Threshold Concepts Vs. Tricky Topics - Exploring the Causes of Student's Misunderstandings with the Problem Distiller Tool

This paper presents a study developed within the international project JuxtaLearn. This project aims to improve student understanding of threshold concepts by promoting student curiosity and creativity through video creation. The math concept of 'Division', widely referred in the literature as problematic for students, was recognised as a 'Tricky Topic' by teachers with the support of the Tricky Topic Tool and the Problem Distiller tool, two apps developed under the JuxtaLearn project. The methodology was based on qualitative data collected through Think Aloud protocol from a group of teachers of a public Elementary school as they used these tools. Results show that the Problem Distiller tool fostered the teachers to reflect more deeply on the causes of the students’ misunderstandings of that complex math concept. This process enabled them to develop appropriate strategies to help the students overcome these misunderstandings. The results also suggest that the stumbling blocks associated to the Tricky Topic ‘Division’ are similar to the difficulties reported in the literature describing Threshold Concepts. This conclusion is the key issue discussed in this paper and a contribution to the state of the art

E-assessment in mathematics courses with multiple-choice questions tests

With the implementation of the Bologna Process several challenges have been posed to higher education institution, particularly in Portugal. One of the main implications is related to the change of the paradigm of a teacher centered education, to a paradigm that is student centered. This change implies the change of the way to assess courses in higher education institutions. Continuous and formative assessments emerged as the focus, catalyzed by electronic assessment, or e-assessment. This paper presents a case of the implementation of an e-assessment strategy, implemented in order to allow continuous, formative assessment in numerous mathematics classes using multiple-choice questions tests implement in Moodle open-source learning management system. The implementation can be considered a success

A review of e-learning technologies – opportunities for teaching and learning

The number of different e-learning technologies available to support teaching and learning is growing exponentially. A major issue for faculty and educational developers in higher education is to determine which e-learning technology is most appropriate to support their particular teaching needs and provide optimum learning opportunities for students. Over the last few years a vast amount of literature has been published on e-learning technologies and how they are used in education Therefore the decision to use a particular technology should be based on sound research and clear evidence. This paper reviews many of these e-learning technologies and provides information regarding their use and the opportunities afforded by them.<br /

A pilot project on non-conventional learning

This poster presents a pilot project on non-conventional learning strategies based on students’ active participation in real-life FLOSS projects. The aim of the project is to validate the hypothesis that the peer-production model, which underlies most FLOSS projects, can enhance the learning-teaching process based on extensive and systematic collaborative practices.(undefined

Encouraging museum visitor engagement using spontaneous talk-in-interaction audio guides

We describe the building and testing of a museum audio tour with content recorded as spontaneous interactive dialogue between two curators as they walked around an art gallery. The aim was to produce a guide which would increase the amount of topically relevant talk shared by people visiting a museum in groups of two or more. Conversation analysis is used to show how a pair of visitors engaged more with the content of the guide than they would have with audio produced as traditional scripted monologue. Examples of a variety of engagement types are detailed and a supporting rationale drawing on Goffman's theory of 'footing' is discussed. The approach potentially offers a low cost way for organisations involved in informal learning to produce flexible in-house audio content for mobile and e-learning, which improves visitor engagement both with the content and with one another, and leads to a more enjoyable visitor/learner experience than traditional forms of audio

Técnicas para aumentar o envolvimento dos alunos na aprendizagem da programação

Neste artigo analisam-se em particular duas técnicas concebidas para apoiar o ensino da programação: a Animação de Programas e a Avaliação Automática de Programas. Com base na combinação destas técnicas e respetivas ferramentas, atualmente disponíveis, iremos enunciar duas possíveis abordagens. Serão apresentadas as conclusões retiradas de uma primeira experiência conduzida em sala de aula. Por fim, esboçaremos uma ferramenta que através da Web, implementará uma das abordagens propostas

Wikiglass: a learning analytic tool for visualizing collaborative wikis of secondary school students

Poster SessionThis demo presents Wikiglass, a learning analytic tool for visualizing the statistics and timelines of collaborative Wikis built by secondary school students during their group project in inquiry-based learning. The tool adopts a modular structure for the flexibility of reuse with different data sources. The client side is built with the Model-View-Controller framework and the AngularJS library whereas the server side manages the database and data sources. The tool is currently used by secondary teachers in Hong Kong and is undergoing evaluation and improvement.published_or_final_versio

The Problem Distiller Tool: supporting teachers in uncovering why their students have problems understanding Threshold Concepts

In pressThis study explored the use of a web-based tool entitled ‘Problem Distiller’ designed to support teachers in uncovering why their students have problems understanding Threshold Concepts. Data collected involved interviews with two math teachers, invited to experiment the Problem Distiller tool and Think Aloud protocol. Content analysis was used to process and analyse the collected data.. Findings show that teachers found it helpful when the information they entered through the Problem Distiller was fed back as they constructed an online diagnostic quiz. Focusing on the teachers’ understanding of why the students have problems is an effective way of tackling the barriers posed by Threshold Concepts and can be integrated with existing strategies and teaching approaches.CIEC – Research Centre on Child Studies, IE, UMinho (FCT R&D unit 317), PortugalEuropean Community's Seventh Framework ProgrammeThe research leading to these results has received funding from the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement no. 317964 JUXTALEARN. We would like to thank the interviewed teachers for their valuable collaboration

eLEARNING APPROACH eBIG3 : DEVELOPMENT , DELIVERY , AND EVALUATION

In this report in addition to previous results we present the evaluation results of multi-screen e-learning courses – eBig3. It is a new approach and technology to lifelong learning embodying effective integration of popular television, Internet, and mobile phones technologies. We present the results of ten eBig3 pilot courses delivered in 2013 in Latvia. The target group of eBig3 courses was society at large. It demonstrates radical increase of registration in eBig3 courses compared with the traditional registration in the Internet. The course delivery was more successful than that of blended learning courses. The new approach strongly increases the availability of e-courses, and contributes to closing the gap between the expectations for future life-long-learning and real achievements. We didn’t observe connection between learner’s age and attitude towards the usage of SMS in the eBig3 approach

Interactive Multimedia Design In Museum Gallery

The rapid development of digital technologies has made digital media widely available to everyone. Some museum galleries in Malaysia, such as the National Museum, have made use of interactive multimedia, which provides interaction between the users and the items being displayed. Regardless of the presence and accessibility of interactive multimedia, few studies have indicated that research on museum visitors in Malaysia, especially museums with interactive multimedia display, are still lacking. In this research, an interactive multimedia is proposed to enhance visitors’ experience by using design elements and design principles. With the usage of the Norman’s Emotional Design Model as the conceptual theory, the study was conducted to gain insights of interactive multimedia usage and visitors’ perceptions and preferences. The outcome of this study will provide designers and developers the option of considering work closely in order to deliver the best interface design for interactive multimedia. This research will also benefit the museums in Malaysia as it is able to provide an insight into the awareness of interactive multimedia and touch screens usage for more engaging experience. It also encourages visitors to educate and entertain themselves with interactive and multi-sensory contents. Overall, the results provide directions for curatorial and design criteria issues for interactive multimedia in informal learning institution such as galleries in museums. The results of the research provided suggestion for the use of Norman’s Emotional Design Model, design elements and design principles when developing interactive multimedia in order to enhance user experience in museum galler