Education Commons^™

Text Categorization For Aligning Educational Standards, O. Yilmazel, N. Balasubramanian, S. C. Harwell, J. Bailey, Anne R. Diekama, E. D. Liddy

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Standard alignment (where standards describing similar concepts are correlated) is a necessary task in providing full access to educational resources. Manual alignment is time consuming and expensive. We propose an automatic alignment system, using machine learning techniques utilizing natural language processing. In this paper we discuss our experiments on text categorization for automatic alignment. We explore the role of relevant vocabulary sets in automatic alignment.

Designing Educational Games For Activity-Goal Alignment, Brett E. Shelton

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

What indeed, can we expect from our newest trend in education, implementing moving pictures and conversations with instruction through simulation games? Lewis Carroll's familiar narratives Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Alice Through the Looking Glass provide helpful imagery for many of the queries, explorations and assumptions we currently make about this latest Wonderland of academia. So what are the goals for the designers and researchers of educational games, or perhaps more importantly, what should be the goals?

Perspectives On Teachers As Digital Library Users: Consumers, Contributors, And Designers, Mimi Recker

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

"...freed of the constraints of physical space and media, digital libraries can be more adaptive and reflective of the communities they serve. They should be collaborative, allowing users to contribute knowledge to the library, either actively through annotations, reviews, and the like, or passively through their patterns of resource use. In addition, they should be contextual, expressing the expanding web of inter-relationships and layers of knowledge that extend among selected primary resources. In this manner, the core of the digital library should be an evolving information base, weaving together professional selection and the 'wisdom of crowds.'" (Lagoze, Krafft, Payette, & …

Inst7870 - Data Visualization Theory & Practice, Fall 2006, Brett Shelton

Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences - OCW

In this course you will explore the question of what visualization is, and why you should use visualizations for quantitative data. In doing so, you will address theoretical concepts and examine case studies that show the importance of effective visualizations in real world settings.

You will also look at how to interpret meanings in visualizations. Elements of cognitive science theory are addressed, and you will practice techniques to help with your interpretations. An additional objective will center on how to create meaning with your own visualizations, then examine appropriate forms for representation and also review design considerations.

In the lab …

Inst5270 - Flash, Fall 2006, Andrew Walker

Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences - OCW

This course uses Flash 8/Actionscript 2.0. You may also be interested in INST 5245, which uses Flash CS3 (Flash 9)/Actionscript 3.0.

This course familiarizes students with Macromedia Flash. Topics to be covered include fundamental programming concepts (variables, variable types, code re-use, commenting code, and basic control structures) in addition to the fundamentals of the flash environment (animation or “tweening”, vector graphics, use of sound and video). Students finishing this course will have at least one completed fully functional Flash project for their portfolios demonstrating a strong knowledge of the tool and a good foundation in the ActionScript language as the …

The Competencies And Characteristics Required Of An Effective Project Manager: A Web-Based Delphi Study, Jennifer M. Brill, M. J. Bishop, Andrew Walker

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This study explores the competencies required for a project manager to be effective in the workplace. We used a Web-based Delphi method to lead experienced project managers through an anonymous consensus-building process consisting of two rounds of surveys. The Round I analysis of 147 respondents, all with 20 or more years of project management experience, yielded 117 project management success factors, 78 of which were identified as “trainable” competencies. The Round II analysis confirmed 42 of the 78 competencies (53.8%) as “very important” to “extremely important” to project manager success. Important contributions of this study include: (a) reporting on project …

A Social-Cognitive Framework For Designing Pedagogical Agents As Learning Companions, Yanghee Kim, Amy L. Baylor

Yanghee Kim

Teaching and learning are highly social activities. Seminal psychologists such as Vygotsky, Piaget, and Bandura have theorized that social interaction is a key mechanism in the process of learning and development. In particular, the benefits of peer interaction for learning and motivation in classrooms have been broadly demonstrated through empirical studies. Hence, it would be valuable if computer-based environments could support a mechanism for a peer-interaction. Though no claim of peer equivalence is made, pedagogical agents as learning companions (PALs) -- animated digital characters functioning to simulate human-peer-like interaction -- might provide an opportunity to simulate such social interaction in …

Content-Based English Learning Through Pedagogical Agents, Yanghee Kim, P. Punahm, Y. Ko

Yanghee Kim

This paper suggests how an advanced technology called pedagogical agents can be applied to English education to benefit learners across ages through computer-assisted language learning (CALL) and content-based language learning (CBLL). CALL, when designed appropriately, has positively influenced the development of a learner’s linguistic proficiency and communicative competence (Chun, 1994; Fotos & Browne, 2004). CBLL integrates language learning with subject-matter learning to make language learning more meaningful (Snow, 2001; Swain, 1998). However, the conventional CALL programs are often criticized for the lacking a social context, considered essential for successful language learning ( Warschauer, 2004). Also, CBLL seems rarely applied to …

Pedagogical Agents As Learning Companions: The Role Of Agent Competency And Type Of Interaction, Yanghee Kim, Amy L. Baylor, Pals Group

Yanghee Kim

This study was designed to examine the effects of the competency (low vs. high) and interaction type (proactive vs. responsive) of pedagogical agents as learning companions (PALs) on learning, self-efficacy, and attitudes. Participants were 72 undergraduates in an introductory computer-literacy course who were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: Low-Proactive, Low-Responsive, High-Proactive, and High-Responsive. Results indicated a main effect for PAL competency. Students who worked with the high-competency PAL in both proactive and responsive conditions achieved higher scores in applying what they had learned and showed more positive attitudes toward the PAL. However, students who worked with the low-competency …

A Design-Based Research Strategy To Promote Scalability For Educational Innovations, Jody Clarke-Midura, C. Dede, D. J. Ketelhut, B. Nelson, C. Bowman

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This article offers insights into how the design of innovations can enhance their “scalability”: the ability to adapt an innovation to effective usage in a wide variety of contexts, including settings where major conditions for success are absent or attenuated. We are implementing the River City MUVE curriculum, a technology-based innovation designed to enhance engagement and learning in middle school science, in a range of educational contexts. Based on our studies of these scaling up activities, we offer examples of design strategies for scalability and describe our plan to develop a “scalability index.”

Perceptions Of The Value Of Problem-Based Learning Among Students With Special Needs And Their Teachers, Brian Robert Belland, P. A. Ertmer, K. D. Simons

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

While problem-based learning (PBL) has been found to be effective with gifted and average students (Hmelo-Silver, 2004), little is known about its impact on students with special needs. This study examines the perceptions of middle-school students with mild, moderate, and severe disabilities and of their teachers regarding the value of participating in a PBL unit. The unit focused on the physical accessibility of a low-SES, rural community where the students’ school was located.We used the constant comparative method (Glaser & Strauss, 1967) to analyze interview data, and used observation data and artifacts to triangulate interview comments. Among the noteworthy findings …

Inst5280 - Blogs, Wikis, New Media For Learning, Spring 2006, David Wiley

Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences - OCW

Innovation continues to occur on the internet at an extremely lively pace. What was once the realm of email, FTP, Gopher, and the Web is barely recognizable a mere 10 years later. Keeping up with the speed of innovation and maintaining a familiarity with the most recent tools and capabilities is handy in some professions and absolutely critical in others. This course is designed to help you understand and effectively use a variety of "web 2.0" technologies including blogs, RSS, wikis, social bookmarking tools, photo sharing tools, mapping tools, audio and video podcasts, and screencasts.

Methodological Challenges For Identifying And Coding Diverse Knowledge Elements In Interview Data, Victor R. Lee, Moshe Krakowski, Bruce Sherin, Megan Bang, Gregory Dam

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper, as part of a symposium on the analysis of clinical interview data and the development of a framework for analyzing students' intuitive science knowledge, identifies and discusses methodological challenges encountered when specifying the knowledge elements and resources are invoked dynamically during a clinical interview. Drawing from interviews with middle school students about the seasons and an analysis of knowledge in terms of 'nodes', two classes of problems are identified: those associated with identification of nodes and those associated with their application as codes to a transcript-based data corpus. We posit that these challenges are common ones associated with …

Inst7150 - Advanced Topics In Learning Object Design And Reuse, Fall 2005, David Wiley

Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences - OCW

This course is designed to help you understand and apply advanced topics in the design, creation, and reuse of learning objects. The course is structured around a practical, hands-on project using learning objects, intermingled with readings and discussion on a variety of topics.

Pedagogical Agents As Learning Companions: Building Social Relations With Learners, Yanghee Kim

Yanghee Kim

This study examined the potential of pedagogical agents as learning companions (PALs) to build social relations with learners and, consequently, to motivate learning. The study investigated the impact of PAL affect (positive vs. negative vs. neutral), PAL gender (male vs. female), and learner gender (male vs. female) on learners’ social judgments, motivation, and learning in a controlled experiment. Participants were 142 college students in a computer-literacy course. Overall, the results indicated the interaction effects of PAL affect, PAL gender, and learner gender on learners’ social judgments (p < .001). PAL affect impacted learners’ social judgments (p < .001) and motivation (p < .05). PAL gender influenced motivation (p < .01) and recall of learning (p < .05). Learner gender influenced recall of learning (p < .01). The implications of the findings are discussed.

Inst5400 - Computer Applications For Instruction And Training, Spring 2005, Brett Shelton

Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences - OCW

Introduction to basic computer applications on a Macintosh computer, with special emphasis on software that may be used in instruction and training. In this course, students will orient themselves to the Macintosh environment, get a brief overview of Macintosh-specific software, and learn the fundamental basics of the following tools available to assist in instruction and training: PowerPoint, Photoshop, GoLive, and iMovie.

If you wish to complete the assignments, you will need the following programs:

Microsoft PowerPoint

Adobe Photoshop

Adobe GoLive

Apple iMovie

Inst7870 - Instructional Games, Spring 2005, Brett Shelton

Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences - OCW

The goal of this course is to explore the field of instructional gaming through a survey of readings, existing products, and those in development.

Simulating Instructional Roles Through Pedagogical Agents, Amy L. Baylor, Yanghee Kim

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper describes the design and empirical validation of three distinct pedagogical agent roles (Expert, Motivator, and Mentor) for college students within the MIMIC (Multiple Intelligent Mentors Instructing Collaboratively) agent-based research environment. The pedagogical agent roles were operationalized by image, animation, affect, voice and script, and were developed in Poser 4 and implemented via Microsoft Agent. Two controlled experiments validated the instantiation of the three roles according to learner perception (N=78) and actual impact on motivation and learning (N=71). The results confirmed that the agent roles were not only perceived by the students to reflect their intended purposes but also …

Design-Based Research Strategies For Developing A Scientific Inquiry Curriculum In A Multi-User Virtual Environment, B. Nelson, D. J. Ketelhut, Jody Clarke-Midura, C. Bowman, C. Dede

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This National Science Foundation funded project is studying graphical multi-user virtual environments (MUVEs) to investigate whether using this interactive medium in classroom settings can simulate real-world experimentation and can provide students with engaging, meaningful learning experiences that enhance scientific literacy. In the project's River City curriculum, teams of middle school students are asked to collaboratively solve a digital 19th century city's problems with illness, through interaction with digital artifacts, tacit clues, and computer-based 'agents' acting as mentors and colleagues in a virtual community of practice. This article describes the design-based research strategy by which we are currently extending an educational …

Inst7150 - Understanding Online Interaction, Spring 2005, David Wiley

Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences - OCW

This course is designed to provide an introductory level of understanding of the manner in which individuals interact with one another via the network. Possession of this understanding is absolutely critical to your ability to design effective learning environments on the network. This course takes an immersion approach to helping you develop your understanding by requiring you to make extensive, reflective use of several representative interactive media. You will also read several representative pieces of writing in each area.

Inst5240 - Producing Distance Education Resources, Spring 2005, Mimi Recker

Instructional Technology & Learning Sciences - OCW

This course focuses on the production of resources (broadly interpreted) for use in online education (including formal and informal settings). In particular, the course focuses on Internet-based tools and technologies, and how they are developed and applied for use in online learning.

Technical Requirements: Dreamweaver 8 or MX, File Transfer Software (FTP), WinZip or Equivalent

Oer Iid - Intro To Instructional Design, Spring 2005, Joanne Bentley

Other Educational Resources - OCW

Instructional technology is a systematic way of designing, developing, implementing, and evaluating the processes of learning and teaching with specific objectives based on research in human learning and communication. It employs a combination of human and nonhuman resources to bring about more effective instruction. Instructional technology includes aspects of instructional design, product development, interactive learning technologies, multimedia, distance education, and library and information literacy. Each aspect of the field has unique contributions to make to the teaching-learning process.

Pedagogical Agents’ Personas: Which Affects More, Image Or Voice?, Yanghee Kim, A. L. Baylor, G. Reed

Yanghee Kim

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of image and voice of pedagogical agents on student perception and learning. Pedagogical agents were developed with differing image (expert-like vs. mentor-like) and voice (strong vs. calm vs. computer-generated), but with identical gesture, affect, comments, and gender. 109 undergraduates in a computer literacy course were randomly assigned to one of the six conditions. The results revealed a significant main effect for agent image on role perception: the mentor-like image was perceived as more motivating, as hypothesized. Also, there was a significant main effect for voice: the strong voice was overall …

Pedagogical Agent Design: The Impact Of Agent Gender, Ethnicity, And Instructional Role, A. L. Baylor, Yanghee Kim

Yanghee Kim

To investigate the role of pedagogical agent gender and ethnicity, 230 students were randomly assigned to one of twelve conditions, where agents differed by ethnicity (African-American, Caucasian), gender (male, female), and roles (expert, motivator, and mentor).

Collaborative Information Filtering: A Review And An Educational Application, Andrew Walker, Mimi Recker, Kimberly Lawless, David A. Wiley

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper reviews the literature surrounding an information filtering technique, collaborative information filtering, which supports the discovery of resources in a way that is sensitive to the context of users. Moreover, via statistical clustering techniques, the system supports automated, personalized filtering and recommendation of relevant resources and like-minded users for particular user communities. The paper also describes an educational implementation of this approach, called Altered Vista, and presents results from a 3-month trial use of the system, aimed at evaluating the educational effectiveness and usefulness of the approach.

Technology For Care Networks Of Elders, Sunny Consolvo, Peter Roessler, Brett E. Shelton, Anthony Lamarca, Bill Schilit, Sarah Bly

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Computer-supported coordinated care uses technology to aid the network of people who support an elder living at home. The authors conducted interviews with people involved in the care of elders to identify their needs and subsequently conducted an in situ evaluation of a technology probe to study how a CSCC system might help satisfy these needs. The authors used these results to identify challenges faced by people caring for elders and offer guidelines for designers of coordinated care technologies.

Finding Answers To Complex Questions, Anne R. Diekama, Ozgur Yilmazel, Jiangping Chen, Sarah Harwell, Lan He, Elizabeth D. Liddy

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

In this chapter, we motivate one potential type of future QA system that deals with questions more complex than simple factoid questions and which provides answers with their supporting context. Our approach is based on the issues we faced when developing and delivering a QA system to deal with real time questions in the domain of RLVs within the larger field of aerospace engineering. This particular domain, the actual users of the system, and the questions asked, all demanded a change in our question-answering strategy. First, the chapter will present background on the project that provided the context and a …

Exploring A Cognitive Basis For Learning Spatial Relationships With Augmented Reality, Brett E. Shelton, Nicholas R. Hedley

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Augmented reality (AR) is an emergent class of interface that presents compelling possibilities for advancing spatial visualization. We offer a brief overview of AR technology and current research with in the educational realm. AR interfaces appear to provide a unique combination of visual display properties, modes of user manipulation, and interaction with spatial information. Drawing upon aspects of proprioception and sensorimotor function, we discuss how AR may have a unique and powerful link to spatial knowledge acquisition through visuo-motor involvement in the processing of information. We identify key properties of AR interfaces and how they differ from conventional visualization interfaces, …

Supporting ‘Word-Of-Mouth’ Social Networks Through Collaborative Information Filtering, Mimi Recker, Andrew Walker

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Altered Vista is an instructional system that supports a form of ‘contextual’ collaborative learning. Its design incorporates an information filtering technique, called collaborative information filtering, which, through computational and statistical means, leverages the work of individuals to benefit a group of users. Altered Vista is designed to provide, upon request, personalized recommendations of Web sites. It can also provide recommendations of like-minded people, thus setting the stage for future collaboration and communication. An empirical study involving in-service and pre-service teachers was conducted using Altered Vista and presents results from an empirical study. The study examined the feasibility and utility of …

Genetics In Practice A Template For Interactive Case Studies, Erin Edwards, Andrew Walker, Kathleen Bergeson, John Louviere, Kris Robinson, J. W. Higgins

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Genetics & Your Practice, began in 1994 as a course for primary health care practitioners to get Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits and to help health care providers learn about the importance of genetic counseling and the fundamental difference between genetic counseling and traditional health care. In a collaborative project between the March of Dimes and Idaho State University Departments of Nursing (ISU) and Continuing Education/Special Programs, the course was converted to an online asynchronous course. Since the course was primarily didactic, ISU approached a team of graduate students at Utah State University’s Department of Instructional Technology (USU) to develop …