Pen-based tools for the creation of handwritten learning content

1. Pen-based tools for the creation of handwritten learning content Luciano Seta and Giuseppe Chiazzese Institute for Educational Technologies Italian National Research Council Palermo (Italy) PLT2007 – Catania (Italy)

2. Topics • Pen-based learning applications • PBL in online context • STAT: an online BSc degree at Palermo • Why is it useful a pen-based approach in this context? • The our proposal • Examples • Results and discussion PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

3. PBL applications • Some incentives to apply a PBL approach: • To facilitate the data input (HCI researches) • To elaborate textual and graphical information simultaneously • To enrich the semantic dimension of the educational contents • To move towards mobile educational settings (Kristóf Nyíri - Towards a Philosophy of M-Learning) • To introduce new technologies into the classroom PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

4. PBL applications • Some problems to apply a PBL approach: • Costs • Technological divide • Handwriting recognition • Graphic and image recognition • Elaboration and retrieval of the handwritten documents • Metadata, Learning Objects and Learning standards compliance PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

5. PBL in online context • In online context it is important to have interactive pen-based applications • The handwriting process can help the creation and/or the interaction between teacher-student and student-student • The student can use handwriting systems to support annotation of the online didactic materials • The teacher can use handwriting systems to produce learning materials PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

6. STAT An online BSc degree in Palermo • STAT means • Scienze e Tecnologie per l’Ambiente ed il Turismo • Translation • Sciences and Technologies for the Environment and Tourism • STAT is a bachelor degree set up by the Faculty of Science at the University of Palermo • STAT is delivered completely on line, using a Learning Management System • STAT started in 2001 • STAT involves 40 teachers and in six years 30 students have been enrolled. PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

7. The URL The Institution involved in STAT:The University of PalermoThe Faculty of Sciences The Institute for Educational Technologies (CNR) The welcome page of STAT Web site PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

8. The menu The first page of STAT Web site PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

9. The list of modules in STAT • Some figures of STAT • 52 modules • 43 modules online (4 laboratories) • 40 teachers • 20 students actually enrolled • about 30 students enrolled in six years PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

10. Surveys on STAT • Various surveys was carried on during STAT experience to assess the quality of the courseware: • Interviews with teachers and students • Motivational questionnaire to evaluate the reasons of the choice to follow the online course • Questionnaires at end of each didactic period about the modules followed • Questionnaires at end of each academic year about the whole experience • Analysis of the didactic contents and learning technologies used PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

11. Examples of data results PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

12. Examples of data results • The principal motivations to prefer STAT: • The opportunity to make up study and work (about 65% of students enrolled indicated this between the most important reasons) • The innovative way to organize the study using new technologies (about 45% indicated this between the others reasons) • The opportunity to study at home (about 40%) • The specific topics of STAT (about 36%) PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

13. Formats for contents • The analysis of the formats used by the teachers to prepare the contents for the different modules shows the following distribution: • The power point format prevails (slides in figure) • In the html formats are included also java applets and javascript code to realize simple interactive applications • The materials are essentially static and not interactive PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

14. Some general remarks • The analysis of the data recorded highlighted some critical aspects of this experience, in particular: • The biggest challenge for the teachers is preparing learning materials compatible with the LMS and with the web; • Many teachers have no experience of e-learning environments and so they tend to set up online lessons not suitably tailored for activities based on the web; • The students often perceive the arrangement of the contents as the main weakness in their online didactic experience; in fact, if the online experience is frequently unsatisfactory because of the lack of real interaction between students and teachers this impression can be increased by the poor composition of the contents; • The arrangement of the learning contents can lead the learners to study the online materials like a traditional textbook; for this reason some of the advantages of e-learning will be lost and the impact of this didactic environment may be disappointing. PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

15. Why a pen-based approach • From this remarks we thought to apply a pen-based approach with the aim to • facilitate the teacher’s work to prepare the contents • permit a more simple creation of digital documents including text and graphic • create movie files reproducing the didactic content like a lesson into the classroom • make free the teacher with respect the technologies applied in the e-learning context PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

16. The our proposal • We decide to try a PBL approach for preparing some lesson in the module of “Computing programming and database” • We chose to apply a didactic methodology based on trial and error • We planned to prepare some lessons in which the students have to learn from examples • We used this approach during four years PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

17. Technological tools • The following list shows the tools used by the teacher: • sheet of paper; • Pegasus™ pen based device; • handwriting acquisition software; • screen capture software; • video real time streaming software; • peer to peer videoconference software connection. PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

18. The workflow • We tested two scenarios • First (asynchronous) • While the teacher is writing, a handwriting acquisition tool reproduces the electronic version of the handwritten text • In the meantime a live screen recorder captures the writing activity together with the teacher’s spoken comments • A database of handwritten streams was created so that the teacher could use them for the composition of lessons • Second (synchronous) • Like previous • Like previous • Using a video conference tool the handwritten document is delivered in real time to all connected students PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

19. The handwriting acquisition • The teacher used the Pegasus™ pen based device • This device consists of an acquisition apparatus, the base clip, attached to an ordinary sheet of paper and a digital pen. As soon you start writing your text appears on the screen and the NoteManager application allows you to file, edit, modify or e-mail your text. PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

20. Base clip connected to the PC via USB cable Ordinary sheet of paper The digital pen The Pegasus™ device PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

21. The digitalized handwritten document The menu to modify, convert, save and send the digital image The digital image of the handwriting document Desktop of the computer PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

22. The screen capture tool • We capture the handwriting process using a live screen recorder tool (Camtasia™ Recorder) • The tool permits to capture also the teacher’s audio notes • Using a post-production tool (Camtasia™ Studio) stream videos are created and this tool also permits to assembly graphics, audios, images and videos PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

23. The delivering (asynchronous) • The stream audio/video is moved via Ftp on the streaming server • In this way a database of handwritten streams was created so that the teacher could use them for the composition of lessons • The link to the file is embedded in a html file that presents the topics • When the student clicks the stream start • The student can stop the reproduction and view/listen again • When the student looks at the electronic notes he feels as though he is watching the teacher writing on the board PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

24. The delivering (synchronous) • The teacher can use a videoconference tool • Using the pen-based device the teacher can interact with the connected students • The stream can be captured and delivered via the Learning Management System • The video can include also the audio and the image of the teacher PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

25. Another application (correction) • The student sends an exercise to the teacher • The teacher opens the file and corrects the exercise with a pen-based device • The corrections are saved in a new file, static or as a video • The teacher sends the file to the student or delivers the file via the Learning Management System PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

26. Results of this test • This experimental procedure was applied to prepare some contents for an introductory course on computer programming, for first year students, and we observed the reaction of the students for a period of four years • This PBL approach evidences advantages both for teachers and for students • To assess the PBL procedure we think to enlarge the teachers involved • At this phase only a qualitative evaluation was possible PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

27. The teacher’s point of view • The lessons can be planned in a similar manner to frontal lessons in the classroom: the teachers can continue to work in a traditional manner, thus overcoming some of the problems frequently encountered when one has to prepare web resources • The pen-based procedure permits to realize attractive lessons with a minimal effort • The time to prepare lessons and to answer to the students’ requests was shorten • The quality of the didactic materials appears good • This procedure permits teacher to show the whole process needed to construct the concepts and present the various issues through exercises and practice PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

28. The student’s point of view • The feedback of the students was positive • The time to prepare the final exam was shorter with respect the same module during the first two years when this procedure was not applied • The students’ answers to the questionnaires put on evidence their satisfaction • The students shown to understand better the computing programming procedure and the examples of algorithms illustrated by the teacher with the videos PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

29. Some considerations • We have not the opportunity to supply the students with the handwriting acquisition tool • The video didactic materials can be embedded into learning objects but there are problems with the matadata and tagging • The compliance with learning standards (like SCORM) is not simple PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

30. Forthcomings • To enlarge the number of teachers involved • To recorder more data and to asses the learning efficacy of this approach using quantitative data analysis • To prove this approach when also the students can use a pen-based device • To apply standards for tagging video/audio files • To include this materials into learning objects repositories • To track the students activities when they interact with these materials PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta

31. Contacts: Luciano Seta ITD – CNR Palermo (Italy) E-mail: luciano.seta@itd.cnr.it PLT2007 – Catania (Italy) - Chiazzese & Seta