The ActiveLecture System

For an instructor, it has always been a challenging task to keep students engaged during the lecture and assess them in real time. Instructors use different methodologies to address the challenge of keeping students engaged during the class and increase their participation. Widely used methodologies for active learning include clickers and Tablet PCs. Clickers are small handheld devices which are used to collect student responses and present these responses graphically. Tablet PCs provide a functionality to use natural handwriting to provide feedback. Web browsers are a cost effective approaches. I have used a web based technology to create active learning system called ActiveLecture. It provides a mechanism for students and an instructor to communicate effectively during the lecture. I converted the ActiveLecture system from Java EE 5.0 to Java EE 6.0 platform. I added new functionalities to the ActiveLecture system and gathered statistics and video captures to evaluate them. Finally, I performed an analysis based on the collected data that can help instructor assess the effectiveness of the ActiveLecture system

A constructivist, mobile and principled approach to the learning and teaching of programming

Novices in programming courses need to acquire a theoretical understanding of programming concepts as well as practical skills for applying them, but in traditional learning environments students passively listen to the lecture without proactive practice-based learning. There is a need for a constructivist approach to learning based on the ability of the learner to construct his or her own knowledge from the concepts provided by the instructors. Therefore, learning that uses a practical approach offers more in-depth understanding to students and sustains students’ attention as well as encourages students to be active players in their own learning process. The ubiquitous use of mobile devices and the evolution of mobile device technologies have led to a growing interest in these devices as pedagogical aids in a constructivist learning approach where students can immediately practice the concepts being taught in the lecture on their mobile devices

Using a student response system to provide formative feedback in large classes : a phenomenographic study at the University of Cape Town

Includes abstract.The purpose of this study was to gain a better understanding of students' conceptions of the use of a student response system to provide formative feedback in large university classes. The main aim of formative feedback is to increase a student's knowledge, skills, and understanding of specific subject matter, by indicating a gap between the actual knowledge of the student and the required standard. However, in large classes the opportunities for formative assessment are limited, often resulting in little or no immediate feedback given to the students on their learning. One way of addressing this lack of assessment of students' understanding in the classroom is to incorporate a student response system into the lecture in order to facilitate learning and provide immediate formative feedback. A student response system is a tool that enables students to wirelessly send their responses to questions presented by a lecturer, using a small hand-held remote-controlled device