Determining curricular coverage of student contributions to an online discourse environment: Using latent semantic analysis to construct differential term clouds

This paper presents a new approach to mapping student contributions to curriculum guidelines through the use of Latent Semantic Analysis and information visualization techniques. A new information visualization technique - differential term clouds - is introduced as a means to make clear changes in semantic fields over time

Software-based scaffolding: Supporting the development of knowledge building discourse in online courses

This design-based research study investigated instructional scaffolding for knowledge building discourse among participants (n=17, n=20) in two online graduate courses. In particular, designs of software-based scaffolding as found in web-based Knowledge Forum\u27s scaffold support feature were refined. Analyses of the student discourse data suggests that Knowledge Forum\u27s scaffold supports offer a promising avenue for future design innovations to encourage knowledge building discourse. Results show that students increasingly used the scaffolds to focus their reading and writing of notes over iterations of the study. The proportion of scaffolds for knowledge building discourse increased during each iteration with a corresponding decrease in the proportion of scaffolds for expressing an opinion in the second iteration. Finally, notes with scaffolds contained significantly more words than notes without scaffolds, suggesting that scaffolds promoted more student reflectivity. Implications for formative assessment of student learning and knowledge building are discussed

Automating analysis of collaborative discourse: Identifying idea clusters

This design-based research study investigated instructional scaffolding for knowledge building discourse among participants (n=17, n=20) in two online graduate courses. In particular, designs of software-based scaffolding as found in web-based Knowledge Forum\u27s scaffold support feature were refined. Analyses of the student discourse data suggests that Knowledge Forum\u27s scaffold supports offer a promising avenue for future design innovations to encourage knowledge building discourse. Results show that students increasingly used the scaffolds to focus their reading and writing of notes over iterations of the study. The proportion of scaffolds for knowledge building discourse increased during each iteration with a corresponding decrease in the proportion of scaffolds for expressing an opinion in the second iteration. Finally, notes with scaffolds contained significantly more words than notes without scaffolds, suggesting that scaffolds promoted more student reflectivity. Implications for formative assessment of student learning and knowledge building are discussed

Generating Predictive Models of Learner Community Dynamics

In this paper we present a framework for learner modelling that combines latent semantic analysis and social network analysis of online discourse. The framework is supported by newly developed software, known as the Knowledge, Interaction, and Social Student Modelling Explorer (KISSME), that employs highly interactive visualizations of content-aware interactions among learners. Our goal is to develop, use and refine KISSME to generate and test predictive models of learner interactions to optimise learning

A visualization of group cognition: semantic network analysis of a CSCL community

Paper Session 13: Examining and evaluating the use of CSCL toolsThis paper reports our progress in using the Knowledge Space Visualizer (KSV) as a tool for formative assessment of online discourse. Whereas social network analysis has been used in research on computer-supported collaborative learning, it only examines the social structure of discourse participants, and does not provide information about the content of the discourse. We discuss two types of networks as they relate to online discourse: structural and semantic. The initial findings indicate that the KSV can be used to visualize a Knowledge Forum database, and can provide a fine-grained semantic analysis that may enable teachers and students to locate the key ideas around which collective learning may takes place.postprintThe 9th International Conference of The Learning Sciences (ICLS 2010), Chicago, IL., 29 June-2 July 2010. In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference of The Learning Sciences, 2010, v. 1, p. 926-93

Towards Visual Analytics for Teachers’ Dynamic Diagnostic Pedagogical Decision-Making

The focus of this paper is to delineate and discuss design considerations for supporting teachers\u27 dynamic diagnostic decision-making in classrooms of the 21st century. Based on the Next Generation Teaching Education and Learning for Life (NEXT-TELL) European Commission integrated project, we envision classrooms of the 21st century to (a) incorporate 1:1 computing, (b) provide computational as well as methodological support for teachers to design, deploy and assess learning activities and (c) immerse students in rich, personalized and varied learning activities in information ecologies resulting in high-performance, high-density, high-bandwidth, and data-rich classrooms. In contrast to existing research in educational data mining and learning analytics, our vision is to employ visual analytics techniques and tools to support teachers dynamic diagnostic pedagogical decision-making in real-time and in actual classrooms. The primary benefits of our vision is that learning analytics becomes an integral part of the teaching profession so that teachers can provide timely, meaningful, and actionable formative assessments to on-going learning activities in-situ. Integrating emerging developments in visual analytics and the established methodological approach of design-based research (DBR) in the learning sciences, we introduce a new method called Teaching Analytics and explore a triadic model of teaching analytics (TMTA). TMTA adapts and extends the Pair Analytics method in visual analytics which in turn was inspired by the pair programming model of the extreme programming paradigm. Our preliminary vision of TMTA consists of a collocated collaborative triad of a Teaching Expert (TE), a Visual Analytics Expert (VAE), and a Design-Based Research Expert (DBRE) analyzing, interpreting and acting upon real-time data being generated by students\u27 learning activities by using a range of visual analytics tools. We propose an implementation of TMTA using open learner models (OLM) and conclude with an outline of future work

Common objects for productive multivocality in analysis

link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Development of formative assessment tools for knowledge building

Workshop (#21)There is mounting interest in the large-scale implementation of knowledge building recently. However, there still lack of tools that are widely available for teachers and students to self-assess their knowledge building efforts. It is also critical to develop a theoretical perspective on formative assessment that is deeply integrated with knowledge building and colaborative learning. In such contexts, we propose a web-based tool for formative assessment of knowledge building which works with Knowledge Forum®. The tool adopts a three-tier system architecture and is developed by comtemporary programming languages and technologies including JAVA®, AJAX, and relational databases as MySQL®. Such system design and development cater to scalability, reusability, and future development. Extensive proofs-of-concept and testings on the tool have been performed to ensure its correctness and soundness. At the workshop, we will discuss about the underlying ideas of the tool. We will also provide sample output and engage participants in discussions about the uability of the information generated.link_to_OA_fulltex

The Knowledge Connections Analyzer

Conference Theme: The Future Of LearningShort Paper Session 3.