Patricia A. Carlson

Calibrated peer review/sup TM/ and assessing learning outcomes

The need for more focused and less-labor intensive assessment practices has brought new challenges, both for institutions and for individual educators. We elaborate on Calibrated Peer Review™ (CPR™) - an end- to-end computer-mediated learning environment that seamlessly integrates writing as a vehicle for critical thinking into a technical or content course. Developed as a tool to help incorporate writing into the teaching of science, CPR™ moves well beyond the scope of most web-delivered educational software. We draw from experiences using CPR™ in two courses offered at Rose -Hulman Institute of Technology, RH131 (Rhetoric and Composition) and ECE 360 (Principles of Engineering Design). We focus on four questions. First, what is CPR™ ? Second, how does CPR™ improve student learning? Third, how can CPR™ measure learning outcomes appropriate for an ABET-style assessment? And fourth, does the system serve as a de facto electronic portfolio in engineering education?

Information Technology and Organizational Change

The profession of technical communication is in transition. While a few might argue that we are in danger of being swallowed up by large, institutional realignments, it seems more likely that the future workplace (as characterized by Senge, among others) will put communication, culture, and collaboration at the center of work. However, in order for the profession to exploit these opportunities, we must understand the impact of integrated information technology (IT) on organizations. I summarize the interaction of corporate culture, leadership/management, human resources, and advanced networking and web-based applications (more commonly called an Intranet) for the successful integration of new IT products into an established and well-defined organization. Background research for this paper was conducted as part of an Army Summer Faculty Research and Engineering grant.

Advanced Educational Technologies -- Promise and Puzzlement

Enormous sums of money and human effort have gone into educational technologies over the past decade. Yet nagging questions surface as to whether this tremendous investment produces advantageous results. While we intuitively feel that the influence of technology should be substantial, little sound guidance exists as to what is effective and why or how to use it. We seem to have cleared several of the hurdles for building a computer-aided instruction infrastructure; now we must turn our attention to richer understandings of research into the impact of technologies in the classroom. This special issue of the Journal of Universal Computer Science focuses on assessment and evaluation practices. The six articles in this collection have been clustered around three major issues: (1) pragmatics -- cost estimations and product reviews, (2) measuring the effectiveness of theory-driven design, (3) extending paradigms for capturing more profound understanding of variables and outcomes. Category: K.3 - Computers and Education

A Cognitive Technology to Teach Composition Skills: Four Studies with the R-Wise Writing Tutor

Four studies examined the effectiveness of user-adaptive computer-aided instruction that explicitly models the cognitive processes of composing for developmental writers, and is integrated with classroom composition instruction. The four school-year studies were designed to build on each other, each informing design improvements to a writing tutor named Reading and Writing in a Supportive Environment (R-WISE) as well as informing subsequent research designs. The first year study (N = 852) compared traditional classroom controls with R-WISE treatment classrooms. The second year study (N = 1,151) compared students using R-WISE with students using a word processor. The third year study (N = 1,277) measured the effect of the teachers instructional style, and the level of student control over the R-WISE software, on student performance. The fourth year study (N = 617) replicated previous studies. The treatment groups for the four studies each posted significant gains over controls on most holistic and analytical measures of writing quality. The results of testing multiple design factors of R-WISE demonstrated the efficacy of long-term evaluation and enhancement of user-adaptive writing software in a field-based context.

Information technology and organizational change

My paper considers the impact of emerging, integrated information technology (IT) and information systems (IS) for a research and development organization. Background research was conducted during the period of 15 June - 28 August, as part of an Army Summer Faculty Research and Engineering Program grant. More specifically, this document discusses the interaction of corporate culture, leadership/management, human resources, and advanced networking and web-based applications (more commonly called an Intranet) for the successful integration of new IT products into an established and well-defined organization. The study concludes with a set of recommendations focusing both on policy and practice in an environment where many needs compete for the same scarce resources.

Information technology and the emergence of a worker-centered organization

Barbara Mirels narrative highlights the interplay of profit, power, and personalities in a software engineering project. My responses purpose is to widen the perspective on the story. More specifically, I contend that information technology (IT) enables positive change in today s workplace. Rather than being techno-centric, the re-visions currently being brought about by IT will place the knowledge worker of the 21st century at the center of design and engineering considerations. I support my claim by identifying four trends in organizational management that will afford human factors and usability engineering a better seat at the table in the not too distant future. They are (1) requirements for next-generation IT applications, (2) improved understanding of culture and context in the workplace, (3) recognition of knowledge management and human capital, and (4)fostering strategic leadership beyond resource management.

A community of practice: Web portals and faculty development

ACCOMPLISHING CHANGE IN EDUCATION must start where learning begins: with the classroom teacher. The recent “Report to the Nation from The National Commission on Mathematics and Science Teaching in the 21st Century” was unequivocal in its message (Before It’s Too Late, September 2000). The way to improve learning in science, mathematics, and technology is to improve teaching. And better teaching can be achieved through better preparation, professional development, and working conditions for our nation’s teachers. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (with support from the Lilly Endowment) is constructing a Web portal dedicated to improving middle school science, mathematics, and technology (SMT) instruction. Essentially, this gateway emulates emerging corporate practices of knowledge management and process reinvention through information technology (IT). We expand the notion of “professional development” to include not only training in computer competency (explicit knowledge) but also mentoring in the higher-order understanding (tacit knowledge) necessary for meaningful integration of instructional technologies into the classroom. Our portal creates a “community of practice” for middle school teachers across Indiana to share experiences and to harvest the remarkable opportunities for improved SMT learning through Web-delivered simulations, visualization, modeling, access to live data, and to enable new collaborations, interactive learning, and alternative pedagogical approaches. Rose-Hulman faculty and digital media specialists serve as partners by providing ongoing advice, hosting special Web-conferences, and helping to author classroom modules.

Work in progress - using a course management system in K-12 education

We report on the recent activities of PRISM, an electronic hub to support integration of digital resources into 6^th - 12^th-grade STEM classrooms for Indiana teachers. Specifically, this presentation gives a description and a preliminary assessment of the efficacy of integrating a course management system (Moodle) into a range of 6^th - 12^th grade content courses.

Work in progress — Merging science inquiry and engineering design: A summer workshop series for middle and high school science teachers

We report on a two-week professional development workshop for middle and high school science teachers offered as part of a three-year Indiana Department of Education Math-Science Partnership grant awarded to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) and Vigo County School Corporation (VCSC).

Cognitive foundations for teaching technical communication

The new ABET requirements, changing realities of the workplace, and growing awareness of language in the learning process place added emphasis on technical communication in the modern engineering curriculum. Concurrently, a rich body of research on the cognitive dimensions of communication has improved our understanding of how this complex process takes place. This proposed presentation discusses a junior-level course in which new cognitive theories are extended into robust pedagogy for teaching effective and efficient technical communication.