Learning and Teaching Investment Fund final report
To investigate the potential of emerging
eLearning technologies to enhance online
support for students of mathematics
Project leader – Brendan Cooney
Study & Learning Centre
Friday, 22 March 2013
Strategic objectives addressed:
addressed: The goal of this project is to investigate possible technologies that
enable the transmission of mathematical content, conversations in mathematics, the posing of
problems and transfer of solutions in an effective and efficient manner. The intention is to trial various
technologies and then to implement the chosen technology for online delivery of mathematics support
to RMIT students.
Internal order number: 360352
Project leader contact details:
Email: Brendan.cooney@rmit.edu.au
Phone: 9925 0485
Project team members:
•
Anthony Micheletto
Online support for students of mathematics
Table of Contents
Page
1
Executive summary
3
2
Outcomes
4
3
2.1
Current practice
4
2.1.1
Swinburne Institute of Technology:
4
2.1.2
Scotch College
5
2.1.3
Deakin University
5
2.1.4
RMIT University
6
2.2
Evaluation of technologies currently available within RMIT
7
2.2.1
Blackboard
7
2.2.2
Collaborate
8
2.2.3
Lectopia/Echo 360
9
2.2.4
PC & WACOM Tablet
11
2.2.5
SMART-THINKING online tutoring
11
2.2.6
Logitech Video Camera
12
2.2.7
Hand written & scanned solution to maths query
13
2.2.8
iPad
14
2.2.8.1
iAnnotate Application on iPad
14
2.2.8.2
uPad Application on iPad
15
2.2.9
Smartpen 4GB
16
Project outcomes & impacts
18
3.1
Identify possible platforms for mathematics online delivery
18
3.2
Research other institutions in both tertiary and secondary
sectors re Maths online delivery
18
18
3.3
Trial and evaluation of each possible platform
18
3.4
Recommendation of appropriate platform(s)
19
4
Dissemination strategies & outputs
20
5
Budget report
21
6
Appendices
22
6.1
Appendix A - Poster
22
6.2
Appendix B - Logitech video web-link
23
6.3
Appendix C - Handwritten & scanned document
24
6.4
Appendix D - iPad iAnnotate document
25
6.5
Appendix E - iPad uPad document
27
6.6
Appendix F - Smartpen document & web-link
28
6.7
Appendix G - References
30
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1 Executive summary
Students entering RMIT TAFE and higher education programs from both Australia and overseas have
increasingly diverse backgrounds in mathematics. Weaker students will require ongoing assistance if
they are to succeed and more able students are most likely to achieve their full potential if they have
access to appropriate support. Some students are able to attend the Study and Learning Centre
maths Drop-In service and preparation workshops but for others face-to-face services may not be
accessible or convenient.
Communicating in mathematical language poses significant difficulties via distance learning. In
applications such as lecture notes, production of tests and publishing of solutions to a large cohort of
students the time and resources needed to make use of software such as mathtype is justified and
desirable. Such documents are re-usable and have significant value as a course resource. However
it is not feasible to use these programs in the interchange required to submit and respond to individual
mathematical queries. A key element of this investigation was the ability of available hardware and
software to communicate more efficiently the symbols and diagrams of mathematical discourse in
online mathematics learning support.
The purpose of the project was to explore and evaluate mechanisms by which an individual student in
any course throughout RMIT could submit a mathematically based problem online and receive a reply
from a maths teacher in a reasonable time frame.
The project was not a pedagogical assessment of the merits of online mathematical learning support,
although this may be looked at in the future.
The technologies investigated in this report were:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Blackboard
Collaborate
Lectopia/Echo360
PC & Wacom tablet
Smart-Thinking
LogiTech Video Camera
Hand Written Scanned document
IAnnotate Application on iPad
UPad Application on iPad
Smartpen
In examining the ability of the hardware and software combinations to easily communicate essential
mathematical symbols and diagrams, each technology was assessed against a set of criteria for ease
of use by teachers and students, cost, and current utilisation.
The technologies that performed the best against these criteria were:
•
•
•
Smartpen
Hand Written Scanned document
UPad Application on iPad
These technologies will now be used in addressing student submissions from the Ask a Maths
Teacher facility on RMIT Learning Lab.
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Online support for students of mathematics
2 Outcomes
2.1 Current practice
Within the wider context of the learning of mathematics this project is not concerned with the
relationship between lecturer and student or between student and course content. The focus is on
how best to support students having difficulties with concepts and/or processes by means other than
face-to-face. How might this assistance be provided through online media? Can modern technology
improve on current practices for the transmission of the symbols and diagrams that are the language
of mathematics?
The practice of delivering maths assistance face to face by teachers, tutors or peers, and the
provision of support materials in hard copy or online are well documented. The RMIT Study and
Learning Centre (SLC) provides mathematics support to students principally via the Drop-In centre
where students can come for specific assistance. They also offer preparatory workshops and have
many online resources but assistance for a student with a specific concern is limited if the student is
unable to attend.
Research of other institutions reveals that current maths support practice may include online lecture
notes, diagnostic testing, and a ‘drop in’ style service but none provided an online forum for the
submission of maths problems:
2.1.1 Swinburne Institute of Technology:
Technology
Swinburne Institute of Technology is a tertiary level education institution that is introducing online
support for its maths students.
Swinburne University of Technology has stepped up its support services for its maths
students, introducing online tutorials to complement its existing support programs. Senior
lecturer in mathematics Dr Birgit Loch is leading a research project to create ‘MathsCasts’ –
online tutorial videos that explain how to solve various maths problems, aimed at helping firstyear students get up to speed. Loch, who heads up Swinburne’s Maths and Stats Help
Centre (MASH), came up with the idea of the online tutorials to help students who had not
grasped a concept in class. She said she had found that many students came into MASH
asking for help with the same problems. “Students can watch the MathsCasts online, rather
than coming into the centre, where we’re explaining the same thing over and over,” she said.
“They can look at these tutorials outside the support centre’s opening times. “The students
can still come in if they don’t understand something, but chances are they do understand
and can spend more time on more difficult problems.” The maths lecturers record the
MathsCasts on tablet PCs, and then upload them to the website. The idea stemmed from a
pilot study Loch ran where she provided lectures recorded on tablet PCs to students and
recorded additional examples for study material, so the technology was already available to
create the tutorials. While the project is in its early stages, Loch said the feedback had been
resoundingly positive.
(Swinburne University of Technology, 2011)
While the Swinburne online initiative provides an opportunity for students to consolidate course
content it does not provide a facility by which the specific issues that frustrate and hinder learning for
individual students might be resolved.
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Online support for students of mathematics
2.1.2 Scotch
S cotch College
Brendan Cooney & Anthony Micheletto met with two members of the senior maths and physics
teaching staff at Scotch College (Melbourne elite secondary school) on 17th February.
The college has implemented a program in which every student utilises a laptop or tablet computing
device as a part of their academic learning program.
In discussion with senior maths and science teachers, it was noted not all tablet devices are
equivalent. They commented that because the Samsung Series 7 device uses a Windows based
operating system, it is much more versatile with more commonly available programs.
Both teachers spoke about the limited ability of programs such as One-Note, Interactive Classroom
etc. to edit maths symbols and diagrams. Even full versions of Microsoft Word require significant
investments of time when developing learning material in the maths science subject areas.
Whilst information such as grades, class announcements, homework instructions etc. could be easily
transmitted in this format, subject material discussions that went beyond mere worded instructions
quickly became untenable due to the restricted nature of editing tools and/or the time necessary to
format maths symbols and diagrams.
Given the circumstances outlined above, teachers and students at Scotch College were at this point
in time not utilising laptop or tablet devices as a means of real time or concurrent support
communication in the subject areas or mathematics and physics. One of the teachers remarked that
in teaching mathematics “Paper and pen is still the most efficient and popular.” (Lynch & Parr, 2012)
2.1.3 Deakin University
A focus group of students studying engineering (Deakin, 2012) via distance learning uncovered the
following issues in accessing mathematics support online:
The mechanics of submitting a problem to a teacher online appeared simple: copying and sending via
email: mobile camera device, scan as a PDF document, or if no graphs or symbols were included an
MS Word document was usable. Even fax machines were used quite successfully.
The real difficulty became apparent when students attempted to explain what elements of the given
problem were causing confusion. The student often did not have a contained and clearly identifiable
area where their knowledge of the subject matter was either incomplete or simply wrong. Additionally,
the student is frequently submitting a question simply because they know they are not getting the
correct answer, but they do not know why they are getting it wrong. They don’t know what it is that
they don’t know. Without the opportunity to probe for information that might specify what underlies
the students difficulty the best that can be done is to provide a worked solution to the question
submitted. However for most students this does not resolve the issue.
One example of this was a student studying Control Systems Engineering as part of his Bachelor of
Mechanical Engineering. The student concerned was a capable and well prepared student, but had
reached an impasse in the topic of signal flow analysis. Although the student had accessed all readily
available material (lecture notes, textbook, and library and internet research) he was still unable to
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Online support for students of mathematics
completely comprehend the theory and so submitted a question to a teacher online. As outlined
above, the student found it very difficult to explain where the problem actually lay. He received a
worked solution from the lecturer, but as he already had a number of worked solutions this did not
help very much. Ultimately the student’s difficulty with this theory was resolved by talking with a
teacher face-to-face and through detailed discussion establishing precisely where there were gaps in
the students understanding of the new material.
2.1.4 RMIT University
A further example of an attempt to resolve a maths issue online involved a cohort of second year
Advanced Diploma of Engineering students studying Laplace transforms. Superficially it appeared that
the students were struggling with the theory of a new and admittedly difficult concept. However
subsequent face-to-face sessions with the students revealed that the primary cause for their inability
to move forward with this topic was a number of gaps in the assumed knowledge for the topic such
as fractions and algebra.
In the midst of complex and unfamiliar content students are rarely able to identify specifically where
their issues lie. Uncovering the source of an inability to move forward requires a close interaction and
skilful questioning which has been thus far been difficult to achieve via online means. This is reflected
in the marginal level of student satisfaction expressed by the group for this mode of assistance.
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2.2 Evaluation of technologies currently available within RMIT
2.2.1 Blackboard
The Blackboard software is explained on RMIT website in the following manner:
Blackboard is the course level online learning and teaching platform used at RMIT. You as
the teacher and your students will have access to an online Blackboard shell for your
courses. All undergraduate courses and many post graduate courses have Blackboard
shells which can be used for a variety of learning and teaching activities including:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Creating and distributing interactive course activities and content (multimedia
content, documents, presentations, web links, etc.), using customisable course areas
and folders
Engaging and communicating with students through social learning using
announcements, discussion boards, and virtual classrooms
Managing student collaborative and reflective activities using wikis and blogs
Conducting online assessment with tests, quizzes and assignment submission
Storing asse
assessment
ssment to comply with assessment requirements
Recording and distributing student grades
grades.
(RMIT University, 2012)
Cost: the cost of using Blackboard as a potential mechanism for the two-way communication of
mathematical content would be negligible as it is already available to all RMIT staff and students. Staff
in charge of a particular RMIT courses have administration rights over a course related Blackboard
site. All students enrolled in that course have access to the Blackboard site.
Accessibility to Students: Blackboard is available to all RMIT students. Each student may have 3 or
4 Blackboards sites corresponding to the 3 or 4 courses they may be studying at any given time.
Students access the appropriate Blackboard site to gain access to course content, information and
messages from course administrators/lecturers and blogs related to the specific course content.
Therefore any content developed by SLC staff would either need to be loaded onto the course
blackboard site or placed on an SLC run Blackboard site. The first option will be discussed later.
Directing students to a Blackboard site devoted exclusively to the transmission of maths problems
submitted by students will be problematic. The difficulties of organising such a site are significant.
Also students will almost certainly ignore or at least accessed rarely any site not directly related to
their learning programs.
Accessibility to staff: Each blackboard site is managed by the lecturer in charge of that course. It is
not advisable that several people and especially staff not directly associated with the course have
direct administrative access to a range of sites. Therefore the options are limited. The first option is
for any additions to the Blackboard site that maths advisers may wish to make are sent to the
Blackboard site administrator for downloading onto the site. This clearly would create a significantly
increased workload for the site administrator as well as creating a significant delay between the
student submitting a request and receiving a response. The second option would be for a totally
separate Blackboard site is set up for all RMIT students to access. As stated earlier this option would
make it difficult for individual students to find the response that they required. It would be most likely
that most students would simply ignore the site since it would not be directly related to their courses.
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Widely utilised already: The Blackboard software is probably the most extensively used software
within RMIT. It has the capability of accessing every student. As such it is an attractive option.
However when it is accepted that the software is used almost exclusively within individual courses
and is intended as a communication link between lecturer/course administrator and students within
that course its overarching usefulness is seriously compromised for the purposes of this project.
Ease of use for students: Students have ready and timely access to the information the course
convenor wishes them to have. Questions concerning the appropriate nature of the information
placed on the Blackboard must remain at the discretion of the course administrator/lecturer.
Therefore the logistical exercise of having content approved before it is placed on the Blackboard site
is nearly sufficient on its own to rule out this option.
Ease of use for staff: As stated above the ability to produce, approve and download responses
would require a timeline far greater than acceptable.
Evaluation:
The leaders of this report both participated in two Blackboard training sessions and one has used
Blackboard extensively within his own study program.
The Blackboard software is extensively used within RMIT. It is an effective and efficient way to track
the activities of the lecture environment and to enhance that environment. As can be seen by the
description above it provides a platform that underpins much of the learning and teaching practices
operating between lecturers and students. It allows the transfer of content effectively and provides a
means of managing the administrative needs of programs ensuring that all students have access in a
timely manner to information relevant to the particular program.
The Blackboard software is extensively used within RMIT. It is an effective and efficient way to track
the activities of the lecture environment and to enhance that environment. As can be seen by the
description above it provides a platform that underpins much of the learning and teaching practices
operating between lecturers and students. It allows the transfer of content effectively and provides a
means of managing the administrative needs of programs ensuring that all students have access in a
timely manner to information relevant to the particular program.
The option of a Blackboard site entirely dedicated to the provision of online support across a wide
range of relevant courses is not feasible as it would quickly become a conglomerate of individual
problems and solutions with very little ability to organise and retrieve questions effectively. Although
particular information can be directed to individual students the Blackboard site would be a
cumbersome method of achieving this one-on-one communication. Direct email would be far more
efficient.
2.2.2 Collaborate
The Collaborate software is explained on RMIT website in the following manner:
Blackboard Collaborate (formerly Elluminate Live!) is a real-time, multi-functional virtual
classroom or web conferencing environment that gives you and your students the
opportunity to meet online to learn, rather than in a classroom. Students log on at the same
time for a live classroom session with you. It can also be used for:
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•
•
•
•
•
'Live' teaching or tutoring sessions, including offshore / remote delivery
Recording lectures and/or tutorials
Web conferencing, e.g. virtual staff meetings or post graduate supervision
Application sharing
Staff development and training.
Blackboard Collaborate Plan enables you to organise, script, and package content and
activities before your real-time, online session.
(RMIT University, 2012)
Cost: the cost of using Collaborate as a potential mechanism for the two-way communication of
mathematical content would be negligible as it is already available to all RMIT staff and students. Staff
in charge of a particular RMIT courses have administration rights over a course related Blackboard
and therefore over the use of Collaborate within Blackboard. All students enrolled in a course have
access to the Blackboard and within it the Collaborate site.
Accessibility to Students: Collaborate as contained in Blackboard is available to all RMIT students.
Each student may have 3 or 4 Blackboards sites with corresponding Collaborate activity. The same
issues that apply to Blackboard also apply to Collaborate.
Accessibility to staff: As with each Blackboard site, Collaborate is managed by the lecturer in charge
of that course. Similarly the control of the process lies with the lecturer in charge of the site.
Consequently the same issues exist as for Blackboard.
Widely utilised already: Again the Collaborate software as part of the Blackboard suite is probably
the most extensively used software within RMIT. It has the capability of accessing every student. As
such it is an attractive option. However when it is accepted that the software is used almost
exclusively within individual courses and is intended as a communication link between lecturer/course
administrator and students within that course its overarching usefulness is seriously compromised for
the purposes of this project.
Ease of use for students: As with Blackboard student access is high but course specific.
Ease of use for staff: As with Blackboard the ability to produce, approve and download responses
would require a timeline far greater than acceptable.
Evaluation: The Collaborate software is also extensively used within RMIT and is part of the
Blackboard suite. As such many of the Blackboard points raised above apply to its use. It provides a
means of synchronous online teaching, delivery of content and real-time discussion of content. As
part of the Blackboard software platform it provides a means for two-way communication but still
relies on content being prepared beforehand using other media or software. This indicates that
Collaborate sessions from the perspective of effective use of maths terminology and symbols, are
reliant on the ability to write mathematically in a quick efficient manner. This is available to a minimal
level on the Collaborate platform.
Collaborate, like Blackboard, has the ability to distribute content, documents and all manner of
information. Documents need to be produced elsewhere and loaded on to Collaborate.
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2.2.3 Lectopia/Echo 360
The Lectopia/Echo360 software is explained on RMIT website in the following manner:
Lecture capture can record audio and visual presentations, e.g. accompanying PowerPoint
presentations, in enabled lecture theatres across RMIT. Recordings are made available in a
variety of formats including streaming, download, podcasting and no special software is
required to view them. They can also be directly linked into Blackboard.
Recordings are useful for many students, e.g. part-time students, those from Non English
speaking backgrounds or those with physical or cognitive disabilities, as they enable them to:
•
•
•
access material from classes that they may have missed
revisit lecture material and / or difficult concepts
prepare for exams and tests
(RMIT University, 2012)
Cost: The cost of using Lectopia/Echo360 would be negligible as it is already available to all RMIT
staff. For maths teachers to use Lectopia it would be necessary to book a lecture room that was set
up for Lectopia. Since Echo360 is a PC desktop based software it would be far more cost effective
to use this software rather than tie up a lecture room. Echo360 can be downloaded on to any RMIT
computer through IT services.
Accessibility to Students: As mentioned above Lectopia or Echo360 recordings can be accessed in
a variety of formats. As such students would have no difficulty accessing them. Issues such as the
size of the file may well become a problem for anything longer than a five minute response.
Accessibility to staff: Most staff at RMIT have access to rooms that accommodate Lectopia or are
able to use Echo360 from their desk. The response to the student still needs to be made using some
other process. This is organised through the RMIT website. When this process was attempted the
first presentation was not recorded at all and the second attempt recorded the video but the sound
was lost. This is a cumbersome process and clearly not without technical difficulties. Like
Blackboard and Collaborate this approach allows the transfer of the material but does not assist the
production of the material.
Widely utilised already: The Lectopia/Echo360 software is available throughout RMIT. It is used
within individual courses and is designed to target specific cohorts of students in a particular program.
Lectopia requires the use of a lecture theatre while Echo360 can be used from an individual desk.
Ease of use
use for students: Students are able to access the output from Lectopia/Echo 360 through
their Blackboard sites and through other media
Ease of use for staff: As with Blackboard the ability to produce, approve and download responses
would require a timeline far greater than acceptable.
Evaluation: The Lectopia/Echo360 software is designed to allow lecturers to record/distribute
presentation information to a wide range of students. It is clearly designed around the function of
delivering content. It relies on other mediums for recording the information e.g. whiteboard,
PowerPoint or hand-written. This does not address the basic concept of transferring in an efficient
format an appropriate response to a student. The mechanics of producing an electronic response are
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met but the technology is cumbersome and produces a transfer file that is significantly large to
prohibit downloads.
2.2.4 PC & WACOM Tablet
The WACOM tablet is a hardware device that allows the user to write freehand within the working
area and using the device stylus. This freehand script is then saved as a PDF file. Because the device
is saving freehand script, the variety of mathematics symbols and graphs are easily produced (Harris
Technology, 2013).
Cost: Each user would need to be set up with the attachable scribe pad as well as the necessary
software. Given that the hardware and software is very specific to the uses outlined above and has
not been developed greatly since its introduction it represents a backward step. It has been
surpassed by more recent developments in technology
Accessibility to Students: Students could gain access to PDF files quite easily. However due to the
age of the technology the files tend to be large in comparison to the information communicated.
Accessibility
Accessibility to staff: As discussed above, each staff member working in Maths support would need
to be set up with the hardware and software as well as additional space to use it effectively.
Widely utilised already: This application is used by graphic designers and others interested in the
ability to freehand draw on screen. Although this technology could actually enable the use of
freehand drawing of mathematical symbols and terminology it was difficult and time consuming to
use. It was also used for a short time to produce short maths movies on particular topics. However
it was quickly abandoned in favour of more advanced technology.
Ease of use for students: The students would not have direct access to the technology but would
get access to the PDF file produced. It would not allow maths teachers to comment directly on the
information submitted by the student in the original query thereby potentially losing vital information.
Ease of use for staff: As mentioned above this technology is difficult and time consuming to use and
out-dated.
Evaluation: The PC Tablet is a hardware attachment to a Microsoft computer that enables the user
to write on screen with a stylus and save the document as a PDF. In today’s terms it is inappropriate
technology for our desired usage. It was developed for use by graphic designers who would use the
tablet as a design space and freehand draw in a design context. It was not designed as a text driven
option. Even though it does allow the user to freehand write mathematical symbols and diagrams, it
uses a very cumbersome approach. The user writes with a stylus on the interface sitting flat on the
desktop but observes their work on the computer screen. It is difficult to use and does not have the
ability to annotate files sent in by a student. Each problem would therefore commence as a blank file.
2.2.5 SMARTSMART- THINKING online tutoring
Smart-thinking is private online tutoring service available to any student.
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Students purchase tutoring hours, and access tutors via the Smart-thinking website. The service is
interactive and real time. Each session with a tutor is calculated in ½ hour blocks
For mathematics subject material at secondary school level assistance is available on-call. For higher
level content – diploma and bachelor level – an appointment with a tutor must be made minimum 48
hours in advance of the session (Smartthinking, Inc., 2012).
Cost: $35 per hour purchased
$120 per 4 hours purchased
Evaluation: Smart-thinking has been trialled by a number of mathematics teachers and students
within the Study & Learning Centre.
It was generally found to be an administratively difficult process to log-on and reach a tutor, and in
several instances was not possible. This would presumably become more streamlined with time.
With regards to mathematics content level, the on-demand service is not catering to most of the
students studying at higher education level or maths intensive VET programs such as Advanced
Diploma of Engineering. Questions submitted to a tutor dealing with Specialist Mathematics theory
(senior secondary school level) were also in one case incorrectly explained and answered.
2.2.6 Logitech Video Camera
Using the Logitech video camera connected to a teacher’s desktop computer, and the associated
video software, a solution to a maths question (Laplace transform hotlink to learning) that had been
submitted to a maths concurrent support teacher was recorded with video and audio.
The students question was printed out, and the teacher solved the question using pen and paper.
Whilst solving the problem on paper, the teacher also provided a verbal description of the thought
process that was involved in generating the solution.
The video camera was supported by a temporary stand that maintained the camera focus on the
paper solution as it progressed, and also recorded the audio element.
The solution to the maths question was saved as a video file and emailed to the student (in this case,
another maths teacher). [See Appendix B for an example of a response]
Cost:
Cost There is minimal cost likely to be associated with using video capture devices attached to
teacher’s desktop computers, as these are already installed on the majority of staff computers. A
purpose made stand for the camera would necessary.
Accessibility to Students:
Students Files are automatically saved as standard Windows Media files, which are
accessible on any computer using a windows based operating system.
Important note: This file format is not accessible on Apple based operating systems such as iPad
devices etc.
Accessibility to staff:
staff Readily accessible on current staff computers.
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Widely utilised already:
already This type of support is not currently widely utilised within the mathematics
support staff of RMIT Study & Learning Centre, or the broader university. However it would be familiar
to many students as it is very similar to You Tube type communication etc.
Ease of use for students:
students Very easy to use for students. Simply double click on the file tag and it will
play automatically. In order to listen to the video, headphones, or a quiet location are necessary –
general study locations tend to be too loud (comment from student).
Ease of use for staff:
staff Some hardware issues such as a stand for video camera itself – will need to be
resolved. Additionally staff will need to develop skills in video production and editing.
A significant degree of preparation is required in order for the solution to a given mathematics problem
to ‘flow’ seamlessly. The teacher needs to have fully addressed the content before beginning
recording.
Whilst the time taken exceeds that for a written solution, done well the result is a superior product.
Evaluation: The assessment of the video was that audio and visual elements were of an acceptable
standard. In terms of the perceived learning outcome, whilst face-to-face teaching would no doubt
provide for greater discussion and clarification, the video format was none-the-less better than simply
a worked solution to the problem, as the thought process necessary to problem solving in maths and
physics was conveyed to the student, at least in part.
It should be possible for students to send a maths concurrent support teacher queries, utilising either
Word equation editor tools, scanning a document as a PDF or some as a picture saved as a j-peg of
gif file.
Some issues that were immediately apparent were that the software that is supplied with the Logitech
Camera device does not appear to be compatible with Macintosh/Apple operating systems. Also the
size of the video file is substantial. Our solution to the Laplace transform was in the order of 40
seconds, but the file size was still in the order of 15 Mb.
This video produced above was quite short, and I would expect some questions and the discussion
one would expect with con-current type questions to be more extensive, resulting in much larger files
that may be difficult to send and receive via email.
2.2.7 Hand written & scanned solution to maths query
A maths teacher produces a hand written solution to a student query. This solution is then scanned
and attached to an email as a PDF file. [See Appendix C for an example of a response]
Cost:
Cost zero cost, as a high quality scanner is already a function of the departmental photo-copier.
Accessibility to Students:
Students Students can submit questions online via Learning Lab (“Ask a Maths
Advisor”)
Accessibility to staff:
staff This method of assisting students with mathematics questions is relatively
straightforward, with no new technology or programs involved. Solutions are automatically saved as
PDF files by the photocopier.
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Widely utilised already:
already There are several elements to this process:
1. Hand written solutions
2. Scanning
3. File sharing via email
All are widely adopted by staff at present.
Combining them together as a collective is fairly straightforward, requiring a minimal skill level with all
elements involved.
Ease of use for students:
students Students may use a number of methods to communicate their question to
the mathematics teacher:
•
•
•
•
Learning Lab (“Ask a maths teacher”)
Mobile phone
Scan and email
Word processing program (time consuming)
Ease of use for staff:
staff Straightforward for staff to use. See comments above.
Evaluation: Although the technology involved in this method of assisting students is simple and
largely in place already, the process is akin to simply providing students with answers.
This of course can be useful, particularly if it resolves a simple hurdle in their understanding of the
process. But it does not address issues that arise from gaps in underlying knowledge, nor necessarily
lead to deeper examination and understanding of the theory involved.
2.2.8 iPad
The availability of an iPad tablet for this project has greatly increased the ability to evaluate
applications available primarily through this technology. A number of applications work effectively
through an iPad format that are not available or easily used through a pc platform. The iPad has
added significantly to the scope of this project.
2.2.8.1
iAnnotate Application on iPad
The iAnnotate app is an application that allows the user to annotate PDF files on an iPad. The PDF file
was then transferred to the iPad and a response written. iAnnotate uses a stylus to add notes to the
PDF file. [See Appendix D for an example of a response]
Cost:
Cost It was purchased for use on the iPad for $10.49. This version was only available to the iPad.
Accessibility to Students:
Students Students can submit questions online via Learning Lab (“Ask a Maths
Advisor”) in PDF or any other file format. Students are increasingly moving to more powerful and
pervasive technologies. It is envisaged that students will predominantly be using this technology in
the foreseeable future.
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Accessibility to staff:
staff An iPad [or tablet] is essential as well as access to iAnnotate software. This is
limited at this stage as predominantly work is performed on PC platforms. This can necessitate the
transfer of files between iPad and PC.
Widely utilised already:
already iPad's are currently not in widespread use but anecdotal evidence suggests
that the use of iPad tablets is increasing dramatically and will be a dominate form of technology in the
near future. Use by staff is also increasing but not at the same rate.
Ease of use for students:
students Students may use a number of methods to communicate their question to
the mathematics teacher. As long as it is sent in an online format it can be adapted for use with this
software.
Ease of use for staff:
staff As discussed above it is reasonably easy to use and presents a could platform
from which to respond to student questions, it does have some difficult in managing the process
Evaluation: This application showed much promise and certainly was able to achieve the desired
outcome of reasonably efficiently enabling a response to be made to a student’s question directly
from their submission. The student may submit their question in a variety of formats from a word
document or picture format (e.g. jpg or gif file). Irrespective of the submission format the file could be
easily saved as a PDF file and opened in iAnnotate. The iAnnotate app allows the user to add typed
and hand/stylus drawn to the PDF file. This feature makes it well suited to the goals of this project
A great asset of this approach is that it is possible to add to, correct or modify the information or
attempt sent by the student. It is not necessary to rewrite the question, redraw the diagram or graph.
It is possible to type sections of notes/content on to the PDF file using the iPad keyboard. Though
useful this does not allow for the mathematical symbols to be used effectively. These can be drawn
using the stylus and different colours can be used quickly and easily if so desired. The thickness of
the stylus can be adjusted within reasonable bounds and sound bites can be added to the PDF file.
This attributes are significant advancements on all previous options.
The most significant drawback of this process is the quality of stylus written responses. It is difficult to
write on screen using a stylus. Although practice and ongoing improvements to technology will
improve the quality of using the stylus it is not at this stage easy to master, especially given that
resting your hand on the screen ‘write’ your skin touching the screen and negate the stylus.
The other factor that currently makes this technology less effective is that files need to be transferred
from PC to iPad and back to PC. Although this is not a huge issue it does increase the time
necessary to respond to students.
2.2.8.2 uPad Application on iPad
The uPad application is similar to the iAnnotate application in many of its features. It differs it a two
minor but significant ways. Firstly it does not allow the annotation of PDF files. Secondly, the uPad
page has ruled lines as per a notepad. With the touch of your finger on the screen the lines can be
enlarged allowing the content to be written within the lines reasonably neatly. The page can then be
reduced to normal. Diagrams can be treated in similar manner. [See Appendix E for an example of a
response]
Cost:
Cost The uPad application costs $5.49
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Accessibility to Students:
Students Students can submit questions online via Learning Lab (“Ask a Maths
Advisor”)
Accessibility to staff:
staff If this app were to be used extensively then more iPad’s would need to be
purchased.
Widely utilised already:
already Not widely used.
Ease of use for students:
students Students may use a number of methods to communicate their question to
the mathematics teacher:
•
•
•
•
Learning Lab (“Ask a maths teacher”)
Mobile phone
Scan and email
Word processing program (time consuming)
Ease of use for staff:
staff This application is easy to use, allows for neat and concise presentation. It
allows the teacher to use the iPad in much the same way as they would use pen and paper.
Evaluation: Because PDF files cannot be annotated every problem has to be written out fully before it
can be attempted. In most cases in our trial as would be expected of students only the problem was
sent in – not the partially completed attempt by the student. Traditionally students would copy the
diagram from the textbook. Copying complex structural diagrams for a mechanics problem creates
another difficulty for the maths teacher.
The ruled lines facilitate more refined script and diagrams. This is a significant advantage over the
iAnnotate software.
2.2.9 Smartpen 4GB
The Echo Smartpen used with Livescribe Desktop software operates with most of the advantages of
pen and paper with a seamless link to a PC. A smartpen is a pen that writes on special echo dot
paper equipped with specific coding within the paper which allows the pen to locate itself from any
point on the page. The pen can be used to write out a solution to a problem on paper as per normal
methods. It incorporates several other features. The pen records what is being written. By placing
the pen at any previous point in the solution the It can also record audio. As the solution to the
question is being written the writer has the ability to describe what steps are being taken and why.
[See Appendix F for an example of a response]
Cost:
Cost The smartpen costs approximately $200
Accessibility to Students:
Students Students can submit questions online via Learning Lab (“Ask a Maths
Advisor”)
Accessibility to staff:
staff One or two Smartpen's would be sufficient to meet needs in the short term. It
is a portable arrangement.
Widely utilised already:
already Not used widely.
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Ease of use for students:
students Students may use a number of methods to communicate their question to
the mathematics teacher:
•
•
•
•
Learning Lab (“Ask a maths teacher”)
Mobile phone
Scan and email
Word processing program (time consuming)
Ease of use for staff:
staff This application is easy to use, allows for neat and concise presentation. It
allows the teacher to use a paper and pen format yet still transmit the information quickly online.
Evaluation: This process mirrors closely the experience of sitting next to a student working through a
problem with them. The detail of the problem can be written down and verbal references can also be
recorded such as “I have used the DOTS formulae to get to this line” thereby making the links in
techniques for the student that might highlight weaknesses and direct to further work.
The file can be saved quickly and easily to a PC as a smartpen PDF file and emailed to the
student. This process is very efficient and effective in producing a solution and communicating it to
the student in an online format.
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3 Project outcomes and impacts
3.1 Identify possible platforms for mathematics online delivery
The project has investigated the following platforms/technologies:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Blackboard
Collaborate
Lectopia/Echo360
PC & Wacom tablet
Smart-Thinking
LogiTech Video Camera
Hand Written Scanned document
iAnnotate Application on iPad
uPad Application on iPad
Smartpen
See sections 2.1 → 2.9 for greater detail.
3.2 Research other institutions in both tertiary and secondary sectors re
Maths online delivery
Analysis of the mathematics teaching offered by institutions across both tertiary and secondary
sectors revealed very little in the way of online delivery of ‘just in time’ maths teacher availability.
Interviews with current practitioners from Deakin University, Swinburne Institute of Technology,
and Scotch College (see sections 2.1.1 → 2.1.3) confirmed that, at least until recently,
communication of mathematics theory and content has been viewed as simply too inefficient via
online media.
3.3 Trial and evaluation of each possible platform
Each of the technologies trialled was evaluated and scored against a set of criteria within a
decision matrix, and then ranked according to score.
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Table 1
Decision Matrix for
assessment of technology
used for maths support
online. Score each option
1→5 for each category
Cost
Widely
utilised
already
Ease of use
for students
Ease of use
for staff
Total Score
Σ(ρ х score)
Relative weighting (ρ) 1→5
2
3
5
5
Σ
Blackboard
5
2
2
2
36
8
Collaborate
5
1
3
2
38
7
Lectopia/Echo 360
5
2
3
3
46
5
PC & Wacom Tablet
1
1
1
1
15
10
Smart-Thinking
1
2
2
3
33
9
LogiTech Video Camera
5
1
3
3
43
6
Hand written scanned document
5
5
3
4
60
1
IAnnotate application on iPad
4
2
3
4
49
4
UPad application on iPad
4
2
4
4
54
3
Smartpen
3
3
5
4
60
1
Ranking
3.4 Recommendation of appropriate platform(s)
Based on the ranking order determined in the decision matrix (see table 1) and the experience of
the maths teaching team within the Study & Learning Centre in working with the listed
technologies, the two options that were best fit for purpose were:
•
•
Smartpen
Hand Written Scanned document
These rankings may change as new technologies become more main-stream and used more
widely by staff and students, and as costs are also reduced.
Major stakeholders within this project are the mathematics teaching staff within the Study & Learning
Centre at RMIT University, and any students with mathematical elements to their course studies at
RMIT. All maths teaching staff in the SLC were involved in assessing and evaluating the outlined
technologies. It was disappointing that the student trial was smaller than anticipated.
Our partial solution to this was to involve students from other institutions (Swinburne University of
Technology & Deakin University) and to email problems amongst ourselves to test the process. Much
valuable fine tuning was achieved through this process.
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Dissemination strategies and outputs
On the RMIT Study & Learning Centre Learning Lab webpage a link ‘Ask a Maths Teacher’ has been
established. Via this link any student enrolled at RMIT University, whether onshore or offshore, has
the option to email a mathematics teacher any maths question. As stated earlier they may include
their question as an attachment in any of a number of formats – word document, PDF file, photograph
etc. This email address is monitored on a daily basis, and students can expect a response within 24
hours. This service was advertised to the RMIT University student cohort in September 2012, and will
again be promoted to all students early in 2013.
In evaluating the outcomes of this project the team members were mindful that the stated objective
was to assess the degree to which a variety of existing technologies could be used in
communicating mathematical text and symbols via an online medium. To this end, a number of the
trialled options were quite successful, and represent a significant improvement in this field over
technologies of only a few years ago.
It should be noted that this project did not examine the efficacy of using an online medium as a
learning environment in maths based courses.
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4 Budget report
Approved budget - $22500
Total expenditure - $23571
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5 Appendices
5.1 Appendix A
Include any material that may support your claims of outcomes and impact.
Attach pictures, presentation material, web links and so on that may be important. In particular,
please provide an image that can be used for publications, such as a poster.
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5.2 Appendix B
Follow link to see example of multimedia video demonstrating a solution to a student maths query:
5.3 Appendix C
Hand written & scanned document
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5.4 Appendix D
iPad - iAnnotate document
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5.5 Appendix E
iPad - uPad document
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5.6 Appendix F
Smartpen document
The Smartpen mode of support has an audio file embedded in the page. When the student
highlights a section the audio plays from that point. This allows the students to have verbal
explanations accompanying the workings of the solution.
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5.7 Appendix G
References
Adams, N., Elliott, S., & Dekers, A. (2010, October). Helping Bridging Mathematics Students Make
the Connection. Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
Alessi, S., & Trollip, S. (1991). Computer-based instruction: Methods and development. Englewood
Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Callahan, M. (2011). Computers in Education. Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
Deakin University. (2012, 10 14). Student Engineering Focus Group. (A. Micheletto, & B. Cooney,
Interviewers)
Dekkers, A. (2004, October). The development and use of background mathematics materials
needed by students for engineering programs at Central Queensland University.
Rockhampton, Queensland, Australia.
Harris Technology. (2013, 01). Wacom. Retrieved 07 2012, from Harris Technology:
http://www.ht.com.au/part/AD704-Wacom-Intuos5-Touch-Medium-digitizer-stylus/detail.hts
Hayes, C., & Adams, N. (2009, 12 14). Use of tablet PCs at CQUniversity to create a paperless.
Retrieved 01 23, 2013, from Monash University:
http://www.monash.edu/eeducation/assets/documents/atiec/2009atiecclintonhayesnadineadams.
Lynch, B., & Parr, R. (2012, 02 17). Scotch College senior teaching staff. (A. Micheletto, & B.
Cooney, Interviewers)
Moyle, K. (2010). Building Innovation: Learning with technologies. Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
Oliver, R., & Herrington, J. (1995). Developing effective hypermedia instructional materials.
Australian Journal of Educational Technology, 8-22.
RMIT University. (2012). Teaching with technology - Blackboard. Retrieved 07 2012, from RMIT
University:
http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse/Staff%2FLearning%20and%20Teaching%2FTeaching%20w
ith%20technology%2FTechnologies%2FBlackboard/
RMIT University. (2012). Teaching with technology - Blackboard Collaborate. Retrieved 07 2012,
from RMIT University:
http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse/Staff%2FLearning%20and%20Teaching%2FTeaching%20w
ith%20technology%2FTechnologies%2FBlackboard%20Collaborate/
RMIT University. (2012). Teaching With Technology - Lecture Capture (Lectopia and Echo).
Retrieved 07 2012, from RMIT University:
http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse;ID=31l9kbvsqsed1
Smartthinking, Inc. (2012, 06). Smartthinking Higher Education. Retrieved 06 2012, from
Smartthinking: http://www.smarthinking.com/
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Swinburne University of Technology. (2011, 08). Maths support heads online. Retrieved 06 2012,
from Swinburne University of Technology:
http://www.swinburne.edu.au/chancellery/mediacentre/hawthorn/news/2011/08/mathssupport-heads-online
Taylor, J., & Galligan , L. (2006 vol. 15, no. 1). Mathematics for maths anxious tertiary students:.
Literacy and Numeracy Studies, pp. 23-42.
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