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Computer Enhanced Learning

Computer Enhanced Learning. Rick Matthews Wake Forest University matthews@wfu.edu http://www.wfu.edu/~matthews. They want to learn how tools of technology that can aid teaching and learning. What in your course would you like to differently? Do you ever say, “If only I could….”?.

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Computer Enhanced Learning

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  1. Computer Enhanced Learning Rick Matthews Wake Forest University matthews@wfu.edu http://www.wfu.edu/~matthews

  2. They want to learn how tools of technology that can aid teaching and learning. What in your course would you like to differently? Do you ever say, “If only I could….”? What drives faculty to incorporate technology ?

  3. My students need to work harder. We can’t get discussion started for twenty minutes. I don’t have time for discussion. I don’t have time for hands-on activities. What do faculty worry about?

  4. My students need to work harder. We can’t get discussion started for twenty minutes. I don’t have time for discussion. I don’t have time for hands-on activities. What do faculty worry about?

  5. My students need to work harder. We can’t get discussion started for twenty minutes. I don’t have time for discussion. I don’t have time for hands-on activities. The whole class bombed question 3. The students just skim the reading. They haven’t intellectually engaged the assignment. I want the students to interact more outside class. What do faculty worry about?

  6. Principles of effective teaching • Encourage contact between students and faculty • Develop cooperation among students • Encourage active learning • Give prompt feedback • Emphasize time on task • Communicate high expectations • Respect diverse talents and ways of thinking

  7. What can computers do better than professors? • Not much! • Simulations, statistics, graphing, data acquisition • Professors’ time is precious; computer time is not. • Available all the time! What can the technology do well enough?

  8. Content distribution Reference materials How do computers help? Homework solutions!

  9. Content distribution Reference materials Class notes How do computers help? Students can engage the material, not worry about writing everything down. Students may stop coming to class. Students may resent the notes!

  10. Content distribution Reference materials Class notes Multimedia How do computers help?

  11. Content distribution Reference materials Class notes Multimedia Video clips How do computers help?

  12. Content distribution Reference materials Class notes Multimedia Video clips Lectures! How do computers help?

  13. Lectures online • Streaming Media • Sequenced web pages accompanied by audio • 50 minute lecture becomes 15 minute streaming slide show. • SMIL • RealPresenter, from RealNetworks • Easily converts PowerPoint presentation to narrated slide show. • Video quality is not so good on web, but great if you distribute ppt. • Students can pause, adjust pace.

  14. “Chat” fairly rare. Asynchronous nature of threaded discussions is key. Stimulates students to think more carefully about assignments. Students challenge each other. Students walk in the door arguing! Online discussions

  15. “Chat” fairly rare. Asynchronous nature of threaded discussions is key. Stimulates students to think more carefully about assignments. Students challenge each other. Students walk in the door arguing! Outside experts. Online discussions

  16. Just in Time Teaching(frequent online quizzes) • Thanks to Dany Kim-Shapiro • In today’s classroom, it is desirable to spend as much time as possible using active learning techniques • Thus less time can be spent lecturing on factual information that can be obtained from reading. • Need better and more prompt assessment.

  17. Goals • Encourage students to read ahead • Enhance communication between the professor and the students • Discover weak spots in understanding

  18. Methods • Make assignment on the web for each class. • Students submit responses and comments. • Professor reads comments and answers (feedback) and can adjust class preparation just in time for next class. • Easy grading using excel macro

  19. Examples of Students' Comments Sent via e-mail • I guess section five was the only difficult problem, section six turned pretty clear cut once again. I guess seeing problems would help jog my memory. • I'm having trouble following a lot of the book calculations on the vector stuff. Maybe if we look at it in class it will become more tangible, but now it's all foreign to me. I have a question, though (although it may not be important): why does rubbing with silk material have a different effect than rubbing with wool? Does it have something to do with the friction between surfaces and the charge this creates? Thanks!! • I find great trouble in understanding the material on the electric flux and electric field lines. I have difficulty in conceptualizing the field lines. What exactly are they? What do they help us visualize? I hope I will understand these points better after class tomorrow.

  20. More Examples Comments Sent via e-mail from ‘98 • "I don't know if other people feel the same way, but Problem 30-41 from our homework due next Monday just seems very difficult. I've read my notes on displacement current, read section 30-8 twice, and looked at the example problem in it and I just can't figure it out. Could we maybe do 30-41 in class? …-” • "I have had difficulty conceptualizing what a "closed surface" is, and the connection between Gauss' Law and such surfaces.” • " would you be willing to do some sample electrical force problems in class. i am having problems with the homework. more than i feel i should…”

  21. Acknowledgements • Just in time teaching was developed by Evelyn Patterson and Gregor Novak, http://www.usafa.af.mil/dfp/physics/webphysics/ • The cgi-bin stuff was implemented by Ching-Wan Yip

  22. Structured online discussions • A variation on online quizzes. • Tries to capture “Peer Instruction” experience. • Challenges every answer.

  23. Structured online discussions Suppose a ship is in a lock of the Panama Canal, and carries a cargo of steel girders. If the girders are thrown overboard, the water level in the canal will: A. Fall. B. Rise. C. Stay the same.

  24. Structured online discussions Suppose a ship is in a lock of the Panama Canal, and carries a cargo of steel girders. If the girders are thrown overboard, the water level in the canal will: A. fall. When you take the girders out of the ship, the ship will rise and the water will fall. However, when you drop the girders in the water, the water will rise again by the same amount. The water level stays the same.

  25. Structured online discussions Suppose a ship is in a lock of the Panama Canal, and carries a cargo of steel girders. If the girders are thrown overboard, the water level in the canal will: C. Stay the same. What is special about steel? It’s dense! What would happen if, instead of the steel, there was a tiny little BB pellet with the same mass? What happens when you take it out of the ship? Ship pops up, water falls. What happens when you drop it back in the water? Not much. The water level falls.

  26. Java, Shockwave • Power of a full programming language • Great possibilities for platform-independent simulations, demonstrations • See http://WebPhysics.davidson.edu/Applets/Applets.html, http://www.wfu.edu/Academic-departments/Chemistry/cel/ • Caution: we do not all need to do it all. • Davidson, Georgia Tech

  27. PowerPoint presentations • Advantages over traditional lecture • Images • Sound • "Death by PowerPoint" • PowerPoint on the Web • Automatic conversion • Can use SMIL for narrated slide shows • RealPresenter is easy, but slide quality is poor • Student use!

  28. Discipline-specific applications • Simulations • Professional tools • Other Why do students not work harder? Why do they turn in inadequate work?

  29. Simulations • CircuitMaker • Zemax (and applets) • ActivPhysics • ActivChemistry • NMR spectral analysis, etc. • Yue-Ling Wong and Angela King

  30. Simulations • CircuitMaker • Zemax • ActivPhysics • ActivChemistry

  31. Simulations • CircuitMaker • Zemax • ActivPhysics • ActivChemistry

  32. Simulations • CircuitMaker • Zemax • ActivPhysics • ActivChemistry

  33. Simulations • CircuitMaker • Zemax • ActivPhysics • ActivChemistry

  34. Professional tools • Spreadsheets and data analysis • Maple, Matlab, Mathematica • Scientific graphing and analysis: Axum, Origin, SigmaPlot, etc. • Quantum modeling software: Hyperchem, Spartan, etc. • Data acquisition and experiment control: Science Workshop, Labview, BioPac • Statistics software

  35. Professional tools • Spreadsheets and data analysis • Maple, Matlab, Mathematica • Scientific graphing and analysis: Axum, Origin, SigmaPlot, etc. • Quantum modeling software: Hyperchem, Spartan, etc. • Data acquisition and experiment control: Science Workshop, Labview, BioPac • Statistics software

  36. Professional tools • Spreadsheets and data analysis • Maple, Matlab, Mathematica • Scientific graphing and analysis: Axum, Origin, SigmaPlot, etc. • Quantum modeling software: Hyperchem, Spartan, etc. • Data acquisition and experiment control: Science Workshop, Labview, BioPac • Statistics software

  37. Professional tools • Spreadsheets and data analysis • Maple, Matlab, Mathematica • Scientific graphing and analysis: Axum, Origin, SigmaPlot, etc. • Quantum modeling software: Hyperchem, Spartan, etc. • Data acquisition and experiment control: Science Workshop, Labview, BioPac • Statistics software

  38. Professional tools • Spreadsheets and data analysis • Maple, Matlab, Mathematica • Scientific graphing and analysis: Axum, Origin, SigmaPlot, etc. • Quantum modeling software: Hyperchem, Spartan, etc. • Data acquisition and experiment control: Science Workshop, Labview, BioPac • Statistics software

  39. Professional tools • Spreadsheets and data analysis • Maple, Matlab, Mathematica • Scientific graphing and analysis: Axum, Origin, SigmaPlot, etc. • Quantum modeling software: Hyperchem, Spartan, etc. • Data acquisition and experiment control: Science Workshop, Labview, BioPac • Statistics software

  40. Professional tools • Spreadsheets and data analysis • Maple, Matlab, Mathematica • Scientific graphing and analysis: Axum, Origin, SigmaPlot, etc. • Quantum modeling software: Hyperchem, Spartan, etc. • Data acquisition and experiment control: Science Workshop, Labview, BioPac • Statistics software

  41. Music • Cakewalk • Band in a Box

  42. Principles of effective teaching • Encourage contact between students and faculty • Develop cooperation among students • Encourage active learning • Give prompt feedback • Emphasize time on task • Communicate high expectations • Respect diverse talents and ways of thinking

  43. Techies start -- explosion happens when non-techies successfully adopt. Faculty ownership. Standardization important. Adopt culture of support -- encourage “play.” Sharing successes Ancillary benefits -- pedagogy. SUPPORT! Lessons learned

  44. Discussion Rick Matthews Department of Physics Wake Forest University http://www.wfu.edu/~matthews matthews@wfu.edu

  45. Content delivery Reference materials, sources (data books), Lectures Interaction outside class. Threaded discussions, etc. Prompt feedback--simulations. Multimedia Powerpoint Experts, Seeger Labs -- data acquisition. Techies start -- explosion happens when non-techies successfully adopt. Sharing successes Faculty ownership Adopt culture of support -- encourage “play.” Ancillary benefits -- pedagogy. Brainstorming slide

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