The impact of rotating summarizing roles in online discussions: Effects on learners’ listening behaviors during and subsequent to role assignment

This study investigated whether assigning students summarizing roles in online discussions during specific weeks affects how they attend to the posts of others while playing the role, and in subsequent discussion weeks. Thirty-three students in a large undergraduate course on educational psychology were assigned one of two summarizing roles (Synthesizer, Wrapper) on a rotating basis during six week-long small-group online discussions; demographic and log-file data were collected (N = 198 student-weeks). Multilevel, cross-classification modeling revealed that assigning students summarizing roles increased the breadth of their listening during in-role weeks, but the effect was only weakly sustained after the role was completed. Students taking the Synthesizer role showed some increased depth of listening during in-role weeks but not post-role weeks. Other post-role behavior changes (a reduced number of sessions and review of posts) suggest unintended negative side effects of a role-rotation strategy, possibly due to post-role abdication of responsibility.     

Pedagogical lurking: Student engagement in non-posting discussion behavior

This paper presents the results of a study of student non-posting participation behavior in two online classes. Most often active message is assessed and thus implicitly valued in online class discussion, but the act of writing messages is not the only factor that contributes to student learning. However, it is the most visible and easiest to measure. Students may engage in processes of reading and reflection on the discussion board, not leaving their mark; it is these acts that may be referred to as pedagogical lurking. In this study, students were asked to self-report their non-visible course activities, the reasons behind these activities and their perceived usefulness related to learning. Findings show that about half of the students felt that they learned through the online discussion experience, and that they believe both posting and reading messages contributed to their ability to learn. These students were likely to enter the discussion before posting to obtain a model for participation, and to return at a later time to check for replies and reflect. Students who participated solely to meet course requirements and who focused on posting messages more than reading messages had less positive impressions of the discussion activity’s impact on learning.     

“线上+线下”混合式英语课程建设中的学生思辨能力分析

在“线上+线下”混合式教学模式下,学生思辨能力在我国外语教学中显得尤为重要,思辨能力培养的方式、方法也日趋成熟。随着信息时代的飞速发展,越来越多的学者们指出,英语类专业在注重学生听、说、写、读、译等语言和文化知识技能培养的同时,要逐步提高学生自主思考、主动思维的能力,特别是辩证的自主思考问题的能力即思辨能力。随着国家一流专业、一流课程建设推进,混合式教学已成为全国各高校英语专业课程改革的重心,混合式教学“线上”+“线下”各个项目环节的设置,有利于学生提高学习兴趣,凸显个性化学习,实现“学用一体”,提高学生思辨能力。     

Searching for the two sigma advantage: Evaluating algebra intelligent tutors

This study evaluated 2 off-the-shelf, computer-based, mathematics intelligent-tutoring systems that provide instruction in algebra during a remedial mathematics summer program. The majority of the enrolled high school students failed to pass algebra in the previous semester. Students were randomly assigned in approximately equal proportions to work with the Carnegie Learning Algebra Cognitive Tutor or the ALEKS Algebra Course. Using the tutoring system exclusively, the students completed a 4-h-a-day, 14-day summer school high school algebra class for credit. The results revealed that both tutoring systems produced statistically and practically meaningful learning gains on measures of arithmetic and algebra knowledge.     

Improving summary writing through formative feedback in a technology-enhanced learning environment

Summary writing is a useful instructional tool for learning. However, summary writing is a challenge to many students. This mixed-method study examined the potential of the Student Mental Model Analyzer for Research and Teaching (SMART) system to help students produce summaries that reflect key concepts and relations in a text. SMART uses the students' summary to generate a multi-dimensional 3S (surface, structure, semantic) evaluation of the students' mental model. This model is then used to drive feedback to help students revise their summary. The current study is an initial investigation examining whether writing and revising in SMART improves students' summary quality. Students (n = 38) in a graduate-level online course used SMART for seven reading assignments. The 38 students submitted a total of 357 summaries in response to the seven readings. In 47 cases, students produced both an initial draft and a modified revision. These 47 cases were selected for analysis. In the quantitative phase, MANOVA results indicated that students' summaries improved along the 3S dimensions from initial draft to revision. In the qualitative phase, inspection of exemplar cases revealed how students' mental models changed towards more robust and cohesive knowledge structure for texts.     

Influence of participation, facilitator styles, and metacognitive reflection on knowledge building in online university courses

Understanding how to foster knowledge building in online and blended learning environments is a key for computer-supported collaborative learning research. Knowledge building is a deeply constructivist pedagogy and kind of inquiry learning focused on theory building. A strong indicator of engagement in knowledge building activity is the socio-cognitive dynamic of epistemic agency, in which students exercise a higher level of agency for setting forth their ideas and negotiating fit with those of others rather than relying on their teacher. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of (a) levels of participation, (b) facilitator styles and (c) metacognitive reflection on knowledge building in two blended, post-secondary education contexts. A study of a total of 67 undergraduate students suggest that high levels of participation, a supportive facilitator style, and ample opportunities for metacognitive reflection on the students’ own participation strategies are most conducive for fostering epistemic agency for knowledge building. Implications of these results for research and instructional design of online courses are discussed.     

C语言案例教学之文件读写

鉴于C语言的重要性．许多高校都将它作为计算机相关专业的编程入门语言。文件读写是C语言的一个关键知识模块，针对该模块抽象难学的问题，提出运用案例教学法以帮助学生更好地掌握其中的原理和要点，给出完整的教学案例，讨论案例教学的实施过程。通过案例教学，学生能对文件读写有直观和深刻的理解。     

SPOC混合教学模式在双语教学中的应用

针对C程序设计课程,本文采用"MOOC+SPOC"混合教学模式实施英汉双语教学。实践结果表明,该模式的实施可以极大提高计算机科学与技术专业学生的英语听说读写能力、自主学习能力和程序设计能力,为后续课程的学习打下坚实的基础。     

Students assessing their own collaborative knowledge building

We describe the design of a knowledge-building environment and examine the role of knowledge-building portfolios in characterizing and scaffolding collaborative inquiry. Our goal is to examine collaborative knowledge building in the context of exploring the alignment of learning, collaboration, and assessment in computer forums. The key design principle involved turning over epistemic agency to students; guided by several knowledge-building principles, they were asked to identify clusters of computer notes that indicated knowledge-building episodes in the computer discourse. Three classes of 9th grade students in Hong Kong used Knowledge Forum in several conditions: Knowledge Forum only, Knowledge Forum with portfolios, and Knowledge Forum with portfolios and principles. Results showed: (1) Students working on portfolios guided knowledge-building principles showed deeper inquiry and more conceptual understanding than their counterpart (2) Students' knowledge-building discourse, reflected in portfolio scores, contributed to their domain understanding; and (3) Knowledge-building portfolios helped to assess and foster collective knowledge advances: A portfolio with multiple contributions from students is a group accomplishment that captures the distributed and progressive nature of knowledge building. Students extended their collective understanding by analyzing the discourse, and the portfolio scaffolded the complex interactions between individual and collective knowledge advancements. An erratum to this article is available at .     

Can students really multitask? An experimental study of instant messaging while reading

Students often “multitask” with electronic media while doing schoolwork. We examined the effects of one form of media often used in such multitasking, instant messaging (IM). We predicted that students who engaged in IMing while reading a typical academic psychology passage online would take longer to read the passage and would perform more poorly on a test of comprehension of the passage. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (IM before reading, IM during reading, or no IM). We found that students took significantly longer to read the passage when they IMed during reading (not including time taken to IM) than in other conditions. However, test performance did not differ by condition. Students who are managing busy lives may think they are accomplishing more by multitasking, but our findings suggest they will actually need more time to achieve the same level of performance on an academic task.     

Why fifth- and seventh-graders submit off-task responses to a web-based reading comprehension tutor rather than expected learning responses

Research shows the students improve their reading comprehension with Intelligent Tutoring of the Structure Strategy (ITSS). One problem for ITSS is that some students are producing responses in the on-line instruction that are unrelated to learning and practicing the reading strategy. These types of disengaged responses can be referred to as system active off-task responses (“off-task”). In this study we characterize who produces off-task responses and why. Classification and Regression Trees (C&RT) and logistic regression analyses were used to answer the why question. Variables predicted to relate to gaming included reading strategy and skill variables, motivation, attitude, self-efficacy, and goal orientation variables, demographic variables, and type of computer feedback (simple versus elaborated). C&RT analysis could explain 66% of the variance in off-task responses. Students without off-task responses were higher in motivation to read and worked in ITSS to produce good main ideas. Students with higher off-task responses had low scores on work mastery goals. The highest producers of off-task responses in Grades 5 and 7 (averaging 24 off-task responses over 7 lessons) had low motivation to read and scored over 2 SD below average on recall tasks in ITSS. The logistic regression could explain 42% of the variance in off-task responses. Use of motivational scales prior to starting instruction as well as on-line performance measures could be used to flag students for early intervention to prevent system active off-task responses and increase on-line learning. The C&RT approach may be particularly helpful to designers in making software more appropriate for different types of students.     

Students assessing their own collaborative knowledge building

We describe the design of a knowledge-building environment and examine the role of knowledge-building portfolios in characterizing and scaffolding collaborative inquiry. Our goal is to examine collaborative knowledge building in the context of exploring the alignment of learning, collaboration, and assessment in computer forums. The key design principle involved turning over epistemic agency to students; guided by several knowledge-building principles, they were asked to identify clusters of computer notes that indicated knowledge-building episodes in the computer discourse. Three classes of 9th grade students in Hong Kong used Knowledge Forum in several conditions: Knowledge Forum only, Knowledge Forum with portfolios, and Knowledge Forum with portfolios and principles. Results showed: (1) Students working on portfolios guided by knowledge-building principles showed deeper inquiry and more conceptual understanding than their counterparts; (2) Students' knowledge-building discourse, reflected in portfolio scores, contributed to their domain understanding; and (3) Knowledge-building portfolios helped to assess and foster collective knowledge advances: A portfolio with multiple contributions from students is a group accomplishment that captures the distributed and progressive nature of knowledge building. Students extended their collective understanding by analyzing the discourse, and the portfolio scaffolded the complex interactions between individual and collective knowledge advancements. Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning (2006) 1(1):57-87 DOI 10.1007/s11412-006-6844-4 This paper was published without its complete corrections. This is a publisher and typesetter error. The online version of the original article can be found at:     

Comprehension and navigation of networked hypertexts

This study aims to investigate secondary school students' reading comprehension and navigation of networked hypertexts with and without a graphic overview compared to linear digital texts. Additionally, it was studied whether prior knowledge, vocabulary, verbal, and visual working memory moderated the relation between text design and comprehension. Therefore, 80 first‐year secondary school students read both a linear text and a networked hypertext with and without a graphical overview. Logfiles registered their navigation. After reading the text, students answered textbased multiple choice questions and drew mindmaps to assess their structural knowledge of each text content. It was found that both textbased and structural knowledge were lower after reading a networked hypertext than a linear text, especially in students with lower levels of vocabulary. Students took generally more time to read the hypertext than the linear text. We concluded that networked hypertexts are more challenging to read than linear texts and that students may benefit from explicit training on how to read hypertexts.     

A Cognitive Model and Computer Tutor for Programming Recursion

This article discusses cognitive models of learning to program recursion and their relation to lessons on recursion in an intelligent computer tutor for LISP programming (the LISP Tutor). The cognitive models are implemented as production systems in which programming skill is characterized as the decomposition of programming goals into subgoals and elementary actions via the application of programming plans. Two sets of learning mechanisms are used in the cognitive models. Analogical problem-solving mechanisms use declarative knowledge of example program solutions to overcome problem-solving impasses. Knowledge compilation mechanisms summarize problem solutions into efficient problem-solving skill. Analyses and simulations of novice and expert programming were used to develop ideal models of the programming knowledge to confer upon students and bugs that characterize common misconceptions. The LISP Tutor uses the ideal models and bugs to guide its interactions with students. Experimental evaluations of the LISP Tutor indicate that it is more efficient and effective than classroom instruction.     

Kindle in the Writing Classroom

The authors, two librarians and one English department faculty member, received a grant to purchase of a set of e-book readers, Amazon's Kindle 3.0, to be used as an integral part of the writing classroom experience for students. In a literature and composition class held in the spring of 2011, students were loaned Kindles to read all of their class texts. Students’ attitudes towards technology and their experience with the Kindle was assessed through three online surveys and a focus group to track any changes over time to discover what effect if any, using a Kindle had on their reading, writing, and class discussion experience. The instructor also contributed his thoughts on how using the Kindle in the classroom changed his pedagogical approach. A concurrent program to lend Kindles at the library is briefly described.     

An introductory computer graphics laboratory

Methods are described for teaching students how to write computer programs to perform basic graphics operations. The elementary operations of scaling, translation, reflection, shear, rotation and clipping are presented. Graphics 1000, a Hewlett-Packard graphics software product is the software used. This product imbeds subroutine calls in a FORTRAN program to execute the graphics functions. The laboratory sessions are divided into modules. Module I uses interactive programs to demonstrate graphics operations. Module II introduces Graphics 1000 commands. Module III uses interactive programs to demonstrate XY plotting with as many as four graphs per plot. Module IV uses interactive programs to demonstrate rotation of objects with hidden line removal. Students are assigned tasks ranging from drawing a section of an I beam through rotation of a three-dimensional object. Computer programs used for the demonstrations are available for the students to examine in order to learn how they work.     

Courseware development for semiconductor technology and its application into instruction

This study reports on the development of ESP (English for specific purposes) courseware for semiconductor technology and its integration as a “silent partner” into instruction. This kind of team-teaching could help overcome current problems encountered in developing ESP in Taiwan. The content of the material under discussion includes general knowledge about fundamental theories, process technologies and applications within the semiconductor industry. In the design of the whole courseware, five skills for learning English (listening, speaking, reading, writing, and translation) have been considered and a 3D multimedia technique has been used to promote learning interest, student engagement, and efficiency. The design of the courseware endeavors to mainly follow principles by [Mayer, R. E. (2001). Multimedia learning. New York: Cambridge University Press]. Students report they have benefited from the courseware implementation. Initial evaluations suggest that students are satisfied with practices for learning professional knowledge and English skills provided by the courseware. They report that the multimedia-assisted environment of the courseware promotes learning effectiveness. Students with higher achievement on the posttest showed better participation and motivation, made greater use of the multimedia and had a better understanding of the English content so that they are more competent to function in a professional and learner-centered ESP course using the courseware.     

Development of a reading material recommendation system based on a knowledge engineering approach

In a language curriculum, the training of reading ability is one of the most important aspects. Previous studies have shown the importance of assigning proper articles to individual students for training their reading ability; nevertheless, previous experience has also shown the challenges of this issue owing to the complexity of personal factors as well as the diverse properties of the candidate articles to be taken into consideration. This study proposes a knowledge engineering approach for developing reading material recommendation systems by eliciting domain knowledge from multiple experts. Experimental results on 29 senior high school students show that the developed system is able to provide expert-like recommendations to the students by taking preferences and knowledge levels of individual students as well as categories and traits of articles into consideration.