Notetakers, Scribes, and Readers for STEM classes

1. Notetakers, Scribes, and Readers for STEM classes Dr. Judith S. Gurka gurka@msudenver.edu Metropolitan State University of Denver Accessing Higher Ground October 2012

2. Overview • STEM: science, technology (includes computer science), engineering, and math STEM material is complex • Concepts, vocabulary, pronunciation, symbols • Issues for readers, scribes, and notetakers • Guidance and training to work with STEM students

3. My Background • Computer Science faculty, in Math and Computer Science department • My students: physical disabilities • Blind and low vision, limited use of hands, non-verbal • My interest • Interesting and challenging problems supporting students with disabilities • Limits of technology

4. Technical CS Curriculum • Software • Hardware • Systems • Theory • Math

5. Computer Science and Disabilities • Good for students with disabilities who would prefer working remotely • Creates a strong, special developer population for disability systems, both hardware and software • We want to get them and keep them in CS • Problem: support difficulties contribute to loss of students

6. General CS Course Problems • Material difficulty • Student misconceptions • Course novelty • Math Resulting in … • High attrition • Low grades • Weak students

7. Computer Science Characteristics • Code / programs details • Uppercase / lowercase • White space: indentation, blank lines, spaces • Symbols • Specialized vocabulary • Some unusual, some “normal” English • Diagrams

8. Computer Science Example • Compare two lines of code: for loop (Computer Science 1) • Correct version: for (int k = 0; k < 10; k++)

9. Computer Science Example • Compare two lines of code • Incorrect version, 6 syntax errors! For [int k == 0, k < 10, K + +] • Each individual error will … • Cause a program to fail • Earn points off on a test

10. Computer Science Example • Compare two lines of code • Correct version: for (int k = 0; k < 10; k++) • Incorrect version, 6 syntax errors! For [int k == 0, k < 10, K + +]

11. Computer Science Example for (int k = 0; k < 10; k++) • On reading, how should this be pronounced by the reader? • On scribing, how should this be pronounced by the student, then written by the scribe?

12. Computer Science Example for (intk = 0; k < 10; k++) • How do we read it in class? • It depends on the class level and focus • Compare Computer Science 1 and 2

13. Computer Science Example • Linked list code (Computer Science 2) Node head = null; … if (head.getNext() == null) … boolean success = temp.setNext(temp2.getPrev());

14. Computer Science Example • Linked list diagram (Computer Science 2)

15. Computer Science Example • Linked list • How should these diagrams be described? • How much detail need a student give to a scribe? … if the scribe knows CS? … if they don’t?

16. Computer Code – Java Language /* This is a simple Java program. Call this file "Example.java". */ public class Example { // Your program begins with a call to main(). public static void main(String args[ ]) { System.out.println(”Hello, World!"); } }

17. Computer Code – Lisp Language (defparameter *small* 1) (defparameter *big* 100) (defun guess-my-number () (ash (+ *small* *big*) -1)) (defun smaller () (setf *big* (1- (guess-my-number))) (guess-my-number)) (defun bigger () (setf *small* (1+ (guess-my-number))) (guess-my-number))

18. Computer Code – Assembly CSEG SEGMENT 'CODE' ASSUME CS:CSEG PUBLIC CLR CLR PROC FAR PUSH BP ;BP unknown (don't care) MOV BP,SP ;set base for parm list PUSH DS ;DS -> basic work area PUSH ES ;ES -> basic work area MOV AX,DATASEG ;establish data addressability MOV DS,AX ;now DS -> my data ASSUME DS:DATASEG

19. Computer Science Example • Is a computer allowed during a test? • Compilers and IDEs: software that, in part, analyses programming code for correctness • Compare to spelling checker • A proctor must distinguish between proper and improper use of the computer • Harder than ensuring a student doesn’t google something

20. Computer Science Example • Dragon shortcuts – who would know? Student says: “print line” Dragon writes: System.out.println( ); and waits for student to fill in parentheses • Computer science student programmed Dragon for ease of homework • Dragon is giving part of the answer that is being graded

21. Math Examples • Symbols • ≥ (greater than or equal to),&& logical ‘and’) • Greek letters • Σ (sigma, uppercase), ε (epsilon, lowercase) • Abbreviations • cos (cosine), lm (limit) • Except for the first, a math-knowledgeable person is needed to read or write this material

22. Math Example • Very remedial math test (3rd grade) • Problems on a quiz using integer multiplication 2 x 3 and 4(12) and 11 . 6 • How should a reader read these? • What should a scribe write if the student says “multiply”?

23. Math Example 2 x 3 and 4(12) and 11 . 6 • This should not be read “two times three” • The reader must pronounce character by character • “four left-parenthesis twelve right-parenthesis” • Is “dot” unclear? • The quiz was (obviously?) testing knowing the symbols as well as being able to multiply • Even a reader knowledgeable in math might not catch this subtlety

24. Math Example 2 x 3 and 4(12) and 11 . 6 • Note that this is not even college-level math! • Weak students need especially good support • Students with disabilities may have more math problems • Remember that all students take basic math

25. Natural Science Example • Read the following H2O NaCl

26. Natural Science Example • H2O • “water” or “H two oh”? • Need to say that the “oh” is a zero? • Need to say that the “2” is a subscript? • Need to say that the “2” is “two,” not “to” or “too”? • Need to specify uppercase/lowercase?

27. Natural Science Example • NaCl • “sodium chloride” or “salt” or pronounce the letters? • Note that “salt” is a general term covering many different, specific chemical compounds • Uppercase / lowercase? • Spacing? • Font curiosity: is “I” a lowercase letter “ell” or an uppercase letter “eye” or a Roman numeral one?

28. Natural Science Example • How should they be read? • They’re all right and they’re all wrong … sometimes • It depends on context, course level, instructor preference • How should they be spoken / explained to a scribe? • How smart is the pencil?

29. Natural Science Example • Does it matter? • What is being tested? • What should the student know? • What do professionals know? • What does text-to-speech software do?

30. Math and Science • Taken by all students • Interesting problems for readers and scribes even at very basic levels • Sometimes a reader needs to know the intent of the material as well as the actual text, in order to make decisions about pronunciation, etc.

31. Diagrams • Much more complex • Topic knowledge and more … • Visual components • What matters and what is “decorative”? • Color? Size? Shape and direction of lines? Position of labels? Relative position of components?

32. Diagrams – Considerations • Order of reading? • Left to right? Top down? Inside out? • Is a visual component semantically important or just decorative? • Any terminology that is not shown, but should be used? • Knowledge level of listener? • A reader needs significant preparation time

33. STEM is Hard – So What? • Support for STEM students who are disabled takes significantly more time, effort, and expertise • Notetaking • Scribes • Readers • Training • Quality assurance

34. General Notetaking Problems • Who’s taking notes nowadays anyway? • How good are the notes? • Includes readability! • How correct …? • How complete …? • Notes for yourself vs. notes for others

35. General Notetaking Problems • How do you know note quality? • Review needed … by whom? • How can a novice take complete and correct notes? • Compare to “English-based” classes • History, economics, …

36. General Notetaking Problems • A recording or transcription of a class is probably not sufficient • Capturing simultaneous text and diagrams is difficult or impossible • Parallel scribes? • Does notetaking interfere with the notetaker’s experience in class? Yes …

37. CS Notetaking Problems • Is the syntax correct? • The vocabulary …? • The diagrams …? • Will the notetaker persist or drop?

38. STEM Notetakers • The notetaker must … • Know concepts, notation, vocabulary, and math • Write and draw clearly • Be dependable and diligent • They can’t be learning it while they are taking notes • Peers need all their time for their own notes • Studying before class is insufficient

39. STEM Readers • The reader must … • Know concepts, notation, vocabulary, and math • Speak clearly and pronounce correctly • Be dependable and diligent • Diagrams must be traced and practiced in advance, for completeness, correctness, and clarity

40. STEM Scribes • The hardest position? easiest? • Do they need to know anything, or will everything be guided by the student? • “draw a box, now divide it in half vertically; draw an arrow from the bottom of the left half …” • How much time does this take? • Does it interfere too much with getting a good evaluation of the student?

41. STEM Scribes • Can knowledgeable scribes not contribute? • Can non-knowledgeable scribes be meticulous and careful enough when they don’t know what’s important? • Can students describe everything precisely and completely, even if they understand it? • Example: uppercase / lowercase and spacing File file = new File (“datafile.txt”);

42. Who? • Who should take notes? scribe? read? • Peers? • Someone who took that class? … that instructor? • Advanced students? A+ students? Grad student? • Part-time professor? High school teacher? • How do you decide? • How do you check quality? • Would you remove someone from a position?

43. Training for STEM Support • Manuals for notetakers, scribes, and readers • Discipline-specific • Common problems and solutions • Standard guidelines • What to do and not do • How to do it and not do it • Manuals for profs • Common problems and solutions • Working with notetakers, scribes, and readers

44. Training for STEM Support • The student’s part • Meet with professor and notetaker/scribe/reader and discuss how the work will be done • What must a student tell a scribe? • Do a practice quiz with professor and scribe to check procedures

45. Training for STEM Support • Faculty collaboration with scribes, etc. • Provide sample tests and lecture notes for review • Discuss notation and vocabulary and diagrams • Involve student as appropriate • Touch base regularly

46. Ideas • Funding • Pay expert notetakers, scribes and readers • Requires a strong argument from disabilities office to justify a new budget item • Compare to interpreters • Need for language (ASL) skill is easy to demonstrate and understand • Need for technical knowledge seems to be ignored

47. Ideas • Oral exams by professors? • Avoids “middleman” (scribe) • Allows on-the-fly adjustments based on student difficulties • Difficult to grade • Perhaps more difficult to defend the grade • Tense situation for the student

48. Ideas • Review work of STEM support • Check notes, recordings, tests, … • Collect student reviews of support • But remember that a student may not be aware of errors and omissions • Avoid checking only student satisfaction • Correctness is primary

49. Ideas • Faculty help • Oversight of procedures, recommendations for student help, quality checkers, training materials • Faculty as readers and scribes • Note: faculty get credit for “community service”

50. The 95% Rule • 95% of anything can probably be done, and done fairly well, by a computer • The other 5% is fascinating, challenging, and hard to (try to) automate with software and hardware • The missing or flawed 5% can be crucial in STEM material