Wireless Interactive Teaching System (WITS)

1. Wireless InteractiveTeaching System (WITS) Sheryl Ball, Economics & CWT; Catherine Eckel, Economics Scott Midkiff, Electrical and Computer Eng & CWT Josh Goad, Andrew Fabian, Adam Ferguson, Jeff Grant, Eric Harding, Ross Ivins, Eric Kee, James Nurmi, Virginia Prudom, Eric McLester, Hrishikesh Singhania, Thomas Sires, Sheheryar Banuri Funding: NSF/DUE Andrew Mellon Foundation VT Center for Innovation in Learning

2. What is WITS? • “Wireless Interactive Teaching System” • Wireless teaching system to bring active learning exercises to large classes • Wireless teach to improve speed and flexibility of learning exercises in small-medium classes • Low cost, portable, highly flexible system

3. How is it different from others? • Others: Aplia, Veconlab, Econport • Require that everything be pre-planned and pre-programmed • To change parameters or exercises, everyone logs out, reprogram, restart, everyone logs in • Require computer lab • WITS: • Flexible • Parameters and games can change on the fly • Students think and develop hypotheses

4. History • WITS began in 1998 with a bright idea • Funding: • First funded in 2000 by Andrew Mellon Foundation • In 2001 by NSF-DUE, POC • Failed proposals in 2003, 2004, 2005 • Finally funded in 2006 for full development • Platforms: Cybiko, Palm, WindowsCE, Internet (under development)

5. Concept: • Economic reality is large lecture courses and high student-faculty ratios • Experiments improve learning, but slow and inflexible when conducted ‘by hand” • Use technology to more actively involve every learner in interactive exercises • Technology allows multiple rounds or treatments • Technology allows quick response to student questions and hypotheses • Technology facilitates follow-up analysis using online data tools • Technology facilitates communication in large classes

6. Benefits of WITS • Easy • Experiments can be run quickly and easily • Flexible • Variations can be done on the spot, so students can visualize the effect of multiple factors on a given market or situation • Contrast to Aplia, Veconlab, Econport • Improves student learning • helps student to analyze complex new situations,predict outcomes

7. Components • Exercises • Posted Offer Market (shift curves) • Tax Equivalence (demand and supply side of posted offer market) • Public Goods • Commons • Bimatrix – any 2 x 2 matrix game (PD, coordination) • Monopoly • Ultimatum/Dictator/Trust • Location/Voting • Risk aversion • Gift Exchange • Quiz program • Instructor feedback component • Teaching materials (homework, etc.) to support the exercises

8. Evaluating the system • Experiments improve learning • Gremmen, H., & Potters, J.(1997). – 1 exercise • Emerson and Taylor (2004) • 2/9 sections; improvement on TUCE • Dickey (2004) • 2/3 sections; improvement on TUCE • Do wireless experiments provide an equivalent learning experience? • Is this true in large classes?

9. Evaluating WITS at VT • Early tests • Spring 2002 test with a different (unreliable) device • Spring 2003 test with a different instructor • Summer 2003 test of the evaluation instruments in an instructor’s class on 3 class days • Fall 2003 - pair of 75-student classes taught by Eckel (back to back, in same room) • Experimental Course - participated in 7 WITS exercise • Control Course - discussed published results of the same 7 exercises on the same dates • Same homework assignments for both classes

10. Measuring class performance • Class evaluations • Grades in the class (controlling for measures of ability, effort, experience) • “Minute” papers • Qualitative evaluation

11. Evaluations Fall 2003

12. Grades Fall 2003

16. How are students learning differently? • Minute paper assessments • Students are given one minute to answer two questions: • What did you learn? • What additional questions do you have? • Student perceptions of learning • Exit survey questionnaire

17. Summer 2003 “Minute Paper”

18. Student perceptions

19. Conclusions • Student performance is higher in classes with wireless assisted interactive exercises • Student evaluations are higher • Students ask different questions • Student perceptions of learning are different • Changes “’culture” of class!

20. What are we doing this summer? • Main thing: train others to use the system • So far only SB and CE have used it. • Other things: • Cross-platform compatibility • Web-based version • Development of new exercises • Development of user-friendly instructor interface and instructor’s manual • Testing of quiz and in-class chat capabilities

21. Running WITS • Pre-test • Instructional slides • Record sheet • Post-exercise homework or in-class questions • Student evaluation • Instructor evaluation • Instructor report (short writeup) • Exam questions

22. Testing WITS in your class • Identify relevant exercises • Schedule training and tech support • Conduct in class: on your own or with help • Write report: • Exercise used and concept taught • Parameters • Results • Narrative about how it went

23. Reporting • We will prepare reports from all input • Pretest and posttest • Evaluation data • Instructor input

24. Plans • Fall 2008: • Principles classes • Advanced classes • Web-based version tests