Notetakers, Scribes, and Readers for STEM classes

Notetakers, Scribes, and Readers for STEM classes

Dr. Judith S. [email protected]

Metropolitan State University of Denver

Accessing Higher GroundOctober 2012

Overview

STEM: science, technology (includes computer science), engineering, and math STEM material is complex– Concepts, vocabulary, pronunciation, symbols

Issues for readers, scribes, and notetakers Guidance and training to work with STEM

students

My Background

Computer Science faculty, in Math and Computer Science department

My students: physical disabilities– Blind and low vision, limited use of hands, non-

verbal My interest

– Interesting and challenging problems supporting students with disabilities

– Limits of technology

Technical CS Curriculum

Software Hardware Systems Theory Math

Computer Science and Disabilities

Good for students with disabilities who would prefer working remotely

Creates a strong, special developer population for disability systems, both hardware and software

We want to get them and keep them in CS Problem: support difficulties contribute to loss

of students

General CS Course Problems

Material difficulty Student misconceptions Course novelty Math

Resulting in … High attrition Low grades Weak students

Computer Science Characteristics

Code / programs details– Uppercase / lowercase– White space: indentation, blank lines, spaces– Symbols

Specialized vocabulary– Some unusual, some “normal” English

Diagrams

Computer Science Example

Compare two lines of code: for loop (Computer Science 1)– Correct version:

for (int k = 0; k < 10; k++)


Compare two lines of code– Incorrect version, 6 syntax errors!

For [int k == 0, k < 10, K + +] Each individual error will …

– Cause a program to fail– Earn points off on a test


Compare two lines of code– Correct version:

for (int k = 0; k < 10; k++)– Incorrect version, 6 syntax errors!

For [int k == 0, k < 10, K + +]


for (int k = 0; k < 10; k++) On reading, how should this be pronounced

by the reader? On scribing, how should this be pronounced

by the student, then written by the scribe?


for (int k = 0; k < 10; k++) How do we read it in class?

– It depends on the class level and focus– Compare Computer Science 1 and 2


Linked list code (Computer Science 2)Node head = null;…if (head.getNext() == null)…boolean success =

temp.setNext(temp2.getPrev());


Linked list diagram (Computer Science 2)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CPT-LinkedLists-deletingnode.svg


Linked list– How should these diagrams be described?– How much detail need a student give to a scribe?

… if the scribe knows CS? … if they don’t?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:CPT-LinkedLists-deletingnode.svg

Computer Code – Java Language

/* This is a simple Java program. Call this file "Example.java". */

public class Example { // Your program begins with a call to main(). public static void main(String args[ ]) {

System.out.println(”Hello, World!"); }

}

Computer Code – Lisp Language

(defparameter *small* 1)(defparameter *big* 100)

(defun guess-my-number () (ash (+ *small* *big*) -1))

(defun smaller () (setf *big* (1- (guess-my-number))) (guess-my-number))

(defun bigger () (setf *small* (1+ (guess-my-number))) (guess-my-number))

Computer Code – Assembly

CSEG SEGMENT 'CODE'ASSUME CS:CSEGPUBLIC CLR

CLR PROC FARPUSH BP ;BP unknown (don't care)MOV BP,SP ;set base for parm listPUSH DS ;DS -> basic work areaPUSH ES ;ES -> basic work areaMOV AX,DATASEG ;establish data addressabilityMOV DS,AX ;now DS -> my dataASSUME DS:DATASEG


Is a computer allowed during a test? – Compilers and IDEs: software that, in part,

analyses programming code for correctness Compare to spelling checker

A proctor must distinguish between proper and improper use of the computer

Harder than ensuring a student doesn’t google something


Dragon shortcuts – who would know?

Student says: “print line”Dragon writes: System.out.println( );

and waits for student to fill in parentheses

Computer science student programmed Dragon for ease of homework

Dragon is giving part of the answer that is being graded

Math Examples

Symbols– ≥ (greater than or equal to), && logical

‘and’) Greek letters

– Σ (sigma, uppercase), ε (epsilon, lowercase)

Abbreviations– cos (cosine), lm (limit)

Except for the first, a math-knowledgeable person is needed to read or write this material

Math Example

Very remedial math test (3rd grade)– Problems on a quiz using integer multiplication

2 x 3 and 4(12) and 11 . 6 How should a reader read these? What should a scribe write if the student says

“multiply”?

Math Example

2 x 3 and 4(12) and 11 . 6

This should not be read “two times three” The reader must pronounce character by character

– “four left-parenthesis twelve right-parenthesis” Is “dot” unclear? The quiz was (obviously?) testing knowing the

symbols as well as being able to multiply Even a reader knowledgeable in math might not

catch this subtlety

Math Example

2 x 3 and 4(12) and 11 . 6

Note that this is not even college-level math!– Weak students need especially good support– Students with disabilities may have more math

problems Remember that all students take basic math

Natural Science Example

Read the following

H2O

NaCl


H2O – “water” or “H two oh”?– Need to say that the “oh” is a zero?– Need to say that the “2” is a subscript?– Need to say that the “2” is “two,” not “to” or “too”?– Need to specify uppercase/lowercase?


NaCl – “sodium chloride” or “salt” or pronounce the

letters? – Note that “salt” is a general term covering many

different, specific chemical compounds– Uppercase / lowercase?– Spacing?– Font curiosity: is “I” a lowercase letter “ell” or an

uppercase letter “eye” or a Roman numeral one?


How should they be read?– They’re all right and they’re all wrong … sometimes– It depends on context, course level, instructor

preference How should they be spoken / explained to a

scribe?– How smart is the pencil?


Does it matter?– What is being tested?– What should the student know?– What do professionals know?

What does text-to-speech software do?

Math and Science

Taken by all students Interesting problems for readers and scribes

even at very basic levels Sometimes a reader needs to know the intent

of the material as well as the actual text, in order to make decisions about pronunciation, etc.

Diagrams

Much more complex– Topic knowledge and more …

Visual components– What matters and what is “decorative”?– Color? Size? Shape and direction of lines?

Position of labels? Relative position of components?

Diagrams – Considerations

Order of reading?– Left to right? Top down? Inside out?

Is a visual component semantically important or just decorative?

Any terminology that is not shown, but should be used?

Knowledge level of listener? A reader needs significant preparation time

STEM is Hard – So What?

Support for STEM students who are disabled takes significantly more time, effort, and expertise– Notetaking– Scribes – Readers– Training– Quality assurance

General Notetaking Problems

Who’s taking notes nowadays anyway? How good are the notes?

– Includes readability! How correct …? How complete …? Notes for yourself vs. notes for others


How do you know note quality? – Review needed … by whom?

How can a novice take complete and correct notes?

Compare to “English-based” classes– History, economics, …


A recording or transcription of a class is probably not sufficient

Capturing simultaneous text and diagrams is difficult or impossible– Parallel scribes?

Does notetaking interfere with the notetaker’s experience in class? Yes …

CS Notetaking Problems

Is the syntax correct? The vocabulary …? The diagrams …? Will the notetaker persist or drop?

STEM Notetakers

The notetaker must …– Know concepts, notation, vocabulary, and math– Write and draw clearly– Be dependable and diligent

They can’t be learning it while they are taking notes– Peers need all their time for their own notes– Studying before class is insufficient

STEM Readers

The reader must …– Know concepts, notation, vocabulary, and math– Speak clearly and pronounce correctly– Be dependable and diligent

Diagrams must be traced and practiced in advance, for completeness, correctness, and clarity

STEM Scribes

The hardest position? easiest? Do they need to know anything, or will

everything be guided by the student?– “draw a box, now divide it in half vertically; draw

an arrow from the bottom of the left half …”– How much time does this take?– Does it interfere too much with getting a good

evaluation of the student?

STEM Scribes

Can knowledgeable scribes not contribute? Can non-knowledgeable scribes be

meticulous and careful enough when they don’t know what’s important?

Can students describe everything precisely and completely, even if they understand it?

Example: uppercase / lowercase and spacing

File file = new File (“datafile.txt”);

Who?

Who should take notes? scribe? read?– Peers? – Someone who took that class? … that instructor?– Advanced students? A+ students? Grad student?– Part-time professor? High school teacher?

How do you decide? How do you check quality? Would you remove someone from a position?

Training for STEM Support

Manuals for notetakers, scribes, and readers– Discipline-specific– Common problems and solutions– Standard guidelines

What to do and not do How to do it and not do it

Manuals for profs– Common problems and solutions– Working with notetakers, scribes, and readers


The student’s part– Meet with professor and notetaker/scribe/reader

and discuss how the work will be done– What must a student tell a scribe?– Do a practice quiz with professor and scribe to

check procedures


Faculty collaboration with scribes, etc.– Provide sample tests and lecture notes for review– Discuss notation and vocabulary and diagrams– Involve student as appropriate– Touch base regularly

Ideas

Funding– Pay expert notetakers, scribes and readers

Requires a strong argument from disabilities office to justify a new budget item

– Compare to interpretersNeed for language (ASL) skill is easy to

demonstrate and understandNeed for technical knowledge seems to be

ignored

Ideas

Oral exams by professors?– Avoids “middleman” (scribe)– Allows on-the-fly adjustments based on student

difficulties– Difficult to grade– Perhaps more difficult to defend the grade– Tense situation for the student

Ideas

Review work of STEM support– Check notes, recordings, tests, …

Collect student reviews of support– But remember that a student may not be aware of

errors and omissions – Avoid checking only student satisfaction– Correctness is primary

Ideas

Faculty help– Oversight of procedures, recommendations for

student help, quality checkers, training materials– Faculty as readers and scribes– Note: faculty get credit for “community service”

The 95% Rule

95% of anything can probably be done, and done fairly well, by a computer

The other 5% is fascinating, challenging, and hard to (try to) automate with software and hardware

The missing or flawed 5% can be crucial in STEM material

5%: The Limits of Technology

Smart pens, speech to text, captioning, etc.– Is a transcription + occasional annotation

enough?– Can technical vocabulary be handled well?– Will the student even realize the shortcomings

and errors?

5%: The Limits of Technology

Scanning, OCR, print to electronic form

Cautions

Technology is …– Exciting – Impressive– State of the art

Funding follows technology Using humans is harder …

– To do well– To justify

Cautions

Don’t ignore human expertise Don’t equate no complaints with no problems Don’t confuse student failure from poor

support with student academic failure– Easy to do since STEM has more failures

Cautions

Working at a detailed level puts more of a load on the student– Describing programming code or a diagram is

time-intensive, and probably interferes with thinking about a test problem, or even just thinking about the material itself

Cautions

Is equal access always possible?

Summary

STEM classes are …– Hard, complex, important, taken by all students

Problems occur on very simple material as well as advanced topics and diagrams

Technology is limited in important ways Notetakers, scribes, and readers need topic-

specific knowledge and training

Are You Convinced?

Support your STEM students well! Get additional, specialized help as needed

– Advanced undergraduates, graduate students– Faculty

Consider: if you can’t do the technical work, neither can an average student worker

Homework

Evaluate your school’s support for STEM classes and students (majors and others)

Talk to STEM chairs and faculty– Solicit their help

Review notes from notetakers– Can you understand them?– Show to faculty to evaluate completeness and

correctness Investigate funding for paying notetakers,

scribes, and readers

Questions? Comments?

Notetakers, Scribes, and Readers for STEM classes

Documents

loop computer science

focuscompare computer

computer code java language

number guess

defun guess

lines of codeincorrect

lines of codecorrect

blank lines