investigating the pedagogical push and technological pull of computer assisted formative assessment

DMW 2008 The Open University's Institute for Educational Technology

Investigating the Pedagogical Push and Technological Pull of

Computer Assisted Formative Assessment

Denise Whitelock

The Open University, Milton Keynes

[email protected]

DMW Learning for Life Workshop March 2008

Behaviourist prescriptions for assessment: wolves in sheep's clothing


Don’t forget the human reaction


www.storiesabout.comwww.storiesabout.com/[email protected]


Formative Assessment

Black & Wiliam (1998)

improvement 0.4 to 0.7 on standardised tests

MacFarlane-Dick (2006)

empower students as self regulated learners

Feedback and assessment – moving forward


Collaborative Formative Assessment

• CSCL …. on task talk

• Predict Look and Explain

• Collaborative problem solving find a complex problem

• Tools to support distance students to communicate, find a partner

• Appropriate simulation


BuddySpace

• Automatic map construction to show locations

• Automatic roster (‘buddy list’) construction using OU login authentication… so it knows which workgroup or tutorial group I’m in

• Many views: map, timelines, etc.

• Plug-ins for future enhancements


BuddySpace


• “State of mind”

• goals, plans, intentions

• devices

• user profiling


Smart inset chosen,depending onactual data

AutomaticMapGeneration


AutomaticMapGeneration

Right-click to ‘drill down’into ‘cluster’ nodes (provides scaleability)


BuddyFinder

•Who else is facing a similar problem?•Where can I find complementary approaches?•Has anyone found contrary evidence?

Generally: “Find me the person who can really help me now.”

More specifically:


Arbitrary keywordsat user’s discretion

BuddyFinder


Easysearch


Matches‘light up’


InvokesGoogle’s Web Servicebehind the scenes,if requested,and auto-highlightswithin user’s own map!

BuddyFinder


Finding an appropriate science application

• Complex problem solving with Global Warming

• 7 variables for manipulation

• Solar constant, CO2, H2O, Aerosol content, albedo, ice & snow, cloud cover

• Immediate effects of manipulation displayed as graphical output


Global Warming

DMW, Institute of Educational Technology, September 1997DMW, Institute of Educational Technology, September 1997


Global Warming


Next: ‘Yoked’ apps via BuddySpace

Student A

Student B(‘yoked’, butwithout full

screen sharingrequired!)


Global Warming: Simlink Presentation


Debate with SIMLINK

• More questioning

• Explanation became more important

• Socio emotive communication more evident

• Some couples separated for a while and then came back together


What is Open Comment?

• Automated formative assessment tool

• Free text entry for students

• Automated feedback and guidance

• Open questions, divergent assessment

• For use by Arts Faculty


Causal models of explanation

• First step:

• Identification of question types where students exhibit causal reasoning

• Looked for questions with:

• Salient variables

• Description of these variables

• Identification of trends

• Identification of relationship between the variables i.e. causality


Three common types of question types were selected for Open Comment in History

1. Analysis of statistics, usually presented to the student as a table

2. Comprehension of a set text

3. Identifying similarities and differences for a given event

Knowledge elicitation/ethnography

• DW and SW acted as students

• Answered all three question types

• C grades

• Improved only when an “answer model” elicited



Open Comment components

• A Java-based feedback system

• A web service shell

• A graphical interface for testing

• A Moodle-based question type

• A forms-based editing tool

Pedagogical models: checking them out with you now!

• List the activities that tutors engage with when they are

marking a script.

• What things are they looking for e.g. error detection.

• Categorise the activities into a scheme or stages from

which you could build instructions for a robot to mark

the scripts.

DMW, IET, Managing Assessment SIG, June 2008


Stages of analysis by computer of students’ free text entry for Open Comment: advice with respect to content (socio-emotional support stylised example)• STAGE 1a: DETECT ERRORS E.g. Incorrect dates,

facts. (Incorrect inferences and causality is dealt with below)

• Instead of concentrating on X, think about Y in order to answer this question Recognise effort (Dweck) and encourage to have another go

• You have done well to start answering this question but perhaps you misunderstood it. Instead of thinking about X which did not…….. Consider Y


Computer analysis continued

• STAGE 2a: REVEAL FIRST OMISSION

• Consider the role of Z in your answer Praise what is correct and point out what is missing Good but now consider the role X plays in your answer

• STAGE 2b: REVEAL SECOND OMISSION

• Consider the role of P in your answer Praise what is correct and point out what is missing Yes but also consider P. Would it have produced the same result if P is neglected?


Final stages of analysis

• STAGE 3:REQUEST CLARIFICATION OF KEY POINT 1

• STAGE 4:REQUEST FURTHER ANALYSIS OF KEY POINT 1(Stages 3 and 4 repeated with all the key points)

• STAGE 5:REQUEST THE INFERENCE FROM THE ANALYSIS OF KEY POINT 1 IF IT IS MISSING

• STAGE 6:REQUEST THE INFERENCE FROM THE ANALYSIS OF KEY POINT 1 IF IT IS NOT COMPLETE

• STAGE 7:CHECK THE CAUSALITY

• STAGE 8:REQUEST ALL THE CAUSAL FACTORS ARE WEIGHTED

Feedback

• 5 main categories

• Praise

• Developing/expanding

• Presentation and structure essay

• Misunderstanding

• Advice – concept linking, analysis



What have we learnt?

• Mixed Methodology

• Analysis tutor feedback of 200 plus TMAs

• Ethnographic study

• Rules of the Game

• Moving students into the relational zone of proximal development ( Hasse 2001)

• Knowing what to do helps you play with ideas i.e. Learn

• All applications based on pedagogical PUSH

• Open Source Tools

• New question type for Moodle


No longer learning about X but reflecting about X

• Students are able to find facts similar to X

• Know how X might be disputed

• Are able to make predictions about X

• Know how to use X in an argument

• Know how far X can be pushed

• Supported with tools and strategies

investigating the pedagogical push and technological pull of computer assisted formative assessment

Technology

managing assessment

global warming

question types

educational

open comment

open university

pedagogical

buddy list