Valentin Razmov

Supporting active learning and example based instruction with classroom technology

This paper describes an application of classroom technology in support of teaching through the use of examples and active learning techniques. Here we report on using Classroom Presenter, a Tablet PC based classroom interaction syst, in a senior level course in Algorithms -- a domain for which the instructor believes working on sample probls is critical to student learning in the classroom. The role of the technology was to integrate activities into the lecture so that students have the opportunity to work with concrete examples in class, while the instructor can collect and review student work in real time, incorporating selected student answers into the discussion. In this paper, we describe the pedagogical goals of the instructor, the types of activities used to achieve those goals, and the role that technology played in supporting those goals and activities. The contributions of the paper are in showing how classroom technology can be used to support pedagogical choices, as well as in phasizing the value of having clear pedagogical goals when incorporating a new technology in the classroom. We believe the application of technology as illustrated in this work could bring similar benefits to the instruction in other disciplines.

Pedagogical techniques supported by the use of student devices in teaching software engineering

This paper describes our experiences in promoting a learning environment where active student involvement and interaction, as well as openness to diversity of ideas are supported through innovative uses of technology in the classroom. In the context of an undergraduate course in software engineering, for two consecutive terms we have experimented with an existing software system for Tablet PCs that supports a set of classroom interaction styles. Our goal has been to determine if the use of the technology can increase the effectiveness of pedagogical techniques that naturally fit our instructional needs.We have found that student submissions -- a style of interaction whereby the instructor poses a question written on a slide and displayed on a tablet in front of each student, then students write their answers in digital ink and submit back to the instructor -- are a powerful tool for supporting the learning environment we aim to create in the classroom. We show that student submissions can help the instructor to engage all students, not merely the vocal ones, and to emphasize the value of diversity of opinions. They also enable immediate feedback from students to instructor -- something difficult in an environment without technological enhancements but which contributes to an improved understanding of everyones needs and expectations.The discussion of how we used student submissions to support these pedagogical techniques may be relevant to educators interested in fostering student learning through creative uses of technology, as well as to instructors looking to expand their repertoires of teaching methods in software engineering and in other similar subjects.

PaperCP: exploring the integration of physical and digital affordances for active learning

Active Learning in the classroom domain presents an interesting case for integrating physical and digital affordances. Traditional physical handouts and transparencies are giving way to new digital slides and PCs, but the fully digital systems still lag behind the physical artifacts in many aspects such as readability and tangibility. To better understand the interplay between physical and digital affordances in this domain, we developed PaperCP, a paper-based interface for a Tablet PC-based classroom interaction system (Classroom Presenter), and deployed it in an actual university course. This paper reports on an exploratory experiment studying the use of the system in a real-world scenario. The experiment confirms the feasibility of the paper interface in supporting student-instructor communication for Active Learning. We also discuss the challenges associated with creating a physical interface such as print layout, the use of pen gestures, and logistical issues.

Supporting classroom discussion with technology: A case study in environmental science

This paper describes the fruits of a partnership between two academic departments: offerings of environmental science and resource management courses technologically enhanced with a classroom interaction system developed in the computer science department. The system allowed the instructors to adopt a style of teaching - by engaging the vast majority of students during lecture - that would have been difficult without the electronic support. The main contributions of this work lie in the novel techniques and teaching philosophy used in creating materials, especially in-class student activities, to take advantage of the systems capabilities, and in the new usage model employed in these courses. Specifically, emphasis was placed upon using the system to encourage all students to directly participate in classroom discussions; in previous deployments it was used to support other pedagogical goals. Feedback data confirms that we were successful in devising classroom activities to engage students, create an atmosphere of participation, and accomplish some additional pedagogical goals of the instructors. In this paper, we describe the technology and pedagogy used in the courses, and evaluate the courses based upon the body of collected data, including in-class observation notes, digital ink artifacts created by students and instructors, instructor analyses, and student surveys.

Practical automated filter generation to explicitly enforce implicit input assumptions

Vulnerabilities in distributed applications are being uncovered and exploited faster than software engineers can, patch the security holes. All too often these weaknesses result from implicit assumptions made by an application about its inputs. One approach to defending against their exploitation is to interpose a filter between the input source and the application that verifies that the applications assumptions about its inputs actually hold. However, ad hoc design of such filters is nearly as tedious and error-prone as patching the original application itself. We have automated the filter generation process based on a simple formal description of a broad class of assumptions about the inputs to an application. Focusing on the back-end server application case, we have prototyped an easy-to-use tool that generates server-side filtering scripts. These can then be quickly installed on a front-end webs server (either in concert with the application or., when a vulnerability is uncovered), thus shielding the server application from a variety of existing and exploited, attacks, as solutions requiring changes to the applications are developed and tested. Our measurements suggest that input filtering can be done efficiently and should not be a performance concern for moderately loaded web servers. The overall approach may be generalizable to other domains, such as firewall filter generation and API wrapper filter generation.

Effective pedagogical principles and practices in teaching software engineering through projects

This paper distills time-tested pedagogical principles and a package of corresponding practices from our experience teaching a project-based course in software engineering to Computer Science undergraduate majors, and from refining the course based upon extensive feedback by students and instructors. Our main contributions are the documentation of key principles that have successfully guided us in structuring, navigating, and evolving the course over the years; the introduction of several novel supporting practices (while adapting others from the literature); and the discovery of the synergistic effect that the proposed package of pedagogical practices creates. The discussion is grounded with data from a large body of comprehensive end-of-term student surveys, post- course instructor retrospectives, and direct instructor observations - all assembled over multiple terms. We hope to offer pragmatic ideas and tools to instructors of software engineering and of similar project-based courses.

Supporting an interactive classroom environment in a cross-cultural course

This paper describes a novel offering of a US- based course in Computer Science at a Chinese university. A senior-level Algorithms course from the University of Washington was offered at Beihang University in Beijing, China through Tutored Video Instruction, whereby lectures recorded in class at the University of Washington were subsequently shown at Beihang and facilitated by local teaching assistants. In this mode of instruction, the Chinese teaching assistants conducted interactive classes using both the video materials and a classroom interaction system (Classroom Presenter) for electronically supported student activities. These activities were done using a system of networked Tablet PCs, which allowed the students to electronically submit their work to the instructor, and enabled the instructor to display student submissions as well as ink on the lecture slides. This work has two main contributions: it demonstrates that Tutored Video Instruction coupled with classroom interaction technology is a viable strategy for offering asynchronous distance versions of courses while maintaining the interactivity of classroom environments. It also shows how language and cultural barriers can be overcome by combining recorded materials with facilitated delivery.

Lessons learned from a project for K-12 engaging university students as instructors

The boundaries between K-12 and higher-education institutions are blurring as high school students increasingly take active roles in local university projects, and college students reach out to engage K-12 students in their educational pursuits - from research to college and career planning. This partnership provides continuity of education, making learning the constant and time the variable. The digital learning commons is a program whose mission is to improve access to educational opportunities and learning resources for students and teachers. In its pilot year, the program employed 24 university students as instructors who would visit 17 schools throughout Washington State, and train students and teachers on the use of online tools to improve student learning. This paper provides an experience report from two perspectives - a program administrators and a student-instructors. We share our goals and expectations, and discuss the planning and evaluation processes, focusing on the lessons learned. Finally, we provide a glimpse into the challenges ahead.