MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS
IN-HOUSE: SOFTWARE
DEVELOPMENT WITH PEERS
AS CLIENTS TO INCREASE
RESEARCH SKILLS
GGC STEM Mini-Grant Spring 2012
Drs. Mai Yin
Tsoi and
Sonal
Dekhane
OVERVIEW OF ITEC/CHEM PARTNERSHIP
 Background
 ITEC 3870
 CHEM 2211
 Research Skills Targeted
 Fundamentals of TsoiChem II App
 Quantitative Results
 Peer Evaluations
 Usability Testing
 Future Directions
BACKGROUND
Background:
Inspiration: daughter’s
iTouch experience
Dr. Tsoi’s goal: iTouch  learning tool
Main objective:
Will using a touch-screen device be
effective for learning a new skill?
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA – ITEC 3870
Number of participants: 12
Males: 9
Females: 3
Age range: 21 – 50+ years old
Ethnicity: majority Caucasian, 2 AfricanAmerican, 1 Asian
Previous Experience: 2 students in mobile
apps development, 1 in graphics and design
ITEC 3870 –
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT II
Junior/senior level course
Goal: teach students how to implement SD in
real-world projects
Project-based course
Small enrollment
Mobile apps introduced 1 st class meeting
CHEM 2211/2 – ORGANIC
CHEMISTRY
Required course for majors in: Biology,
Nursing, Pharmacy, Dental, etc.
Historically VERY difficult
Visual in nature – utilizes spatial, logical,
abstract thinking
Mechanism drawings– difficult skill to master
WHY PARTNERSHIP BENEFICIAL
Traditional SD course
GGC SD Partnership
 Communication skills:
discussed / studied
 Written skills: for
instructor, evaluated by
instructor
 Multiple perspectives:
limited
 Communication skills
applied with “client”
 Written skills: for CHEM
students, evaluated by
app users
 Multiple perspectives:
enriched by CHEM
students
GGC’S SEVEN IEE GOALS
 Develop effective reading, writing, and communication
skills
 Demonstrate creativity and critical thinking
 Demonstrate effective use of information technology
 Demonstrate an ability to collaborate in diverse and
global contexts
 Demonstrate an understanding of human and
institutional decision making from multiple perspectives
 Demonstrate an understanding of moral and ethical
principles
 Demonstrate and apply leadership principles
HOW PROJECT SUPPORTS IEE GOALS
Objective
1:
Objective
2:
Objective
3:
Objective
4:
Develop effective reading,
writing, and communication
skills
Demonstrate creativity and
critical thinking
Demonstrate effective use of
information technology
Demonstrate an ability to
collaborate in diverse and
global contexts
Objective Demonstrate an understanding
5:
of human and institutional
decision making from multiple
perspectives
Objective
Demonstrate an understanding
6:
of moral and ethical principles
Objective
7:
Demonstrate and apply
leadership principles
IEE 1
Interacting with Organic professor, students;
setting up requirement documents, project
plans
IEE 2
Design of mobile app
IEE 3
Xcode, Apple Interface Builder, learning
Objective C
IEE 4
Working together as a class and with Organic
students to design app
IEE 5
Design of mobile app--taking into account how a
range of users might make a variety of choices
while playing mobile app
IEE 6
Plagarism of existing code from other sources,
referencing appropriate sources
IEE 7
SD students taking charge of various phases of
design and development cycle
ASSESSMENT
Objective 1:
SD class documents; class presentation videos; conference calls;
discussion boards
Objective 2:
Instructor evaluation of SD students’ coding of mobile app –
grading rubric
Objective 3:
SD student midterm/final exam grades
Objective 4:
SD students peer evaluations; teacher evaluations on collaboration,
participation
Objective 5:
SD students Use Case Diagrams – analyzed for multiple
perspectives of users – Use Case Grading Rubric
Objective 6:
SD citations and references – Grading Rubric
Objective 7:
SD students’ peer evaluations; teacher evaluations on leadership
ORAL PRESENTATION RUBRIC
PEER EVALUATION
BLOG REFLECTION RUBRIC
WHAT IS A MECHANISM?
Molecular reactivity explained = electron
movement
Students required to draw arrows = electron
movement
Need to understand origin, direction, target
Many struggle – several concepts used
simultaneously
EXAMPLE OF A MECHANISM
TSOICHEM II: BACK FOR THE ATTACK
3 Modes of Learning
Identify, Draw, Challenge
Tutorial screens, Help screens
Colors to differentiate / guide user
Visuals re-affirmed by color and
sound
Positive visuals/sounds as rewards
Sounds/visuals when incorrect
RESULTS OF PEER EVALUATIONS &
INTERVIEWS
 Unexpected group dynamics
 Leadership varied
 Affected by personality, experience
 Learning objectives trumped by project
 Students sacrificed learning for sake of project
 Pride regardless of participation
 Realization of importance = communication
 Breakdown caused issues
 Feelings, pride hurt
 Power issues
RESULTS FROM STUDENT BLOGS
Very little self-reflection
More ‘reporting’ than communicative
Little interaction between parties
Majority of communication = phone, email
Mini-teams communicated the most
Future: devise better method to document
communication
RESULTS FROM USABILIT Y TESTING
Students found UT extremely
helpful
Evidence of awareness of
multiple perspectives
Evidence of leadership
Evidence of communication
skills improvement
Evidence of critical thinking
Analyzing why user’s
comments were new, unforseen
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
• Analyze student interviews further
• Analyze student blogs further
• Instructor evaluations
• Quiz/final exam scores
THANK YOU!
Dr. Mai Yin Tsoi and Dr. Sonal Dekhane
mtsoi@ggc.edu
sdekhane@ggc.edu