Academic Exchange
Quarterly Winter 2001
ISSN 1096-1453 Volume 5, Issue 4
The Scholar Project
Jane Paterson, Heriot-Watt University, UK
Biography: Jane Paterson is a research fellow in assessment but previously
worked as SCHOLAR Maths author. She has just completed her masters in
Computer-Enhanced Mathematics Education.
Abstract: The SCHOLAR project began in 1999 at Heriot-Watt University to produce learning materials capable of delivery
both in traditional paper format and on-line. The project sought to provide a
link between sixth year school and first year university
by having materials which could be adapted to suit various courses. Although
the founding members were neighbouring Education Authorities, the project aims
to deliver these materials worldwide in as short a time scale as possible.
Introduction: The Scholar project at Heriot-Watt University is delivering high quality learning
materials in Mathematics, Computing, Chemistry, Physics and Biology
aimed at sixth year secondary school /first year university level. In the pilot
year, 2000-2001, the materials provided a full Scottish Advanced Higher course
available for delivery both in paper and web format. Four Education Authorities
and six Further Education colleges agreed to be founder members of the project
and received full access to both versions of the materials. The pilot was
extremely successful and the project subsequently extended the offer of
membership to the remaining Authorities. By the start of year two (August
2001), over 70% of the Education Authorities decided to join and use the
SCHOLAR materials. Further courses at Scottish Higher level and Higher National
Certificate/Diploma are due for delivery into schools and colleges by September
2001. Thereafter the project will embark upon the English 'A' level courses and
the optional courses within the Scottish system. The aim is to extend the
availability of the material world wide, not only targeting academic
institutions but also those in business and industry who may wish to train
staff in these subjects towards a qualification.
The SCHOLAR teams are structured as follows:
A subject leader: A highly
experienced subject specialist employed by Heriot-Watt.
Courseware developers: The authors who
are either employed by Heriot-Watt for their expertise in writing and
delivering learning materials or are seconded school teachers from the
neighbouring communities.
Technical assistants: Recent
graduates, mainly from Heriot-Watt, who have skills in the particular subject,
computing, graphics or technical issues. They assist the authors in developing
the material.
In addition, the services of many other professionals in Heriot-Watt
are used to compile the final print and web versions.
SCHOLAR MATHEMATICS
The SCHOLAR Mathematics site at July 2001 comprises the fifteen topics
that form the Advanced Higher. Over the remainder of 2001 the twelve topics
forming the Higher will appear.
Every topic employs the same format and consists of the theory,
diagrams, fully worked examples, animations, interactivities and exercises.
There are also additional sections when appropriate. Each of these aspects is
now examined in more detail:
Theory: Throughout all
of the SCHOLAR Mathematics material at both Advanced Higher and Higher levels,
a conscious decision was taken to write the materials in such a way that they
could be used not only, as originally intended, in the class room/lecture
theatre with teacher/lecturer support, but also by the independent learner.
Thus the theory provided in the text version is almost totally reproduced on
the web and is sectioned for easier access. By doing this, the students can
have access to the material in school and at home. They can print out
particular sections rather than carry heavy books and can also access the text
if they arrive at school/home having forgotten the textbook. The flexibility
that the web site offers will be a major advantage in seeking additional
partners for the project in years to come.
Diagrams: The authors
using the application, Freehand, draw most of the
diagrams. By doing this, the diagrams can be kept deliberately simple in order
to allow the students to concentrate on the learning points of that section.
The scales used, for example, on graph work are minimal and colours are chosen
only when their use reinforces the learning. Other packages tend to provide too
much sophisticated detail for what is needed.
Worked Examples: The Scholar
team feel that worked examples are of paramount importance in the learning
cycle and not only show the students correct ways of reaching the answer but
also provide a useful reference point for revision. Almost all of
the worked examples that are given in the text are reproduced for the web
version.
Animations: Following the
same criteria as for the diagrams, the authors produce animations, this time
using Flash. These animations, unlike interactivities, offer limited student
input. The main aim is to demonstrate, dynamically, any learning point where
the visual representation is easier to grasp. Colour is used, but kept to a
minimum to avoid any conflict with eyesight problems. This is also the case
with movement, where a conscious effort is made to balance the delights of
highly complex dynamic movies against those that convey the learning point in
an interesting varied way accessible to all students.
Interactivities: Software developers
produce these activities in Director and Java for the SCHOLAR mathematics team.
There are fewer of these throughout the materials as they are generally more
complicated to produce. The students are expected to calculate values based on
the information given and generate the animation using these values. The
animated outcome depends on the students' input. Care is taken in the
construction of these activities in order to avoid undue delays in downloading
the applets. This is another reason for using them sparingly as the learning
has to flow naturally to allow the students to progress without distractions
caused by the equipment being used. At this level of learning too, students can
become very impatient and repeatedly click to continue before the download is
complete if it is too slow, thus losing some of the important points that the
interactivity hoped to convey.
Exercises: In SCHOLAR
Mathematics, considerable emphasis is placed on computer-aided assessment. Two
types of questioning are used. In some cases where a straightforward question
is asked as part of the learning process, the question is set within the
authoring application, XMetaL. This is useful for
graph sketching, calculator screen dump answers, very short answers and
computer programs. It is also a convenient method through which the student is
encouraged to engage with the material without formally accessing a test. It
can however only provide a screen shot of the model answer and mark it
correct/incorrect. The second type of questioning is carried out on-line using
the assessment engine called CUE [2,3] which is a web development of the CALM
project at Heriot-Watt in collaboration with UCLES (University of Cambridge
Local Examination Syndicate) and EQL (a commercial company in West Lothian).
The question types at present used in CUE provide considerable variety for the
on-line learner.
They are:
Judged Mathematical expression
Multiple Choice/Multiple Response
Word and Phrase match
Hotspot
Essay
Information/Hint
The Mathematics material, whilst making use of all types of question,
benefits greatly from judged mathematical expression answers where the
assessment engine is able to mark both numerical and complicated algebraic
answers. CUE also provides stepped questions for those who are less able to
complete the original question, partial credit when only parts of the question
have been answered correctly, a variety of delivery
modes, immediate feedback and random parameters. The students, as a result,
have one of the largest question banks in Mathematics available at this level.
Access to the on-line assessments is freely available to all registered
students when they may wish it and not only when they are in the classroom. The
result of any interaction between students and the CUE exercises is recorded in
a results database. Access to the results is immediate and available at two
levels: student level and tutor level. The students have access to all data
pertaining to their personal password. The tutors have access to all records
for the students registered under their supervision. This second type of
questioning through CUE is used for topic exercises, review exercises and
revision practice examinations. As mentioned already, the use of randoms and a variety of question types gives the students
considerable practice in the questions that they may encounter in a formal
exam. It must be stressed that at present all assessments in SCHOLAR are
diagnostic (revision), formative (exercises) or practice summative
(end of topic or end of course tests). The questions set in CUE also support
multimedia that broadens the scope of the possible questions and answers. Given
the opportunity, further question types will be developed including
ordered/unordered lists, hidden multiple choice, gap fill, drag and drop and
computer adaptive testing.
Additional Sections: Within each
topic in both Advanced Higher and Higher there are additional sections for
revision, for proofs where appropriate, and for extended information. The aim
of a revision exercise is to provide a check on the abilities of the students
in the techniques and methods given in the prerequisites to the course. Any
proofs that are specifically mentioned in the official content guidelines of a
course are included within the relevant subsections. Those optional proofs that
may be of interest to the more able student or used for extension work are
placed in the proof section so that there are no unnecessary distractions from
the theory. A brief comment on mathematicians involved in the topic over the
centuries is included in the extended information section. This section also
provides a selection of web links to sites covering the topic. These links
should help to deepen and broaden the enthusiastic student's understanding of
the topic.
Other enhancements to the materials include calculator activities and
programs, challenge questions and group investigations. Further sections can be
easily added if the content guidelines change or the emphasis switches to a
different concept within that topic.
It is intended that the materials will be repackaged for other courses
and the structure within each topic should help with this.
Evaluation: Evaluation is
taken seriously and in the pilot year, several types have been undertaken. An
independent editor with extensive experience in learning and teaching carried
out an evaluation of the learning styles and pedagogy within the Mathematics
materials. His comments were useful and the suggested improvements/adjustments
were made to the materials immediately. Staff within the department of
Mathematics at Heriot-Watt also reviewed the materials to ensure firstly that
the content was mathematically sound and secondly to confirm that it was
appropriate not only for the school sector but also for the first year students
at the university. Teacher staff development days have also been held regularly
to encourage comments from those who are using the courses. These are
continuing. In general, the comments are very favourable with only a few
reservations mainly on the use of the web for teaching and learning rather than
on the content. Through two schools liaison teachers, contact with students
currently using the materials will be maintained and it is hoped that this will
generate some feedback from them - the people who really matter. Further
presentations and demonstrations of the materials have taken place in
universities, institutions and other education establishments with feedback
constantly showing that the material is well received. Glasgow Caledonian University is also carrying
out another independent study and the initial results are very encouraging.
This survey will encompass all subjects. Further feedback is received through
the web site itself. There is a discussion area available to the SCHOLAR staff
at Heriot-Watt, to the schools and colleges enrolled in the project and to each
pupil registered on a SCHOLAR course. The use of this area in Mathematics is
perhaps disappointing but may reflect the agreed protocol that students should
first approach their tutor for advice before resorting to this area.
Nevertheless, some searching questions have been posted giving the authors food
for thought on whether more is needed in the materials to cover these points.
Problem Areas: There have in
fact been relatively few problems with producing web-based materials. From the
Heriot-Watt point of view maintenance of the site has been undertaken over
school holidays and then consists of very little down time. The format of the
materials, particularly in Mathematics, is still of some concern as the
mathematical expressions are still not centred within the text in a way which
makes the materials comparable to the text to read. This issue which is outwith our control may be resolved when all browsers
support MathML. From a user's point of view, most
problems have occurred within the networks which particular institutions use.
For example, general restrictions have been placed on plugins
or web sites and this caused initial difficulties for some schools. These have
been resolved easily with dialogue between Heriot-Watt technical staff and
those within the institution concerned. The availability of computers for each
student has not been as much of a problem as expected and any lingering issues
here are actively being pursued by those involved. Web access has been
encouraging with less occurrences of the Internet going down than feared. Most
problems within our control have now been resolved and none of them caused
undue disruption to those involved.
In conclusion, the SCHOLAR project has met its targets and deadlines.
The material is of a consistently high standard and considerably enhances the
learning for the students registered on the courses. The future looks very
promising and SCHOLAR hopes that many more students and their tutors will
benefit from the materials in years to come.
References:
[1] http://scholar.hw.ac.uk
[2] http://cue.hw.ac.uk/scripts/caewebui.exe
[3] http://www.i-assess.co.uk