[width=2.7in]{sharp2.eps}\caption{\footnotesize Rendering of a problem on PDA devices\label{pdaview}}
 \end{figure}
 
-
-LON-CAPA currently has the ability to present a wide variety of question types, which we will classify as follows
+LON-CAPA currently has the ability to present a wide variety of question types, which however require more advanced client-functionality (Fig.~\ref{pdaview}). The main testbed for this functionality will be at MSU, where
+a classroom will be outfit with 120 Dell Axim X3 PDAs (purchased by MSU). LON-CAPA in the past has shown to be scalable enough to handle the ensuing peak workloads. We will classify the question types as follows
  (adapted from Redish~\cite{redish}):
 
-\noindent{\bf Single-Response Multiple-Choice:} The most basic and most easily computer-evaluated type of question, where only one option is correct,
+\noindent{\it 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 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), 
+{\it 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
+{\it 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 hit the ground, or a number of locations in order of the strength of their local electric potential.
+\newline{\it 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.
+{\it 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.
 \begin{figure} [t]\includegraphics[width=8cm]{emfOrig}\includegraphics[width=8cm]{emfMulti}
-\caption{\small Example of two problems addressing the same concepts in two different representations. The problem on the left is an original ConcepTest problem of type 
+\caption{\footnotesize Example of two problems addressing the same concepts in two different representations. The problem on the left is an original ConcepTest problem of type 
 single-response multiple-choice, the problem on the right is multiple-response multiple-choice. Both problems require representation translation since data is provided in graphical form.\label{repre}}\end{figure}
 \begin{figure} [t]
 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{collOrig}
 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{collRankNR}
 
-\caption{\small Example of two problems addressing the same concepts in two different representations. The problem on the left is an original ConcepTest problem of type single-response multiple-choice, 
+\caption{\footnotesize Example of two problems addressing the same concepts in two different representations. The problem on the left is an original ConcepTest problem of type single-response multiple-choice, 
 the problem
 on the right is rank-response.\label{reprecoll}}
 \end{figure}
 
 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 surprisingly challenging~\cite{mcdermott,beichner} problem requires a student to translate between different representations of the same 
+
+\noindent{\it Representation-Translation:} This type of surprisingly challenging~\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 
+\newline{\it 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.
 
 \subsection{Randomized Questions}\label{randomques}
 \begin{figure}[t]
 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{emfRand1}\includegraphics[width=8cm]{emfRand3}
 \includegraphics[width=8cm]{collRand2}\includegraphics[width=8cm]{collRand3}
-\caption{\small Three randomized variations of the problems in Fig.~\ref{repre} and \ref{reprecoll}. The graphs in the emf problem are dynamically generated on-the-fly, the cars and the brickwall in the 
+\caption{\footnotesize Three randomized variations of the problems in Fig.~\ref{repre} and \ref{reprecoll}. The graphs in the emf problem are dynamically generated on-the-fly, the cars and the brickwall in the 
 collision problem are randomly selected images. Each randomization leads to different answersfor different students. It should be noted that in this particular example, the collision problem became more 
 difficult if the learner realized early on that in all combinations of Fig.~\ref{reprecoll},
 the combined object after the collision will be at rest-- the corresponding constraints could have been implemented in the randomizing problem.\label{rando}}
@@ -355,26 +345,26 @@
 before and after the introduction of extensions to the current Peer Instruction technique.
 Student discussion entries are classified into four types and with ten possible features. The four types~\cite{discpaper} are
 
-\noindent{\bf Emotional:}  discussion contributions were classified as ``emotional" if they mostly communicated opinions,
+\noindent{\it Emotional:}  discussion contributions were classified as ``emotional" if they mostly communicated opinions,
 complaints, gratitude, feelings, etc. Two subtypes were ``positive" and ``negative."\newline
-{\bf Surface:} discussion contributions were classified as ``surface" if they dealt with surface features of the 
+{\it Surface:} discussion contributions were classified as ``surface" if they dealt with surface features of the 
 problem or where surface level requests for help.\newline
-{\bf Procedural:} contributions that describe or inquire about a mechanisms to solve the problem without
+{\it Procedural:} contributions that describe or inquire about a mechanisms to solve the problem without
 mention of the underlying concepts or reasoning.\newline
-{\bf Conceptual:} contributions that deal with the underlying concepts of the problem.
+{\it Conceptual:} contributions that deal with the underlying concepts of the problem.
 In addition, discussion contributions were classified by the following features~\cite{discpaper}:
 
-\noindent{\bf Unrelated:} the contribution is not related to the problem.
-\newline{\bf Solution-oriented:} the goal of the contribution is to arrive at the correct answer without mentioning or
+\noindent{\it Unrelated:} the contribution is not related to the problem.
+\newline{\it Solution-oriented:} the goal of the contribution is to arrive at the correct answer without mentioning or
 dealing with the mathematics or physics of the problem.
-\newline{\bf Mathematical:} the contribution deals mostly with the mathematical aspects of the problem.
-\newline{\bf Physics:} the contribution deals mostly with the physics aspects of the problem.
+\newline{\it Mathematical:} the contribution deals mostly with the mathematical aspects of the problem.
+\newline{\it Physics:} the contribution deals mostly with the physics aspects of the problem.
 
 In addition, the following features are considered, which were used in  
 an earlier study of discussions around group exercises in an introductory Computer Science course at Michigan State University (derived from Johnson et al.~\cite{johnson}):
-Contributes Idea; Encourages Participation; Summarizes/Integrates; Check for Understanding; Relates New to Old Learning; Gives Direction to Work.
+{\it Contributes Idea; Encourages Participation; Summarizes/Integrates; Check for Understanding; Relates New to Old Learning; Gives Direction to Work.}
 \begin{table}
-\caption{\small Example of a discussion classification around the collision problem Fig.~\ref{reprecoll}.\label{table:examples}} 
+\caption{\footnotesize Example of a discussion classification around the collision problem Fig.~\ref{reprecoll}.\label{table:examples}} 
 \footnotesize
 \begin{tabular}{l|p{8cm}|p{6cm}}
 Speaker&Contribution&Classification\\\hline
@@ -409,7 +399,7 @@
 \includegraphics[width=2in]{before}
 \includegraphics[width=2in]{after}
 \end{center}
-\caption{\small Pre- and post-discussion compiled from 5000 student-responses to 40 ConcepTests.\label{beforeafter}}
+\caption{\footnotesize Pre- and post-discussion compiled from 5000 student-responses to 40 ConcepTests.\label{beforeafter}}
 \end{figure}
 
 A very important measure of the effectiveness of Peer Instruction as well as a given ConcepTest is the gain of the percentage
@@ -425,7 +415,7 @@
 Since in addition, questions are randomizing, we are able to include some of the same questions used in class on exams and 
 quizzes. A similar study was previously conducted by Kashy~\cite{kashyd01} for homework questions. 
 \section{Commodization Phase and Dissemination}
-ubsection{Commodization Phase} \label{comphase}
+\subsection{Commodization Phase} \label{comphase}
 While in the initial phases of the project, system functionality will be combined from the existing systems (subsection~\ref{existing}) by the PIs, for the dissemination of
 successful practices,
 it is mandatory to combine functionality into a coherent system which can readily be deployed in various institutional and classroom settings.
@@ -454,7 +444,7 @@
 Table~\ref{timeline} gives an overview of the project activities across years and institutions.
 \begin{table}
 \caption{\small Proposed timeline by year and institution\label{timeline}}
-\small
+\footnotesize
 \begin{tabular}{|r|p{4.3cm}|p{4.3cm}|p{4.3cm}|}
 \hline
 Year&Harvard&MSU&Erskine\\\hline

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