drs. mai yin tsoi and sonal dekhane meeting students' needs in-house: software development with...
TRANSCRIPT
Drs. Mai Yin Tsoi and Sonal Dekhane
MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS IN-HOUSE: SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
WITH PEERS AS CLIENTS TO INCREASE RESEARCH SKILLS
GGC STEM Mini-Grant Spring 2012
BackgroundITEC 3870CHEM 2211Research Skills TargetedFundamentals of TsoiChem II AppQuantitative Results
Peer EvaluationsUsability Testing
Future Directions
OVERVIEW OF ITEC/CHEM PARTNERSHIP
Background:Inspiration: daughter’s iTouch experienceDr. Tsoi’s goal: iTouch learning tool
Main objective: Will using a touch-screen device be effective for learning a new skill?
BACKGROUND
Number of participants: 12Males: 9Females: 3Age range: 21 – 50+ years oldEthnicity: majority Caucasian, 2 African-
American, 1 AsianPrevious Experience: 2 students in
mobile apps development, 1 in graphics and design
DEMOGRAPHIC DATA – ITEC 3870
Junior/senior level courseGoal: teach students how to
implement SD in real-world projectsProject-based courseSmall enrollmentMobile apps introduced 1st class
meeting
ITEC 3870 – SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT II
Required course for majors in: Biology, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dental, etc.
Historically VERY diffi cultVisual in nature – utilizes spatial,
logical, abstract thinkingMechanism drawings– diffi cult skill to
master
CHEM 2211/2 – ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Traditional SD course
Communication skills: discussed / studied
Written skills: for instructor, evaluated by instructor
Multiple perspectives: limited
GGC SD Partnership
Communication skills applied with “client”
Written skills: for CHEM students, evaluated by app users
Multiple perspectives: enriched by CHEM students
WHY PARTNERSHIP BENEFICIAL
Develop eff ective reading, writing, and communication skills
Demonstrate creativity and critical thinkingDemonstrate eff ective use of information
technologyDemonstrate an ability to collaborate in
diverse and global contextsDemonstrate an understanding of human and
institutional decision making from multiple perspectives
Demonstrate an understanding of moral and ethical principles
Demonstrate and apply leadership principles
GGC’S SEVEN IEE GOALS
Objective 1:
Develop effective reading, writing, and
communication skillsIEE 1
Interacting with Organic professor, students; setting up requirement
documents, project plansObjective 2:
Demonstrate creativity and critical thinking IEE 2 Design of mobile app
Objective 3:
Demonstrate effective use of information technology IEE 3 Xcode, Apple Interface Builder, learning
Objective CObjective 4:
Demonstrate an ability to collaborate in diverse and
global contextsIEE 4 Working together as a class and with
Organic students to design app
Objective 5:
Demonstrate an understanding of human and institutional decision
making from multiple perspectives
IEE 5
Design of mobile app--taking into account how a range of users might
make a variety of choices while playing mobile app
Objective 6:
Demonstrate an understanding of moral and ethical principles
IEE 6 Plagarism of existing code from other sources, referencing appropriate sources
Objective 7: Demonstrate and apply
leadership principles IEE 7 SD students taking charge of various phases of design and development cycle
HOW PROJECT SUPPORTS IEE GOALS
Objective 1: SD class documents; class presentation videos;
conference calls; discussion boardsObjective 2: Instructor evaluation of SD students’ coding of mobile
app – grading rubricObjective 3: SD student midterm/final exam grades
Objective 4: SD students peer evaluations; teacher evaluations on
collaboration, participationObjective 5: SD students Use Case Diagrams – analyzed for multiple
perspectives of users – Use Case Grading RubricObjective 6: SD citations and references – Grading Rubric
Objective 7: SD students’ peer evaluations; teacher evaluations on
leadership
ASSESSMENT
ORAL PRESENTATION RUBRIC
PEER EVALUATION
BLOG REFLECTION RUBRIC
Molecular reactivity explained = electron movement
Students required to draw arrows = electron movement
Need to understand origin, direction, target
Many struggle – several concepts used simultaneously
WHAT IS A MECHANISM?
EXAMPLE OF A MECHANISM
C
CC
C
CC
H
Cl
O C
CH3
CH3
CH3
TSOICHEM II: BACK FOR THE ATTACK
3 Modes of LearningIdentify, Draw, Challenge
Tutorial screens, Help screensColors to differentiate / guide
userVisuals re-affi rmed by color
and soundPositive visuals/sounds as
rewardsSounds/visuals when incorrect
Unexpected group dynamicsLeadership variedAffected by personality, experience
Learning objectives trumped by projectStudents sacrificed learning for sake of project
Pride regardless of participationRealization of importance = communication
Breakdown caused issuesFeelings, pride hurtPower issues
RESULTS OF PEER EVALUATIONS & INTERVIEWS
Very little self-reflectionMore ‘reporting’ than communicativeLittle interaction between partiesMajority of communication = phone,
emailMini-teams communicated the mostFuture: devise better method to
document communication
RESULTS FROM STUDENT BLOGS
Students found UT extremely helpful
Evidence of awareness of multiple perspectives
Evidence of leadershipEvidence of communication
skills improvementEvidence of critical
thinkingAnalyzing why user’s comments were new, unforseen
RESULTS FROM USABILITY TESTING
FUTURE DIRECTIONS
• Analyze student interviews further
• Analyze student blogs further
• Instructor evaluations
• Quiz/final exam scores
