Education Commons^™

Toward Cs1 Content Subscales: A Mixed-Methods Analysis Of An Introductory Computing Assessment, Miranda C. Parker, Matt J. Davidson, Yvonne S. Kao, Lauren Margulieux, Zachary Tidler, Jan Vahrenhold

Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Background and Context. There is a constant, demonstrated need for valid and reliable assessments in computing education research. While there exist assessments at a course-based level (e.g., CS1, Data Structures, Discrete math, etc.), instructors and researchers would also like concept-based subscales that are more fine-grained. However, assessments designed and validated at the course level need additional work to determine whether they can reliably and validly measure individual concepts.

Objectives. In this paper, we explore the content and factor structure of an existing CS1 assessment, the Second CS1 (SCS1) assessment, which consists of nine CS1 concepts and three question types (definitional, …

Communicating About Computational Thinking: Understanding Affordances Of Portfolios For Assessing High School Students’ Computational Thinking And Participation Practices, Deborah A. Fields, Debora Lui, Yasmin Kafai, Gayithri Jayathirtha, Justice Walker, Mia Shaw

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Background and Context: While assessment of computational thinking concepts, practices, and perspectives is at the forefront of K-12 CS education, supporting student communication about computation has received relatively little attention.

Objective: To examine the usability of process-based portfolios for capturing students’ communication about their computational practices regarding the process of making electronic textile projects.

Method: We examined the portfolios of 248 high school students in 15 introductory CS classrooms from largely underserved communities, using a formal rubric (top-down) to code computational communication and an open-coding scheme (bottom-up) to identify computational practices described.

Findings: Students demonstrated stronger …

No More Babbling! Providing “Just In Time” Instructions, Examples, And Project Development Guidance On Key Assessments Using The Sound Booth, Susan R. Adams, Kristen Allen

Center for Academic Technology (CAT) - Presentations

This poster highlights a project that was funded by an Academic Technology Innovation Grant (ATIG) awarded from the Center for Academic Technology (CAT) at Butler University.

Does Class Size Matter?: An Exploration Into Faculty Perceptions Of Teaching High-Enrollment Online Courses, Patrick R. Lowenthal, Rob Nyland, Eulho Jung, Joanna C. Dunlap, Jennifer Kepka

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Class size has been a popular topic for decades. There is renewed interest in this topic now with the growth of online learning. Online courses can accommodate hundreds, if not thousands, of students in a single course. Very little research, though, has been conducted recently on class size in online courses and the research that has been conducted is mixed. As the demand for online courses increases, so likely will class size. In this exploratory study, we investigated the perceptions and experiences of 37 faculty teaching high-enrollment online courses. In the following article, we report the results of our inquiry, …

How To Create A Stunning Video Orientation By Hand, Rachel S. Evans

Articles, Chapters and Online Publications

This article describes the multi-faceted approach UGA Law Library took with their fall 2018 first year student orientation. It describes the process of the creating a virtual tour experience, pairing it with a hybrid face-to-face event, and assessing the impact of all aspects of the orientation. The creation of the video itself involved a multi-media approach using a combination of visual arts and technology to animate a product that has a longer expiration than traditional video or in-person library orientations offer.

Design And Assessment Of Deep And Active Learning In Science, Technology, Engineering, And Mathematics (Stem) Education, Juhong Christie Liu Ph.D., Elizabeth Johnson Ph.D., Jin Joy Mao Ph.D.

Libraries

This presentation draws academic significance from a focused literature review and initial data for learning design in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) education. The presenters will discuss strategies of fostering deep, active learning, alignment with assessment, and development of assessment instruments and methods. The presenters will share the design and development of an assessment kit to measure learning outcomes that matter in the 21st century STEM education. Through shared evidence and interactive reflection, the audience will take away up-to-date design strategies for deep and active learning as well as assessment in STEM education. The project is sponsored by National …

Evaluation Instruments And Good Practices In Online Education, Sally J. Baldwin, Jesús Trespalacios

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Chickering and Gamson’s (1987) Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education offers extensively researched and validated tenets for best practices in higher education. After a review of the literature, twenty-eight evaluation instruments currently used to design and review online courses in higher education institutions were collected and divided into categories, based on geographical reach and the type of institution for which they were developed. This study investigates how evaluation instruments used in higher education assess the Seven Principles for Good Practice in Undergraduate Education, and what other items are addressed in the evaluation of courses. Findings show that national …

Stitching Codeable Circuits: High School Students' Learning About Circuitry And Coding With Electronic Textiles, Breanne Krystine Litts, Yasmin B. Kafai, Debora A. Lui, Justice T. Walker, Sari A. Widman

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Learning about circuitry by connecting a battery, light bulb, and wires is a common activity in many science classrooms. In this paper, we expand students’ learning about circuitry with electronic textiles, which use conductive thread instead of wires and sewable LEDs instead of lightbulbs, by integrating programming sensor inputs and light outputs and examining how the two domains interact.We implemented an electronic textiles unit with 23 high school students ages 16–17 years who learned how to craft and code circuits with the LilyPad Arduino, an electronic textile construction kit. Our analyses not only confirm significant increases in students’ understanding of …

Using An Open Software System (Sakai) To Develop Student Portfolios, Linda L. Beith, Stephen White, Gregory Laramie

Staff Publications

E-portfolios are digital collections of artifacts that represent the achievements and reflections of individuals. They offer a unique view into student learning and allow educators and external accreditors to assess student progress towards established standards as well as reviewing their program’s performance in supporting that progress. Students benefit from assembling their e-portfolios through the process of reviewing their own work with a critical eye, choosing pieces of their work that best represent their abilities, and reflecting on the transformative nature of their University experience, both in class and through extra-curricular, service learning, internships and international activities. An e-portfolio provides a …

The Development Of A Content Analysis Model For Assessing Students’ Cognitive Learning In Asynchronous Online Discussions, Dazhi Yang, Jennifer C. Richardson, Brian F. French, James D. Lehman

Educational Technology Faculty Publications and Presentations

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a content analysis model for assessing students' cognitive learning in asynchronous online discussions. It adopted a fully mixed methods design, in which qualitative and quantitative methods were employed sequentially for data analysis and interpretation. Specifically, the design was a "sequential exploratory" (QUAL→ quan) design with priority given to qualitative data and methods. Qualitative data were 800 online postings collected in two online courses. Quantitative data were 803 online postings from the same two courses but from different discussion topics and different weeks. During the qualitative process, a grounded theory approach …

New Trends In Automatic Assessment: Ontology Matching, Maria Mitina, Patricia Magee, John Cardiff

Conference Papers

Instant individual feedback represents a result of assessment which allows for considerable improvements in both teaching and learning. In this paper we present the application of ontology matching techniques in automatic correction of students’ answers for SQL tests, which will provide teachers with instant feedback to facilitate manual correction and marking and which they can pass to the students. Students experience many problems learning SQL due to the necessity to memorise database schemas, unclear feedback from the database engine on the execution of the query, etc. The program environment utilising the described approach is designed to solve the abovementioned problems …

Delivering High Stakes Assessments In A Computerized Testing Center, Philip Wilhauk, Tim Doughty, Ron Knight, Tony Paolo

SIDLIT Conference Proceedings

In August 2005, the University of Kansas Medical Center launched its new 135 seat Computerized Testing Center (CTC). Since that time, the facility has successfully hosted over 30,000 individual high-stakes test sessions using LXR. This presentation will discuss the challenges involved in planning and managing such a facility including pilot testing, security, reliability, scalability, scheduling and support. It will also address the impact the CTC has had on paper/pencil testing.