Instructional Media Design Commons^™

Queer, Hybrid Participatory Design: Relational Practices And Norms For Coalition Building With Rural, Lgbtq+ Communities, Luettamae Lawrence, Maureen Boyle, Chasity Mayo, Catherine A. Rushworth, Moira Anderson, Dorothy Wallis, Jayme Walters

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper examines the first year of collaboration between the Bear River Region LGBTQ+ Community Coalition and queer residents in rural northern Utah, United States, using a hybrid participatory design (PD) approach. Using Yep’s queer relationality theory, we examine how hybrid spaces were designed and iteratively adapted to support inclusion, care, and collective agency among LGBTQ+ community members. Drawing on Community Coalition Action Theory and queer PD, we analyze four cases from May 2024 to June 2025 including workshops and regular meetings to explore how relational practices evolved across different formats and phases of coalition development. In this paper, we …

Leveraging Consistency: Evaluating Ai Coders For Qualitative Research, Saríah López-Fierro, Carlos Chiriboga-Calderón, José López-Fierro, Rubén Pacheco-Villamar

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This study provides insights of using Large Language Models (LLMs) for deductive coding tasks in market research. Deductive coding, which applies predefined codes to text, often demands consistency rather than interpretive nuance. 

We compare five closed-weight LLMs with a group of human coders in tagging instances of “Expansive Framing” across qualitative excerpts, using Fleiss’ Kappa, ANOVA, and Estimated Marginal Means. Results reveal that LLMs exhibit higher consistency and faster processing than humans. These findings suggest that integrating LLMs can improve efficiency, making them an attractive asset for firms managing large datasets.

Mulberry Leaf Disease Detection By Cnn-Vit With Xai Integration, Mohammad Asif Hasan, Fariha Haque, Hasan Sarker, Rafae Abdullah, Tonmoy Roy, Nishat Taaha, Yeasin Arafat, Abdul Karim Patwary, Mominul Ahsan, Julfikar Haider

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Mulberry leaf disease detection is vital for maintaining the health and productivity of mulberry crops. In this paper, a novel approach was proposed by integrating explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) techniques with a convolutional neural network (CNN) and vision transformer (ViT) for effective mulberry leaf disease classification with three disease classes. Initially, in this proposed CNN-ViT model, features are extracted using a customized CNN architecture, and then the extracted features are fed into ViT for leaf disease classification in a more streamlined approach. The CNN-ViT model achieved promising results with a projection dimension of 64, utilizing 8 heads and 8 transformer …

An End-To-End Concatenated Cnn Attention Model For The Classification Of Lung Cancer With Xai Techniques, Fariha Haque, Mohammad Asif Hasan, Md. Abu Ismali Siddique, Tonmoy Roy, Tonmoy Kanti Shaha, Yamina Islam, Avijit Paul, Muhammad E. H. Chowdhury

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

In the field of medical imaging, deep learning (DL) techniques have made significant contributions to the detection and classification of various cancers. Identifying the precise regions in medical images containing cancerous cells plays a crucial role in the diagnostic process. Early and accurate cancer detection is essential for effective treatment and improved patient outcomes. However, manual diagnosis is labor-intensive, requiring the specialized expertise of radiologists, and the increasing number of cancer cases presents challenges in processing large volumes of image data efficiently. To address these challenges, an end-to-end concatenated Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) attention model has been proposed for automatic …

Enhancing Online And Blended Course Design Through Conversations And Observations: The Role Of Stakeholders, Chris Smith, Darlene Schaefer, Geetanjali Soni, Thomas Cooper, Meghan Mcgrath

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Online course enrollment for K-12 students has increased dramatically since the early 2000s. This has resulted in promising opportunities for students with disabilities but also requires careful consideration of accessibility in course design and instructional delivery. This mixed-methods study investigated how stakeholder feedback influences the design of blended courses at North Carolina Virtual Public School (NCVPS), a graduation pathway for students with disabilities requiring significant support. Data was collected through surveys of NCVPS online teachers and co-teachers, analysis of course history documents, and the NCVPS student registration system. Findings revealed that educators often modify course templates to accommodate diverse learning …

Guidance And Lessons Learned For Instructors Seeking To Add Video Creation To Their Skill Set, Wendy A. Swenson Roth

Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Access the online Pressbooks version of this introduction here.

Videos have entered the classroom, whether for online asynchronous courses or as supplementary information in synchronous classes. COVID-19 accelerated the pace of online and video learning but left instructors with little time to explore the optimal use of this technology. Nonetheless, videos are here to stay, raising questions about what unique choices faculty must make when implementing them and what new skills are required as videos become additional content delivery sources. The following article provides implementation guidance and lessons learned for instructors seeking to add video creation to their skill set.

Integrating Human-Centered Design Into Undergraduate Stem Capstone Courses: A Food Product Development Case Study, Saadeddine Shehab, Dawn Bohn, Lucas O'Bryan, Luettamae Lawrence, Mike Tissenbaum

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This study examines the integration of human-centered design (HCD) in a Food Science capstone course and explores its impact on students’ learning outcomes and skill development. This case study investigated how 42 undergraduate students engaged with HCD processes—including understanding, synthesizing, ideating, prototyping, and implementing—to develop innovative food products. Through pre- and post-surveys, interaction analysis, and performance assessments, the findings revealed that HCD activities significantly enhanced students’ knowledge, collaboration, creativity, and metacognitive skills. Additionally, students demonstrated improved food science competencies, such as product formulation and sensory evaluation. This study highlights the benefits of embedding HCD within STEM curricula to foster authentic, …

Lung Segmentation With Lightweight Convolutional Attention Residual U-Net, Meftahul Jannat, Shaikh Afnan Birahim, Mohammad Asif Hasan, Tonmoy Roy, Lubna Sultana, Hasan Sarker, Samia Fairuz, Hanaa A. Abdallah

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Examining chest radiograph images (CXR) is an intricate and time-consuming process, sometimes requiring the identification of many anomalies at the same time. Lung segmentation is key to overcoming this challenge through different deep learning (DL) techniques. Many researchers are working to improve the performance and efficiency of lung segmentation models. This article presents a DL-based approach to accurately identify the lung mask region in CXR images to assist radiologists in recognizing early signs of high-risk lung diseases. Methods: This paper proposes a novel technique, Lightweight Residual U-Net, combining the strengths of the convolutional block attention module (CBAM), the Atrous …

See, Anchor, And Frame Math With Coding, Beverly Sanders, Brittany Wall, Debi Alexander, Jessica Shumway

Publications

In this presentation, we will share our experiences with integrating mathematics and programming in fifth-grade classrooms. We approached this integration with three key features in our lessons: visualization of important math concepts, anchor ideas that cross coding and math, and the framing of content to help students make connections. We will share our exponents, fractions, and geometry lessons and show how we used coding to provide students with meaningful spaces to engage with interactive contexts to broaden their mathematics conceptions.

Intrusion Detection For Wireless Sensor Network Using Particle Swarm Optimization Based Explainable Ensemble Machine Learning Approach, Shaikh Afnan Birahim, Avijit Paul, Fahmida Rahman, Yamina Islam, Tonmoy Roy, Mohammad Asif Hasan, Fariha Haque, Muhammad E. H. Chowdhury

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSN) play a pivotal role in various domains, including monitoring, security, and data transmission. However, their susceptibility to intrusions poses a significant challenge. This paper proposes a novel Intrusion Detection System (IDS) leveraging Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and an ensemble machine learning approach combining Random Forest (RF), Decision Tree (DT), and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN) models to enhance the accuracy and reliability of intrusion detection in WSNs. The system addresses key challenges such as the imbalanced nature of datasets and the evolving complexity of network attacks. By incorporating Synthetic Minority Oversampling Technique Tomek (SMOTE-Tomek) techniques to balance the …

Imitasd: Imitation Assessment Model For Children With Autism Based On Human Pose Estimation, Hany Said, Khaled Mahar, Shaymaa E. Sorour, Ahmed Elsheshai, Ramy Shaaban, Mohamed Hesham, Mustafa Khadr, Youssef A. Mehanna, Ammar Basha, Fahima A. Maghraby

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Autism is a challenging brain disorder affecting children at global and national scales. Applied behavior analysis is commonly conducted as an efficient medical therapy for children. This paper focused on one paradigm of applied behavior analysis, imitation, where children mimic certain lessons to enhance children’s social behavior and play skills. This paper introduces IMITASD, a practical monitoring assessment model designed to evaluate autistic children’s behaviors efficiently. The proposed model provides an efficient solution for clinics and homes equipped with mid-specification computers attached to webcams. IMITASD automates the scoring of autistic children’s videos while they imitate a series of lessons. The …

Designing A Human-Centred Learning Analytics Dashboard In-Use, Riordan Alfredo, Vanessa Echeverria, Linxuan Zhao, Luettamae Lawrence, Jie Xiang Fan, Lixiang Yan, Xinyu Li, Zachari Swiecki, Dragan Gašević, Roberto Martinez-Maldonado

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Despite growing interest in applying human-centred design methods to create learning analytics (LA) systems, most efforts have concentrated on initial design phases, with limited exploration of how LA tools and practices can coevolve during the actual learning and teaching activities. This paper examines how a human-centred LA dashboard can be further refined and adapted by teachers while actively using it in a real-world scenario (i.e., design-in-use), beyond its intended design (i.e., design-for-use). We use instrumental genesis as a theoretical lens to analyze the temporary and permanent instrumentalization of design features and individual and collective instrumentation of the LA …

The Intersection Of Place And Game Design: The Case Of Two Classic African Board Games, Rebecca Y. Bayeck, Joseph M. Bayeck

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

The concept of game design is often associated with a computational creative task or a creation with technology. Automatically linking game design to computational activity or technology may have contributed to the scarce research on the interaction between place and game design. The focus on technology may have excluded indigenous games from game design conversation in the game design literature. This article explores design in the context of two classic African board games. We examine the influence of place on the design of these games. Building on game design and place literature, the article shows the situatedness of game design …

Cognitive Reappraisal: The Bridge Between Cognitive Load And Emotion, Rebecca Brockbank, David F. Feldon

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Within this integrative review, cognitive load theory (CLT) is asserted as a powerful framework for conceptualizing human cognitive processes within learning. The relationship between cognition and emotion is then examined and further integrated within the scope of CLT. Emotion regulation strategies are discussed and adaptive strategies are proposed as being of particular relevance to broadening the theoretical and practical impacts of CLT. Central to the argument of this review is the use of cognitive reappraisal as a potential mitigator of cognitive load. Cognitive reappraisal involves reframing or reassessing understandings or beliefs that underlie an emotional response, which may mitigate cognitive …

Exploring Peer-Assisted Learning In A High-School-Based Suicide Prevention Intervention, Sterling R. Morris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

This dissertation evaluated a form of teaching called peer-assisted learning in which people of similar ages and knowledge teach each other a subject. In this dissertation, peer-assisted teaching occurred in a suicide prevention organization called Hope Squad, which operates as individual chapters in high schools. The author first shared details from other researchers' studies on peer-assisted learning, then conducted two studies on this form of instruction in Hope Squad: The first study reported on the experiences peers have from learning from their peers, and the second study reported on peers' experiences teaching their peers. This dissertation may give researchers further …

Accuracy And Effectiveness Of An Orchestration Tool On Instructors' Interventions And Groups' Collaboration, Luettamae Lawrence, Emma Mercier, Taylor Tucker Parks, Nigel Bosch, Luc Paquette

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper presents the development of a novel orchestration tool that predicts collaborative problem-solving (CPS) behaviors of undergraduate engineering groups and investigates the use of that tool by instructors. We explore the impact of receiving real-time, machine-learning, model-based prompts on 1) instructors' orchestration strategies, which are strategies instructors use to manage and facilitate collaborative activities, and 2) groups' participation, including how groups are engaged in CPS activities. The orchestration tool is a dashboard that notifies instructors of–and advises them on–monitoring and intervening with groups who may need collaborative support and guidance. We describe the accuracy of the models in predicting …

Computational Models As Tools For Supporting Responsive Teaching, Hillary Swanson, Luettamae Lawrence, Jared Arnell, Bonni Jones, Bruce Sherin, Uri Wilensky

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

It is widely agreed that science instruction should help students build new knowledge on the foundation of their prior knowledge. Responsive teaching refers to a family of teaching strategies that pursue and build on student ideas. We introduce a particular approach to responsive teaching and examine how it can be supported by the use of computational models. We analyze an 8^th grade science teacher's facilitation of a class discussion near the end of a lesson on sound. We present a moment-by-moment characterization of her responsive teaching moves, highlighting the ways she used a computational model to help students articulate …

Incorporating Design Based Implementation Research With A Randomized Controlled Trial To Develop And Evaluate The Efficacy Of Playful Rational Number Learning, Kreshnik N. Begolli, Vanessa N. Bermudez, Luettamae Lawrence, Lourdes M. Acevedo-Farag, Sabrina V. Valdez, Evelyn Santana, Daniela Alvarez-Vargas, June Ahn, Drew Bailey, Katherine Rhodes, Lindsey E. Richland, Andres S. Bustamante

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

We combine design-based implementation research with a pre-registered RCT to address a long-standing challenge in psychological science: How to use psychological principles to address real-world problems while designing and implementing interventions in the field. We posit this as a design methodology for optimizing the translation between psychological science and real-world applications. We tested the efficacy of an extensively co-designed version of a game-based rational number intervention, Fraction Ball, versus "business-as-usual" math instruction and physical education in a sample of 4th/5th grade Latine students (N=360). Insights from nine co-design sessions with 20 teachers informed revisions and additions to a …

Meta-Theoretic Competence For Computational Agent-Based Modeling, Hillary Swanson, Uri Wilensky

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

In the U.S. context, science standards encourage educators to engage students in modeling practices, including computational modeling. While much work has investigated the productivity of computational modeling with respect to students' development of scientific content knowledge, less work has focused on students' development of knowledge and skills for participation in computational modeling practices. A first step in understanding how these practices develop is examining students' activity in the context of computational modeling environments with attention to the productive moves they make. These moves can provide insight into the knowledge they bring to their learning, which may be foundational to the …

Design Forms And Games, Hillary Swanson, Ha Nguyen, Caroline Lavoie, Trilby Nelson

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper introduces a theoretical framework for characterizing design processes as design games. Based on Collins and Ferguson's epistemic forms and games, the framework characterizes design processes as games played by designers to fill out design forms, which are general templates underlying specific design artifacts. We introduce our framework through games involved in human-centered design, describing for each the entry conditions, target form, constraints, and moves. We demonstrate how the framework can be used to characterize design games played by experts in museum exhibit design and urban design. Through similar analyses, the framework …

The Role Of Generative Ai In Qualitative Research: Gpt-4'S Contributions To A Grounded Theory Analysis, Ravi Sinha, Idris Solola, Ha Nguyen, Hillary Swanson, Luettamae Lawrence

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

We present reflections on our experience using a generative AI model in qualitative research, to illuminate the AI's contributions to our analytic process. Our analytic focus was a segment of classroom transcript, which captured a teacher introducing scientific theory-building practices to middle school students. We used a grounded theory approach to produce a fine-grained characterization of the teacher's talk moves during the lesson implementation. Our eventual goal is to build a more nuanced conceptualization of responsive teaching in the context of theory-building activities. We involved GPT-4 during the initial exploratory and later focused coding stages. For our analysis of GPT-4's …

What Happened To The Geometry? Examining Spatial And Mathematical Concepts In Computational Toys And Kits For Young Children, Jody Clarke-Midura, Jessica F. Shumway, Anahita Ashineh, Alireza Zandi, Whitney Clawson

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

This paper explores the design of computational toys and kits for young children (ages 4-7) as tools for learning integrated mathematical, spatial, and computational thinking concepts. Specifically, we examine how the design features of the toys and kits represent the concepts of rotation on a point and spatial orientation of the agent. We examine toys and kits sold commercially, developed through research, and used in early childhood classrooms. Our findings indicate that the mathematical and spatial concepts are overlooked in some designs. Prior research examined toys for their affordances related to computational thinking, the present study contributes to understanding of …

Theory-Based Science Communication At Comic Cons, Lisa Lundgren, Emily Slater, Man Zhang, Kadie Kunz, Gabriel-Philip Santos

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

The majority of research concerning science communication happens in spaces where people already have a vested interest in or knowledge of science, such as museums and science cafes. Thus, there is a gap in understanding what theory-based science communication looks like in non-science-centered spaces. This qualitative research study, which featured cosplaying science communicators at comic conventions, offers insights into what science communication practices occur within everyday spaces. We conducted observations of and semi-structured interviews with 15 cosplaying scientists, examining how they utilized effective framing and narrative structuring when communicating science at comic cons in cosplay. Across 700 coded utterances, cosplaying …

Who Gets To Decolonize: A Reflection On The Importance Of Positionality In The Decolonization Of Digital Learning Spaces And Learning Design, Rebecca Y. Bayeck, Tutaleni Iita Asino

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Decolonization as a term and concept gained prominence in the 20th century as new nations emerged from the cessation of the global colonial project which primarily saw European countries occupying different parts of the world. In modern times, interests in decolonization have taken different forms, particularly in learning design and digital learning spaces. In the digital space, researchers mainly suggest introducing indigenous perspectives and cultural lenses in the design of digital learning environments and the design of emerging technologies that embed indigenous perspectives (Nede, 2023). This reflexive essay discusses the importance of positionality in digital learning spaces and learning/instructional design. …

Understanding Non-Designers' Practices And Processes In A Human-Centered Design Course, Luettamae Lawrence, Saadeddine Shehab, Mike Tissenbaum

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Human-centered design (HCD) has been identified in the literature as a useful problem-solving approach for learners. However, learning and applying HCD poses several challenges for students who are unfamiliar with this form of learning. In this paper, we analyse how a novice design team worked on a HCD class project to examine how non-designers learn about and integrate HCD practices into their project. We introduce the HCD taxonomy to define the processes and practices that students engage in. The team’s design work is triangulated across multiple data sources and revealed three challenges for engaging non-designers in HCD: 1) the need …

Buckets Of Fun: Impacts Of Fraction Ball Activities On Students' Math-Related Emotions, Siling Guo, Drew H. Bailey, Katherine Rhodes, Kreshnik Nasi Begolli, Vanessa N. Bermudez, Luettamae Lawrence, Daniela Alvarez-Vargas, Lourdes M. Acevedo-Farag, June Ahn, Andres S. Bustamante, Lindsey E. Richland

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Rational number learning can cause frustration and negative emotions for elementary school students. Fraction Ball, a play-based math intervention, allows students to actively learn rational numbers through engaging and interactive activities. Based on a cluster-randomized trial with 16 teachers and 360 students, our pre-registered analyses showed moderate positive impacts of Fraction Ball on overall students' self-reported math-related emotions. Exploratory analyses indicated that students with higher negative emotions at pretest showed larger experimental impacts on decreasing negative emotions at posttest. Finally, we found that Fraction Ball evidenced no trade-off between rational number learning and emotional outcomes at the classroom block level, …

Using Student Experience Reports As A Window For Teacher Reflections On Inquiry Science Instructional Practices, Jessie Nixon, Mimi Recker

Publications

This paper examines how student experience reports, collected as exit tickets, can be leveraged during professional learning to support science teachers’ understanding of their students and inform future classroom practices. Our analysis frames exit ticket data as a boundary object, which bridges across researchers’, teachers’, and students’ perspectives of the learning environment. During two successive professional learning activities, teachers examined and reflected upon their students’ exit ticket data. A thematic analysis of teachers’ discourse during these activities distilled two themes. The first theme surfaced how exit data helped teachers form new views about their students’ emerging science identities; the second …

How Teachers Conceptualise Shared Control With An Ai Co-Orchestration Tool: A Multiyear Teacher-Centred Design Process, Luettamae Lawrence, Vanessa Echeverria, Kexin Yang, Vincent Aleven, Nikol Rummel

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

Artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance teachers' capabilities by sharing control over different parts of learning activities. This is especially true for complex learning activities, such as dynamic learning transitions where students move between individual and collaborative learning in un-planned ways, as the need arises. Yet, few initiatives have emerged considering how shared responsibility between teachers and AI can support learning and how teachers' voices might be included to inform design decisions. The goal of our article is twofold. First, we describe a secondary analysis of our co-design process comprising six design methods to understand how teachers conceptualise sharing control with …

Designing A Rubric For Evaluating Curricular Resources In Montana's Indian Education For All Repository: A Design-Based Research Approach, Megan M. Hamilton

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this research study was to create an initial rubric to evaluate social studies lesson plans prior to their addition to Montana Office of Public Instruction’s online repository for Indian Education for All (IEFA) curriculum. In the first phase of this study, I examined Montana’s IEFA curriculum thematically to gain a better understanding of how Indigenous histories and perspectives are being represented using combined theoretical lenses of Tribal Critical Race Theory and culturally sustaining/ revitalizing pedagogy. In the second phase of this study, I used my thematic findings to inform the design of a theory-informed evaluative rubric. The …

How Co-Designing Computational Modeling Activities Helped Teachers Implement Responsive Teaching Strategies, Hillary Swanson, Luettamae Lawrence, Jared Arnell, Allisia Dawkins, Bonni Jones, Bruce Sherin, Uri Wilensky

Instructional Technology and Learning Sciences Faculty Publications

In recent years, science education has shifted focus, from content to practice. This is reflected in the NGSS, which advocate learning science concepts through engagement in science and engineering practices. Theory building is a central activity of science and computational modeling is a key practice through which contemporary scientists construct theory. In this paper, we discuss an 8th grade science teacher's implementation of a computational modeling lesson. The teacher had co-designed the computational modeling microworld and lesson with the research team over the preceding summers. We investigate the teacher's activity during a whole-class discussion near the end of the lesson, …