Building an Online Educational Community for Algorithm Visualization Cliff Shaffer Virginia Tech Susan Rodger Duke University Tom Naps University of Wisconsin.

Building an Online Educational Building an Online Educational Community for Algorithm Community for Algorithm VisualizationVisualization

Cliff ShafferVirginia Tech

Susan RodgerDuke University

Tom NapsUniversity of Wisconsin

Oshkosh

Steve EdwardsVirginia Tech

Two AudiencesTwo AudiencesAlgorithm Visualization community

People interested in building online educational communities

AVs: The ProblemAVs: The ProblemAVs have high faculty and student

favorability ratingsBut most faculty don’t use them

much in courses

Informal Survey ResultsInformal Survey ResultsWarning: Self-selected

respondersAre AVs useful?

◦Strongly Agree: 12◦Agree: 17◦Neutral: 1

A majority indicated that they used some sort of visualization with class

Survey: Impediments to Survey: Impediments to UseUse

Lack of knowledge/time to find good AVs: 13

Time to make good AVs: 2Difficulty integrating in class: 9Lack of time within class constraints:

2Uncertainty about quality outcomes:

1Content not relevant to my classes:

1

AVs: The Solution is AVs: The Solution is CommunityCommunity

http://algoviz.org/◦Build a community of users/developers◦Better disseminate best practices

informationProject Support

◦NSF CCLI grant◦NSF NSDL grant◦Connections to NSDL/Ensemble project

AlgoViz.orgAlgoViz.orgA collection of links to over 500AVsAnnotated bibliography of over 100

papersForums, field reportsOpenAlgoViz

Phase I: The Passive SidePhase I: The Passive SideWhat problem do we solve here?

◦Information? We provide that (to a limited degree)

Nearly done!

Phase II: The Phase II: The ActiveActive Side SideCreate a new model of “dissemination” to

lower barriers to accessMove away from the “digital library”

model of users coming to collectionsNotification

◦Can be via social networksFocus on “community-driven” content

development◦Discussion, review, ratings◦Think Amazon, but we have critical mass

issues

Building Online Educational Building Online Educational CommunitiesCommunities

How are we similar or different from other (potential) online educational communities?◦Stakeholders: Practitioners,

Researchers, Students◦Artifact assessment◦Best practice defined by community

Stakeholders: The AV Stakeholders: The AV communitycommunity

Students Visiting as part of their work in a course

Visiting on their own

Stakeholders: The AV Stakeholders: The AV communitycommunity

Instructors who want to incorporate AV into their course

◦ As lecture aid◦ In lab exercises/assignments in which the work of their students do with the AV is assessed by: Instructor or TA By the AV tool interacting with online DB

Stakeholders: The AV Stakeholders: The AV communitycommunity

Instructors who want to author content to help provide “context” for AV

◦ Lab exercises and assignments◦ Hypertextbooks◦ These stakeholders do not want to create AV – just content that helps students learn from it more effectively

◦ Is there some way of “recognizing” or “reviewing” what they do?

Stakeholders: The AV Stakeholders: The AV communitycommunity

AV Developers

Stakeholders: The AV Stakeholders: The AV communitycommunity

What advantages could AlgoViz offer each of these stakeholders?

How could AlgoViz foster links between them that would allow them to leverage off of what each is doing?

CommunityCommunity Participation ParticipationHow do we increase participation?

◦Using and contributing◦Nominations and voting

This round◦Some simple (applet), Others download,

installNext round?

◦Videos? 3 min? YouTube?What would it take to get you to

vote?

RecognitionRecognition

Importance – promotion/tenure/creditExample of another award

◦NEEDS Premier award for Excellence in Engineering Education

◦All of Engineering, Extensive coursewareAlgoViz.org awards

◦A way to get recognition for Algorithm Visualizations

Your TurnYour TurnHow are we doing?What do you need?

AlgoViz AwardsAlgoViz AwardsCommunity-building exerciseSolicited votes from the public on

a slate of nomineesSix winnersHall of Fame: 6+1