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EVA_pm : Design and Development of a Scaffolding Environment for Students Projects http://tecfa.unige.ch/tecfa/teaching/staf18/files-g/commNcontrol.html. Paraskevi (Vivian) SYNTETA TECFA - FPSE, Univ. of Geneva July 6, 2001.
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EVA_pm: Design and Development of a Scaffolding Environment for Students Projectshttp://tecfa.unige.ch/tecfa/teaching/staf18/files-g/commNcontrol.html Paraskevi (Vivian) SYNTETA TECFA - FPSE, Univ. of Geneva July 6, 2001
A constructivistic instructional model that organises learning around projects. Project-Based Learning Advantages Challenges • Increases student motivation • Improves student problem-solving • Promotes meta-cognition • Promotes self-regulated self-learning • Opportunities for interdisciplinary learning • Culminates in realistic results • Initiating inquiry • Direct investigations • Managing time • Overcome writer’s block • Limited experience in project design • Collaboration & feedback • Project follow-up • Monitoring progress • Monitoring knowledge Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
EVA_pm Efforts to improve PBL Guzdial CSILE Team Facilitator CaMILE Learning Appropriate Goals Barron et al. Reflective learner Torp & Sage Initiate inquiry Collaboration Direct inquiry PIViT Klein et al. Cognitive & Technology Group PBLSS WBILE Blumenfeld et al. Design Diary MOST Barron et al. Draw conclusions Overall context Acquire & present knowledge Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
initiate inquiry direct investigations manage time knowledge on project design team management promote reflection scaffold tutors role motivate … EVA_pm’s Goal Develop a constructivist environment and method to scaffold students projects through all it’s phases. overcome writer’s block Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
Conceptual Framework Constructivism Resources-Based Learning Project-Based Learning Scaffolding + Net PBL Genex Reflection Engagement Theory Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
EVA_pm’s components • EVA_pm ML • EVA_paper ML • Editing toolset • editor in favor • stylesheets • commNcontrol + tools • Virtual Book Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
EVA_pm ML Markup Language for project specification & management • specification (setting goals, breaking them up into achievable objectives) • scaffolding to initiate inquiry • express and concretise ideas • reflect on solutions by providing explanations • produce a coherent research design • management (work packages, planning) • structure the work • for planning, communication, reflection and resourcefulness • meta-report (meta-cognitive scaffolding) • reflection to engage in learning • enhance learning by monitoring understanding XML as cognitive tool Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
EVA_pm ML example (merci Nico :) Resources Work packages Comments Specification Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
EVA_paper ML Markup Language for project’s final paper • about the final product (summary, intro, body, conclusions, etc.) • scaffolding to writing a paper • express and concretise ideas • reconstruct learning • meta-reflect on the result(s) by providing explanations • produce a coherent research review • focus on text, distract attention from decoration Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
EVA_paper ML example (merci René & Sylvain :) Main body Abstract - Preface Introduction Conclusions Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
The editing toolset Editor in favor & style sheets • editors in favor (?) • XMetal for Microsoft users ($$$) • epcEdit for all platforms ($$$) • XEmacs for rare cases :) • style sheets for project and paper (multiple views) • from one xml file • from a combination of xml files • with or without discussion Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
commNcontrol & tools EVA’s web portal for the projects (for tutors, students, guests) • monitor, share & visualize information • through the portal that parses XML information • motivate with peering • through awareness tools • promote collaboration & scaffold interaction with tutor(s) • through discussion tools & mailing lists • facilitate group editing • through a versioning system (file transfer tools and file locking) • facilitate tutor’s evaluation(s) • through the evaluation tools (audits & final evaluation) Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
Configuration according to authentication Mailing lists tutor student Visualise complete files Awareness Tools commNcontrol ex. (merci nathalie & Yves :)
Virtual Book EVA’s web portal for the papers • concretise students work • by seeing it as a part of a virtual book • distribute results (peer benefits) • through the portal that parses XML information • searchable information • by being structured Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
Development method Co-operative prototyping • with STAF-18 mostly Evolution of commNcontrol Evolution of Virtual Book Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
Implementation • XML Infoset • Grammars: 2 major DTD’s (as cognitive tools), • 4 minor (for data storing) & 1 reused (ibtwsh6.dtd) • XML files: 4 major (to structure semantics), 4 minor(to store data) • XSLT: 7 stylesheets (to visualize) • Cocoon (Apache XML Project) • it’s XSL processor to transform to HTML & XIncludes (to merge) • Java • 8 Java servlets • 2 Java classes • reuse & modification of a DOMWriter • import of an O’Reilly class • SAX & DOM API • to parse XML files & update them Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
Testing & Evaluation • Evaluation = Prototyping • Group: 12 students STAF-Gina for STAF-18 • Steps: Choose project - course - presentation - explanation - follow phases - edit XML - coaching - finish - questionnaire • Evaluation of the LE (Learning Environment) • general approach: good & encouraging • grammar : quite mature • toolset: useful & stable scripting code • usability of the online interface: can be improved • XML editing: remains difficult & challenging objective • Evaluation of the student learning • Fairly good: Students manage to make a simple research plan Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
initiate inquiry direct investigations manage time knowledge on project design team management promote reflection scaffold tutors role motivate … suceeded Conclusions suceeded Initial goal Develop a constructivist environment and method to scaffold students projects through all it’s phases. suceeded achieved almost suceeded almost suceeded distribute to bigger audiences suceeded ? ? ? suceeded verify whether knowledge was acquired Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001
Perspectives • Interesting method • needs more testing (bigger/different classes - better XML editor) • interface can be improved thanks to feedback gathered • Wishing list for future versions of EVA_pm • easier editing • better interface of commNcontrol • more interaction features • possibility to configure the grammars • make EVA_pm a Web archive (a servlet 2.3 compatible *.war distribution) to make it completely portable Vivian SYNTETA, TECFA, July 6, 2001