A Workshop on Learning, Technologies, and Modern Physics

Temenoujka Fuller

2005

Qualitative Formative Analysis for Phase III

Phase III - In this Phase of the Workshop, Students Work Individually or in Small Groups at the Cooperative Learning Center

The formative analysis was supported by intensive qualitative analysis prior to the workshop about the learning orientations of the population and qualitative analysis of the Front Desk Database. The cross-variable analysis on

Variables of Observation Students' Visits Tutoring Services

Students' Time Investment in the Learning Center

 Prior to the workshop, the average time invested by the students of the population (all students enrolled in math 081 who chose to visit Cooperative Learning Center)  was 1.5 hours.

During the workshop, students often took a day off to complete the presentation.

After the workshop, many students report that the learning center for them is like a family room for cooperative learning. The average time invested for learning in the learning center for the sample groups (students participants in the workshop) > 3 hours.

 Before the workshop, math and science tutors were busy in a very irregular bases depending on assignments. Often, they were free free for hours.

After the workshop, there is a clearly tendency to use tutoring services for developing study skills. Math and science tutors developed new services for study skills. These services are improving the regularity of students' visits.

Collaboration and Professional Development

 Before the workshop, all students' visits were student's personal choice. Instructors and tutors were independent.

After the first successful workshops,  more and more instructors are referring student to learn how to map ideas. The collaboration is expanding beyond our imagination.

 Before the workshop, our professional development was mainly administrative. Socratic questioning was used incorrectly as a questioning to guide students to solve the problem.

After the workshop, the professional development is more like action research and ongoing. Professional development embedded into the classroom is effective method for synergy improvement. New members are joining the workshop philosophy with ongoing professional development.  The content is in the background of tutoring and the learning process is aggressively addressed.

Integration

 Before the workshop, students never use tutors as an expert for technology-based tutorials.

After the development of the workshop students are visiting math and science tutoring to get help from the experts, developers, designers. The technology was used to integrate departments and ideas.

 Before the workshop, students needed general help for math and science technology based tutorials. Computers were a productivity tool.

After the development and implementation of the workshop, the tutoring services are challenged with the need to provide interdisciplinary support.

 

Change

Active learning, mind-mapping, study-skills, and information processing are the new desirable results of students' visit. Technology is used as a catalyst to enhanced students' learning.

The study time with technology is supported to the moment in which students' will be able to work as independent learner. Students invest more time in the learning center.

Students are visit the learning center as a first place to start their learning and not as a last resource.

Students do not feel shame visiting the learning center.

Students are visiting learning center, because tutors can help them in the process of learning.

It is my belief that at this moment they will be able to study online and will use educational services online.

The survey, administered after the guest speaker section of the workshop (phase II), shows that there is need of at least 2 facilitators (tutors) to support students' work plus the instructor and the guest speaker (a tutor). The survey, presented here, was administered with more than 50 students in 4 different classes. The results from this survey were used for improvement of the overall flow of the workshop.

    New materials has been created, such as the outlines of the slides, small verbal tutorials about PowerPoint, guide for completing the task. After these corrections, the flow of the next workshops was very smooth and pleasant for all of us.

 

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