Computer Enhanced Learning
Rick Matthews
Wake Forest University
matthews@wfu.edu
http://www.wfu.edu/~matthews
What drives faculty to
incorporate technology ?
• 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 do faculty worry about?
• 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?
• 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?
• 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.
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
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?
How do computers help?
• Content distribution
– Reference materials
How do computers help?
• Content distribution
– Reference materials
– Class notes
Students can engage the
material, not worry about
writing everything down.
Students may stop coming to class.
Students may resent the notes!
How do computers help?
• Content distribution
– Reference materials
– Class notes
– Multimedia
How do computers help?
• Content distribution
–
–
–
–
Reference materials
Class notes
Multimedia
Video clips
How do computers help?
• Content distribution
–
–
–
–
–
Reference materials
Class notes
Multimedia
Video clips
Lectures!
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.
Online discussions
• “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
• “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.
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.
Goals
• Encourage students to read ahead
• Enhance communication between the
professor and the students
• Discover weak spots in understanding
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
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.
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…”
Acknowledgements
• Just in time teaching was developed by
Evelyn Patterson and Gregor Novak,
http://www.usafa.af.mil/dfp/physics/webphy
sics/
• The cgi-bin stuff was implemented by
Ching-Wan Yip
Structured online discussions
• A variation on online quizzes.
• Tries to capture “Peer Instruction”
experience.
• Challenges every answer.
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.
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.
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.
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
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!
Discipline-specific applications
• Simulations
• Professional tools
• Other
Why do students not work harder? Why
do they turn in inadequate work?
Simulations
•
•
•
•
•
CircuitMaker
Zemax (and applets)
ActivPhysics
ActivChemistry
NMR spectral analysis, etc.
– Yue-Ling Wong and Angela King
Simulations
•
•
•
•
CircuitMaker
Zemax
ActivPhysics
ActivChemistry
Simulations
•
•
•
•
CircuitMaker
Zemax
ActivPhysics
ActivChemistry
Simulations
•
•
•
•
CircuitMaker
Zemax
ActivPhysics
ActivChemistry
Simulations
•
•
•
•
CircuitMaker
Zemax
ActivPhysics
ActivChemistry
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Music
• Cakewalk
• Band in a Box
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
Lessons learned
• 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!
Discussion
Rick Matthews
Department of Physics
Wake Forest University
http://www.wfu.edu/~matthews
matthews@wfu.edu
Brainstorming slide
• 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.