A Predictive Model for Student Performance in Classrooms using Student Interactions with an eTextbook

With the rise of online eTextbooks and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), a huge amount of data has been collected related to students’ learning. With the careful analysis of this data, educators can gain useful insights into their students’ performance and their behavior in learning a particular topic. This paper proposes a new model for predicting student performance based on an analysis of how students interact with an interactive online eTextbook. By being able to predict students’ performance early in the course, educators can easily identify students at risk and provide a suitable intervention. We considered two main issues: the prediction of good/bad performance and the prediction of the final exam grade. To build the proposed model, we evaluated the most popular classification and regression algorithms. Random Forest Regression and Multiple Linear Regression have been applied in Regression. While Logistic Regression, decision tree, Random Forest Classifier, K Nearest Neighbors, and Support Vector Machine have been applied in classification. Based on the findings of the experiments, the algorithm with the best result overall in classification was Random Forest Classifier with an accuracy equal to 91.7%, while in the regression it was Random Forest Regression with an R2 equal to 0.977

AP-ASD1 : an Indonesian Desktop-based Educational Tool for Basic Data Structure Course

Although there are so many avalaible data structure educational tools, it is quite difficult to find a suitable tool to aid students for learning certain course [1]. Several major impediments in determining the tool are teaching preferences, language barrier, confusing terminologies, internet dependency, various degree of material difficulty, and other environment aspects. In this research, a data structure educational tool called AP-ASD1 is developed based on basic algorithm and data structure course (ASD 1). Since AP-ASD1 is developed following course materials and not vice versa, this educational tool is guaranteed to fit in our needs. The feasibility of AP-ASD1 is evaluated based on two factors which are functionality correctness and survey. All features are correctly functioned and yield expected output whereas survey yields fairly good result (84,305% achievement rate). Based on our survey, AP-ASD1 meets eligibility standard and its features are also successfully integrated. Survey also concludes that this application is also quite effective as a supportive tool for learning basic data structure

Le manuel numérique en contexte post-secondaire : stratégies pédagogiques, nouvelles méthodes d’apprentissage, potentiel et limites

Comprend des références bibliographiquesCette recherche a été financée par le Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada (CRSH). La présente synthèse de connaissances a été présentée dans le cadre du concours 2015

Student Satisfaction With a Student-Written Textbook in an Introductory College Biology Course

Textbooks are ubiquitous tools in college classes, particularly in the sciences. Regular use of textbooks to complement science coursework can foster academic achievement and scientific literacy. Textbooks are chronically underused in college study due to high costs, challenging and time-intensive content, and perceived low value. In response, professors are increasingly using textbook alternatives including open textbooks, etextbooks, and wikis. Each has unique strengths and weaknesses. Student-written textbooks are a less common, but growing, resource used to offer a low-cost alternative to publisher textbooks using collections of student research and writing. Student-written textbooks carry the possible benefits for students of supporting engagement and ownership in their coursework while enhancing writing and collaborative skills. Student satisfaction is one critical indicator of textbook value. Other important features of quality textbooks include readability, quality images, ancillary perks, and pedagogical aids such as summaries and glossaries. This project explored student satisfaction with a student-written textbook in one general education biology course at a two-year college in Missoula, Montana. Anonymous survey responses from two sections of this course informed specific additions to one chapter of the textbook to test for changes in student satisfaction in subsequent classes. A second anonymous survey explored chapter-specific student preferences alongside additional questions related to student use of the textbook. In spite of survey-inspired, research-supported additions to the student-written textbook, students in the second survey showed no disproportionate preference for the augmented chapter. Students might experience their reading on a more whole-textbook level or their preferences might be more strongly influenced by features other than those added to the textbook chapter, such as content, perceived utility, and readability. Survey responses suggest a high degree of satisfaction with the student-written textbook, to the point that differences in student responses between separate questions were not discernible. The continued use of the student-written textbook is supported by the review of literature and the research findings. Specific strategies for future research and improvements to the student-written textbook are discussed in detail

Le manuel numérique en contexte postsecondaire: stratégies pédagogiques, nouvelles méthodes d’apprentissage, potentiel et limites

Introduction Les médias numériques investissent les lieux d’enseignement, du primaire à l’université. Les apprenants et les enseignants[1] doivent s’approprier leurs modes de transmission, les types de contenus proposés ainsi que les outils pouvant être utilisés, tels que des tablettes, des tableaux numériques interactifs, des ordinateurs et, de manière croissante, des manuels numériques (MN). Le MN désigne un « ouvrage didactique, c’est-à-dire comprenant le contenu à acquérir/enseigner, les objectifs, les méthodes et les moyens pédagogiques, ainsi que des évaluations possibles. Il est édité et diffusé sous forme numérique, et destiné à être lu à l’écran » (Université du Québec, 2013). Cette définition met l’accent sur des caractéristiques et des contenus dédiés à l’enseignement et à l’apprentissage d’un sujet donné, tout en considérant sa caractéristique immatérielle, c’est-à-dire sa forme numérique[2]. L’utilisation du manuel numérique est relativement nouvelle en milieu postsecondaire et pose la question de l’examen des stratégies pédagogiques et des méthodes d’apprentissage privilégiées par les enseignants. Qui plus est, l’emploi du MN aux études supérieures soulève un ensemble d’interrogations plus larges, portant notamment sur les compétences technologiques des usagers à tirer profit des fonctionnalités offertes. Les enjeux de conception des MN demeurent également un objet de préoccupation, posant des défis de nature pédagogique et économique. Les travaux antérieurs des membres de l’équipe de recherche impliqués dans cette synthèse de connaissances du Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada (CRSH) ont permis d’identifier de multiples perspectives à considérer ou à définir sur le plan des pratiques pédagogiques à l’université. Ainsi, des problématiques cognitives et physiques (perte d’attention, fatigue oculaire) associées à l’usage d’appareils numériques sont fréquemment relevées dans la littérature (Asunka, 2013; Baek et Monaghan, 2013; Doering, Pereira et Kuechler, 2012; Sun, Flores et Tanguma, 2012; Waller, 2013; Weisberg, 2011). De même, la multiplicité et l’incompatibilité des formats utilisés apparaissent a priori comme des objets de préoccupation importants (deNoyelles et Seilhamer, 2013). Les compétences technologiques des utilisateurs et leur capacité à employer pleinement les outils médiatiques numériques afin de supporter leurs apprentissages seraient également des facteurs importants à leur capacité à en tirer bénéfice (Dakers, 2006; Horton, 2008; Jones et Hafner, 2012). De plus, la qualité des apprentissages des étudiants ne serait pas affectée de manière significative par l’usage du MN lorsque comparée à l’utilisation du manuel papier (Chulkov et Van Alstine, 2013; Dennis, 2011; Shepperd, Grace et Koch, 2008; Weisberg, 2011; Woody, Daniel et Baker, 2010). Certaines fonctions hypertextuelles et d’annotation, auxquelles on attribue une valeur ajoutée au MN, sont par ailleurs peu exploitées par les étudiants (Dennis, 2011; deNoyelles et Seilhamer, 2013). ______________ [1] Par « enseignants », il est entendu tant les chargés de cours que les professeurs. [2] Une recension de la documentation concernant le manuel numérique indique que sa définition représente une source majeure de confusion (Armstrong, Edwards et Lonsdale, 2002; Lynch, 2001; Tedd, 2005, cités dans Martin et Quan-Haase, 2013). Par ailleurs, en examinant différents articles de recherche au sujet du livre numérique (LN) ou du MN, il appert que ces termes ne sont pas toujours distingués, définis ou même consensuels. Dans cette diversité conceptuelle, certains auteurs placent l’accent sur l’un, l’autre ou plusieurs des aspects suivants: le type d’appareil électronique (Ahmad et Brogan, 2012) ou d’environnement informatique (Bossaller et Kammer, 2014) requis pour l’utiliser. D’autres auteurs insistent sur les possibilités médiatiques offertes par le MN en termes de fonctionnalités ou de degré d’interactivité (deNoyelles et Seilhamer, 2013) ou discutent de la prépondérance et du rôle d’internet pour son usage (Kouis et Konstantinou, 2014). Cette synthèse de connaissance regroupe les publications dont l’objet discuté se qualifie en fonction des critères employés dans notre définition de manuel numérique, et cela, outre les termes employés par les auteurs. Ainsi, les études mobilisant la notion de « livre numérique » ont été retenues lorsque ce terme correspondait à notre définition de « manuel numérique » et parce qu’utilisées dans un contexte d’enseignement et d’apprentissage

Interactive E-Texts and Students: A Scoping Review

The purpose of this article is to explore the scope of available evidence regarding the use of interactive e-texts and their relationship to student learning experiences in post-secondary education. Following the framework of Arksey and O’Malley, this scoping review identified and reported on 33 articles. Study characteristics are presented alongside four themes that were found across the included articles: (1) the effect of interactive e-texts on student learning experiences; (2) the relationship between interactive e-texts and academic performance; (3) factors influencing student adoption and experience of interactive e-texts; and (4) roles, responsibilities, and recommendations. While the adoption of interactive e-texts is becoming increasingly common in post-secondary education, their effect on student learning experiences remains complex. This review emphasizes the importance of user-friendliness, affordability, accessibility, portability, and the role of educators. Using interactive e-texts shows promise, though future research should explore how barriers might be minimized and benefits might be maximized to have the strongest impact on student learning experiences. Keywords: interactive e-text, student experience, scoping review, post-secondary educationL’objectif de cet article était d’explorer l’étendue des connaissances disponibles sur l’utilisation des documents numériques interactifs et leur relation avec les expériences d’apprentissage des étudiants à l’enseignement supérieur. Suivant le cadre de l’étude d’Arksey et O’Malley (2005), cet examen de l’étendue des connaissances nous a permis de repérer et d’analyser 33 articles. Les caractéristiques de l’étude sont présentées selon quatre thèmes retrouvés dans les articles consultés : (1) l’impact des documents numériques interactifs sur les expériences d’apprentissage des étudiants; (2) la relation entre les documents numériques interactifs et les résultats scolaires; (3) les facteurs influençant l’adoption des documents numériques interactifs et les expériences d’utilisation par les étudiants; et (4) les rôles, les responsabilités et les recommandations. Tandis que l’utilisation des documents numériques interactifs devient de plus en plus fréquente au postsecondaire, leur impact sur les expériences d’apprentissage des étudiants demeure complexe. Cet article souligne l’importance de la convivialité, du coût, de l’accessibilité, de la portabilité et du rôle des enseignants. Puisque l’utilisation de documents numériques interactifs est prometteuse, de futures recherches devraient explorer comment les obstacles pourraient être réduits au minimum et les avantages maximisés pour permettre le meilleur impact possible sur les expériences d’apprentissage des étudiants. Mots-clés : documents numériques interactifs, expérience étudiante, étendue des connaissances, éducation postsecondair

Behavioral and Psychological Aspects of Physical Education and Coaching

This Grants Collection for Behavioral and Psychological Aspects of Physical Education and Coaching was created under a Round Eleven ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process. Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials: Linked Syllabus Initial Proposal Final Reporthttps://oer.galileo.usg.edu/education-collections/1009/thumbnail.jp

Digital asset pricing in the textbook market

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 2011.Cataloged from PDF version of thesis.Includes bibliographical references (p. 101-104).The U.S. college textbook market is in the midst of a seismic shift: publishers are creating new products, students are demanding more sophisticated digital content and instructors are just beginning to experiment with easily customizable, low-cost "open" textbooks. Although this industry has been picking up digital content in various forms for decades, their main revenue driver has always been print titles, a basic business fact that is poised to change permanently by 2020. The ongoing changes in product, profitability and market expectations drive home the importance of digital asset pricing in the textbook market. Textbook publishers are now grappling with the challenge of developing untested products at uncertain costs in ambiguous markets while their bread-and-butter print sales are expected to decline, and overall profit margins rapidly shifting below their feet. Changes in this market-both at the supplier and consumer level-can affect educational quality worldwide. Recognizing this fact, this thesis explores the conditions of the textbook market, both historically and in the present day, and the implications of certain market changes over the course of time. It also examines current pricing trends for digital assets based around single "source" textbook products (complete e-textbooks compared to their print-version counterparts). Using this information, with an eye on changing adoption trends and a focus on revenue management, it offers pricing and product recommendations to help publishers think ahead about how to maximize revenue over a product's life cycle as digital goods approach and eventually usurp new print sales.by Katherine Molina.M.B.A

Programming and Problem Solving I

This Grants Collection for Programming and Problem Solving I was created under a Round Eleven ALG Textbook Transformation Grant. Affordable Learning Georgia Grants Collections are intended to provide faculty with the frameworks to quickly implement or revise the same materials as a Textbook Transformation Grants team, along with the aims and lessons learned from project teams during the implementation process. Documents are in .pdf format, with a separate .docx (Word) version available for download. Each collection contains the following materials: Linked Syllabus Initial Proposal Final Reporthttps://oer.galileo.usg.edu/compsci-collections/1020/thumbnail.jp

English Language Arts Preservice and Inservice Teacher\u27s Knowledge about How to Use eTextbooks and Open Educational Resources to Support Students\u27 Comprehension: A Case Study

The focus of this qualitative, descriptive case study was to (a) investigate the knowledge English Language Arts preservice and inservice teachers had about eTextbooks and Open Educational Resources (OERs) and (b) how they planned to use that knowledge to develop their current/future 6-12 grade students\u27 comprehension and content knowledge. Included within the study were specifics regarding how eTextbooks and OERs can be used to support adolescent learners and how online comprehension skills can be developed. Data were analyzed in order to determine themes related to the use and planning for eTextbooks and OERs in the secondary ELA classroom. Data sources for this study included the participant interviews, document analysis, and a focus group interview. Findings revealed that participants (N=6) were both excited and apprehensive about using technology and that although they had some personal experiences with eTextbooks and OERs, they would need more specific support in helping their future or current students to develop online reading comprehension skills. Implications and recommendations are offered for preservice teacher educators, classroom teachers and professional developers, researchers, and publishers