Éric Bruillard

Share and explore discussion forum objects on the Calico website

In this article, we present the Calico website, a shared space where researchers and practitioners in education share and explore discussion forum objects coming from different e-learning platforms. The platform is briefly described. The focus is set on the different kinds of representation provided by the Calico toolkit.

Adaptive Testing Using a General Diagnostic Model

In online learning platforms such as MOOCs, computerized assessment needs to be optimized in order to prevent boredom and dropout of learners. Indeed, they should spend as little time as possible in tests and still receive valuable feedback. It is actually possible to reduce the number of questions for the same accuracy with computerized adaptive testing (CAT): asking the next question according to the past performance of the examinee. CAT algorithms are divided in two categories: summative CATs, that measure the level of examinees, and formative CATs, that provide feedback to the examinees at the end of the test by specifying which knowledge components need further work. In this paper, we formalize the problem of test-size reduction by predicting student performance, and propose a new hybrid CAT algorithm GenMA based on the general diagnostic model, that is both summative and formative. Using real datasets, we compare our model to popular CAT models and show that GenMA achieves better accuracy while using fewer questions than the existing models.

A Review of Recent Advances in Adaptive Assessment

Computerized assessments are an increasingly popular way to evaluate students. They need to be optimized so that students can receive an accurate evaluation in as little time as possible. Such optimization is possible through learning analytics and computerized adaptive tests (CATs): the next question is then chosen according to the previous responses of the student, thereby making assessment more efficient. Using the data collected from previous students in non-adaptive tests, it is thus possible to provide formative adaptive tests to new students by telling them what to do next. This chapter reviews several models of CATs found in various fields, together with their main characteristics. We then compare these models empirically on real data. We conclude with a discussion of future research directions for computerized assessments.

Forums for preservice teachers' development: lessons learned from five years of research

The CALICO research network, which includes four research laboratories and six teacher training institutes, is devoted to the study of forums in postgraduate education. Among the numerous studies the research network has been performed, the case of preservice school librarian teachers is notable. Since 2002, two training institutes (Caen and Rouen) have shared an e-learning platform which fosters hybrid formation situations based on exchange, mutualisation and collective work. For the past 5 years, significant research has been undertaken in order to better understand the organization of such forums, the activity of participants and groups, and the evolution of discourse and so on, involving very different tools and methods. This text provides a guided tour of these research efforts, explaining their importance and putting the main results obtained into perspective. It is a step towards a better characterisation of the role and nature of the various forums used during training sessions.

Can teachers' discussion lists be a tool for in-service collaborative learning? what reveals a three years analysis?

Following Wenger (1998), discussion lists for inservice teachers are often considered as examples of communities of practice. Such lists have an important role in the professional communication of French teachers and exist for all secondary disciplinary fields. The increase of users for ten years indicates that this exchange medium can be an instrument for professional development. But, many discussion lists are managed by the ministry of education, and one can wonder if such lists are open spaces for all kinds of sharing or kinds of institutional disciplinary showcase. We studied all the messages, during three consecutive years, of a specific discussion list for management secondary teacher (named IGC - 2752 messages) and an extract of a private list for librarian teachers (named CDIDOC - 935 messages) and adopted an ad hoc coding process (with a triple dimension) to get an in-depth view of the nature of exchanges and an understanding of list regulation. The goal of the research is to get evidence of a list as a collaboration tool but results obtained give a contrasted picture of such teacher discussion list, more normative than democratic.