74,277 research outputs found
Bridging the Gap
School districts across the country are increasingly seeking out digital tools to support the work of educators, in the hopes of improving students' academic achievement. With the rapid emergence of this new market, many districts have been challenged by the task of identifying and procuring educational technology (ed-tech) products that match the needs of their educators and students.The NYC Department of Education's "Innovate NYC Schools" division, supported by a U.S. DOE Investing in Innovation (i3) grant, aims to address this problem, in part by promoting "user-centered design," an approach that puts the needs and preferences of products' intended users (in this case, teachers, students, and parents) front and center in the development and procurement of new technology.Bridging the Gap describes the design and implementation of three Innovate NYC Schools initiatives grounded in user-centered design theory:School Choice Design Challenge (SCDC),an effort to develop apps that would help students explore and narrow down their choices of high school.#SharkTankEDU events, during which ed-tech developers present a product to a panel of educators who provide feedback on the tool.Short-Cycle Evaluation Challenges (SCEC), a classroom-based, semester-long pilot of ed-tech tools intended to inform product development, as well as the ultimate procurement decisions of school staff.The report focuses on four phases of work involved in bringing ed-tech companies and the users of their products together: defining a problem; selecting users and ed-tech companies; implementing pilot-based initiatives; and evaluating products. It describes strategies used and challenges faced, and offers practical lessons gleaned from the experiences of the individuals who designed and participated in these efforts.
Collaborative participatory research as a learning process: the case of CIP and CARE in Peru
Participatory research (PR) has been analyzed and documented from different points of
view, but particularly taking into consideration the benefits that this process generates
for farmers. Studies of the benefits of PR for other actors such as field staff, researchers
and organizations have been limited, with organizational learning receiving the least
attention. This paper analyzes the interaction between the International Potato Center
(CIP) and CARE in Peru and makes the case that PR can also contribute to creating a
collaborative learning environment that generates important lessons for the individuals
and organizations involved. The paper describes the evolution of the collaborative
environment of these two institutions for more than a decade. Three interactive learning
periods are presented, namely the “information transfer period” (1993 –1996) the
“action-learning period” (1997-2002), and the “social learning period” (on-going).
Several lessons from each period, as well as changes in institutional contexts and
perceptions, are described. The CIP-CARE case shows that research and developmentoriented
organizations can interact fruitfully using PR as a mechanism to promote
learning, as well as flexibility in interaction and innovativeness, and that a process of
osmosis of information occurs between groups that use PR in a specific case to other
groups within the organizations, influencing behavior. However, the paper also
indicates that institutional learning should be promoted more specifically in order to
extract guidelines from the lessons, which can influence the way organizations plan and
implement their projects in a constantly changing environment
Logistics of Mathematical Modeling-Focused Projects
This article addresses the logistics of implementing projects in an
undergraduate mathematics class and is intended both for new instructors and
for instructors who have had negative experiences implementing projects in the
past. Project implementation is given for both lower and upper division
mathematics courses with an emphasis on mathematical modeling and data
collection. Projects provide tangible connections to course content which can
motivate students to learn at a deeper level. Logistical pitfalls and insights
are highlighted as well as descriptions of several key implementation
resources. Effective assessment tools, which allowed me to smoothly adjust to
student feedback, are demonstrated for a sample class. As I smoothed the
transition into each project and guided students through the use of the
technology, their negative feedback on projects decreased and more students
noted how the projects had enhanced their understanding of the course topics.
Best practices learned over the years are given along with project summaries
and sample topics. These projects were implemented at a small liberal arts
university, but advice is given to extend them to larger classes for broader
use.Comment: 27 pages, no figures, 1 tabl
Annotated Bibliography: Understanding Ambulatory Care Practices in the Context of Patient Safety and Quality Improvement.
The ambulatory care setting is an increasingly important component of the patient safety conversation. Inpatient safety is the primary focus of the vast majority of safety research and interventions, but the ambulatory setting is actually where most medical care is administered. Recent attention has shifted toward examining ambulatory care in order to implement better health care quality and safety practices. This annotated bibliography was created to analyze and augment the current literature on ambulatory care practices with regard to patient safety and quality improvement. By providing a thorough examination of current practices, potential improvement strategies in ambulatory care health care settings can be suggested. A better understanding of the myriad factors that influence delivery of patient care will catalyze future health care system development and implementation in the ambulatory setting
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