Supporting group learning and Supporting group learning and assessment through Internet assessment through Internet Liane Tarouco Marlise Geller Liane Tarouco Marlise Geller Antonio R. de Vit Luciano Hack Antonio R. de Vit Luciano Hack Graduate Program Informatic on Education Graduate Program Informatic on Education Universidade Federal do RS - Brazil Universidade Federal do RS - Brazil
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Supporting group learning and assessment through Internet Liane Tarouco Marlise Geller Antonio R. de Vit Luciano Hack Graduate Program Informatic on Education.
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Supporting group learning and Supporting group learning and assessment through Internetassessment through Internet
ProblemsProblems heterogeneous contributions heterogeneous contributions lack of capability for monitoring alllack of capability for monitoring all
group workgroup work
Learning assessment became a challenge to those who work with distance education
Learning assessmentLearning assessment
Learning assessmentLearning assessment
Evaluation process should include a great variety of evidences that go beyond the traditional final examination based on paper and pencil.
Face-to-face contextFace-to-face context
Professors use more than just formal mechanisms to evaluate students. body language participation
Quality of questions proposed by students are good indicators of learning
Distance EducationDistance Education
What normally occurs it is the use of formal mechanisms only
Why ?Why ?
It occurs not only because of the lack It occurs not only because of the lack of accessible mechanisms that can of accessible mechanisms that can assist instructors on this task, but also, assist instructors on this task, but also, because many professors prefer to because many professors prefer to work with more traditional methods of work with more traditional methods of evaluation.evaluation.
Evolution of networks and computers Evolution of networks and computers and especially the Internetand especially the Internet
New mechanisms and services started New mechanisms and services started to show upto show up
Keeping trackKeeping track
Tools to keep track of students Tools to keep track of students activities and interactions activities and interactions with learning environment with learning environment with the group of studentswith the group of students with the professorwith the professor
Internet for distance Internet for distance educationeducation
Reduction of the distribution costs; Reduction of the distribution costs; Internet facilitates collaborative writing;Internet facilitates collaborative writing; The corrections and updates are simpler The corrections and updates are simpler
to handle; to handle; Several techniques for evaluation are Several techniques for evaluation are
possible using multimedia for the possible using multimedia for the interaction between professor and interaction between professor and students and between students. students and between students.
Assessment based on contributions for group Assessment based on contributions for group discussions discussions
Tests (automatically handled by computer Tests (automatically handled by computer program) program)
Term papers (analyzed by professor or Term papers (analyzed by professor or assistants)assistants)
Oral or written tests conduced in the presence Oral or written tests conduced in the presence of the instructor (some times through of the instructor (some times through videoconference) or with a remote assistant.videoconference) or with a remote assistant.
Time spent with assessmentTime spent with assessment
Types of assessmentTypes of assessment
case studiescase studies examsexams paperspapers projectsprojects
All of them requires extensive time to All of them requires extensive time to grade and are very difficult to get grade and are very difficult to get automated help to do the evaluation.automated help to do the evaluation.
Formative evaluation is important to Formative evaluation is important to make easy for the students not only make easy for the students not only inform their opinions and feelings inform their opinions and feelings about how course is going on but see about how course is going on but see this contributions being handled and this contributions being handled and considered. considered.
Using quiz system Using quiz system
Teachers may built artifacts and link themTeachers may built artifacts and link them CGI allows dynamically building and editingCGI allows dynamically building and editing
Basic functions includedBasic functions included
Feedback for each alternative
Indication of correct answer
Nothing more, just counting incidence of selections on each alternative
Complementary toolsComplementary tools
ConsensusConsensus
TrackingTracking
VotingVoting
Self-evaluationSelf-evaluation
Tool of consensusTool of consensus
It allows on time creation of enquete proposing instigating questions, as well as the collection and tabulation of responses;
The tool has the capability to keep track of each student's level of contribution to the discussion as well as enquete responses.
Tracking toolTracking tool The register of learning activities
(accessed page with dates and time) is important because it allows the professor to know the progress of students trough the course;
The collected information will show that type of access the student has made (visited units, tools used, etc), as well as the time spent on it.
Voting toolVoting tool
Aimed to provide conditions for a fast feedback for the instructor on specific subjects.
Self-evaluation toolSelf-evaluation tool
Allows the dynamic building of enquetes for self-evaluation by professor and by students.
Group activity handlingGroup activity handling
Group activity may give opportunity Group activity may give opportunity for student to present contributions for student to present contributions that some times are relegated to that some times are relegated to forgetfulness.forgetfulness.
ConsolidationConsolidation
It is also needed a voting system to It is also needed a voting system to support group decision about the support group decision about the consolidated results from discussionconsolidated results from discussion
Development of applications to Development of applications to handle participants contributions handle participants contributions
Provide support for group decisionProvide support for group decision
Utilization of contributions that came Utilization of contributions that came up during group activityup during group activity
Handling group activity resultsHandling group activity results
A set of tools was designed A set of tools was designed and developed to support and developed to support distance education distance education collaborative work.collaborative work.
Group activity resultsGroup activity results
Group activity results on a log file Group activity results on a log file containing interchanged texts containing interchanged texts (synchronous or asynchronously) (synchronous or asynchronously) during a group debate.during a group debate.
Example: Using an environment like Palace for chat
Other services used for Other services used for group discussiongroup discussion
WWW based chat WWW based chat Videoconferencing complemented with chatVideoconferencing complemented with chat
Developed solutionDeveloped solution
Application for handle results of group Application for handle results of group discussion (brainstorming)discussion (brainstorming)
consolidation of contributionsconsolidation of contributions
summaries with more relevant ideassummaries with more relevant ideas
voting processvoting process
Previous efforts and resultsPrevious efforts and results
Used natural language recognitionUsed natural language recognition
Grouping of similar ideas Grouping of similar ideas
Organize them according with definitions of Organize them according with definitions of the groupthe group
Client server applicationClient server application
Supported only synchronous communicationSupported only synchronous communication
EurekhaEurekha Tool initially developed for information retrievalTool initially developed for information retrieval Uses methods for grouping textual objectsUses methods for grouping textual objects Objects are organized automatically in similar Objects are organized automatically in similar
objects groupsobjects groups Directed to natural languageDirected to natural language Designed to work with files (each text object Designed to work with files (each text object
must be presented as a different file)must be presented as a different file)
ESCOOPESCOOP Handle log files derived from group activityHandle log files derived from group activity Clean and cutClean and cut
remove stop wordsremove stop words spell checkingspell checking remove names of sendersremove names of senders
Uses Eurekha for clusteringUses Eurekha for clustering Handle voting processHandle voting process
ConclusionsConclusions Formative evaluation plays an important
role to get distance students motivated because they feel a sense of not being lost in space
Just the opposite, they feel that being closely monitored and having their opinions being asked often is more like having a personal tutor that pay attention on way they do and what they say.
ConclusionsConclusions
This kind of attention provided by the system helps to minimize solitude that sometimes is referred as main desisting factor from students in distance education programs
Conclusions Conclusions Cognitive development improvedCognitive development improved
development of better self-expressiondevelopment of better self-expression
help student to learn about how to help student to learn about how to work collaboratively work collaboratively
stimulate problem solving critical stimulate problem solving critical thinking and collaborative analysis thinking and collaborative analysis
learning through reflexive discussionslearning through reflexive discussions
Results Results
colaboration valued/consideredcolaboration valued/considered better follow up from teacherbetter follow up from teacher contributions more homogeneous contributions more homogeneous secundary results secundary results
writing skills improvedwriting skills improved
more reflexive thinking about what is being more reflexive thinking about what is being presentedpresented