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OCR for page 13
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Many STEM educational programs and institutions have been involved in projects to
improve teaching and learning through the application of IT. The resulting TT-based
learning materials have proven to be adaptable and dynamic, and in many cases they
have enhanced the educational process. A growing
number of people are involved in the development of
TT-based educational materials. The landscape of
STEM education is now dotted with *Zands of
innovation isolated areas where TT-based materials
are being used effectively. However, not all innovations
have led to more effective learning because these
materials are often used by limited numbers of users.
Thus, opportunities for synergy, discourse, and exchange steps that often lead to
improvements in next-generation products have also been limited.
impediments to realizing a desirable environment for TT-based educational materials
are complex. Multidisciplinary strategies for improving TT-enabled products put
forward by workshop discussants addressed technological, cultural, legal, and
economic issues. The following sections include brief descriptions of the existing
environment for developers and users and the challenges that must be overcome.
For the sake of discussion, the challenges are organized into three broad categories:
technology and tools infrastructure, content and pedagogy; and human, cultural, and
organizational issues. The reacler shouIcl keep in mincI, however, that these issues
are inextricably intertw~necI.
The Tnternet has proviclecl a technological basis for simple sharing of TT-basecl
eclucational materials. The more clifficult problem of
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stanciarcis that enable machine communication at an
operational level. Hence, technological constructs
(e.g., architecture, stanciarcis, and tools) wall be key
enablers for achieving broacl interoperability among
TT-basecl eclucational materials and tools.
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OCR for page 14
14
IT-Based Educational Materials: Workshop Report
Our current environment, which can be characterized as islands of innovation in
computer-enabled learning, reflects disparate efforts by individuals, groups,
university-w~de communities, and multi-university coalitions. A number of parallel
initiatives are already defining horizontal (e.g., across domains or disciplines)
standards for learning objects. Examples include the Sharable Content Object
Reference Mode} (SCORM) standards for web-based learning applications, the
Instructional Management Systems Global Learning Consortium (TMS) standards for
online distributed learning networks, and the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)
specifications for the web infrastructure. Other bodies such as the Institute for
Electrical and Electronic Engineers (TEEE), the International Organization for
Standardization (TSO), and other organizations are also involved in the
establishment of technical specifications and horizontal standards.
The SCORM. TMS, and W3C standards are being created by a global network of
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researchers, developers, and users, with a broad objective of creating an
infrastructure to support interoperability. However, none of these initiatives has
gone much beyond providing functional educational services, such as course and
student administration, content management, and course assessment. None of these
has focused on advancing the teaching and learning process. Expanding these
initiatives to address core teaching and learning activities (e.g., advanced, domain-
based applications and services) would increase their potential impact on the
teaching and learning experience. But, this would require greater participation by
researchers in the learning sciences and social sciences, as well as by classroom
educators and students (i.e., end-users).
Digital repositories are just one of many examples of portals that provide content
materials for large numbers of educators. These repositories contain digitally stored,
archival materials that are available to all, or selected, educators and students. The
materials are structured in an agreed upon format to provide easy archiving and
sorting. Information is embedded through structured metadata sets to help users
apply the materials appropriately (e.g., learning objectives, assessment strategies,
and pedagogical approaches, etc.~.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) National Science, Math, Engineering, and
Technology Education Digital Library (NSDL) and
the Multimedia Educational Repository for Learning
and On-Line Teaching (MERLOT) are two examples
of digital repositories with a national scope. NSDL
and MERLOT serve online communities, and NSDL
provides a defined structure to
development of new materials. NSDL and MERLOT
have also begun to address some of the content issues
identified at the workshop, such as, the establishment of a framework for instruction
guide the
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OCR for page 15
Our Current State: Islands of Innovation
15
guides (i.e., tutorial aids), the creation of metadata vocabularies for describing
material content and purpose, the provision of assessment aids, the embedding of
pedagogical information, etc.
NSDL and MERLOT and similar initiatives are still in their infancy; much more must
be done to bring about their widespread adoption. One important contribution of
NSDE, MERLOT, and related efforts has been the integration of advances in learning
science into TT-based educational modules. The involvement of learning and social
scientists represents an important step forward. The digital library community could
be an important source of leaders and researchers as we move forward.
As described above, current learning management systems tend to concentrate on
the administrative aspects of courses and content and the presentation of materials,
rather than on advanced teaching and learning activities. A few attempts have been
made to include advanced learning services, but many of these are in their infancy.
As current efforts have shown, achieving interoperability wall not be a simple task.
Portability and the sharing of learning objects wait require service definitions and
definitions for data interchange. At present, however, widely accepted frameworks
for structuring and specifying content and metadata for learning services are limited
in scone. A related concern is that. unless and until specifications are agreed upon
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for a broader range of educational services anct applications, we can expect
Inconsistencies In technical approaches and fragmentation to increase. All of these
problems are aggravated by the rapid changes in the technological environment;
learning materials quickly become obsolete unless they can be translated into next-
generation formats.
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Content modules include digitally encoded lessons on specific topics, assembled
textbooks, and interactive displays of information based on inputs from users. Tools
are used to help users build new modules, adapt existing modules for new purposes,
and assemble collections of modules to for a specific educational activity.
NSDL and MERLOT are large-scale initiatives that store educational content for
STEM educators. There also are numerous examples of more localized initiatives that
apply TT in the service of STEM education.
few orate ~ ~ ~ . .
Connexions at Rice University has
developed its own modular approach for delivering domain-specific lesson materials
to engineering faculty. The Sooner City Project at the University of Oklahoma is an
online curriculum for civil engineering students from freshman through senior year.
Every year, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) recognizes
outstanding educational courseware through its Premier Award for Excellence in
Engineering Education. This is an indication that good quality materials are
available for those who happen to be in the right place or with the right instructor.
OCR for page 16
16
IT-Based Educational Materials: Workshop Report
Excellent materials that cover a wide range of advanced, domain-specific lessons
using TT-based modules could be made available to other educators over a shared
network. However, very little is being done to encourage dissemination (e.g.,
providing instruction and other support services for other users). Thus, the use of
these materials at other campuses, in other departments, or even in other classes has
been very limited.
Many of the tools for authoring, repurposing, maintaining, and distributing learning
content do not use technology consistently to support content-oriented markup. For
example, many people are familiar with web-authoring applications, such as Adobe
PageMill, Microsoft Frontpage, and Macromedia Dreamweaver, that produce
hypertext markup language (HTML) code to support user-defined web page displays.
But these applications are also notorious for numerous quirks in the creation of
objects, tables, frames, and other display features. One fundamental problem is that
HTML itself is a display markup language (i.e., it lets the computer know what the
display should look like), but it cannot communicate information to the machine
about the use and purpose of the content. By contrast, other markup languages, such
as extensible markup language (XM L), are designed to let the machine know what
the content is and how it is used.
One next step for TT-developers could be the development of authoring and
repurposing tools that use content-oriented markup languages (CoML). A CoML
approach would allow machine-level communication using structure sets that
emphasize educational objectives and outcomes. Ongoing improvements in other
tools, such as Web-based Distributed Authoring and Versioning (Web DAY), could
enable the cooperative development of materials through online mechanisms.
The core communities that comprise an IT-enabled teaching and learning
environment are authors (including the complete IT-development team), teachers,
and students. Each of these communities has its own culture, its own needs, and its
own support structures and resources. In a traditional
educational setting (i.e., a classroom with teacher and
students), learning is primarily dependent on the
teacher and student communities converging around
common themes and objectives. In IT-enabled
environments, the learning model (at least for now) is
dependent on a convergence between the student,
teacher, and author communities.
In spite of increasing evidence that a learner-centered model results in better
knowledge retention and comprehension, STEM education is largely based on
teacher-centered models. Resistance to the adoption of learner-centered models in
STEM teaching cannot be addressed by simple solutions. First, the shift to a learner-
OCR for page 17
Our Current State: Islands of Innovation
17
centered environment could interfere with the traditional focus of STEM institutions
on technical research; this focus is generally reflected in incentive and reward
systems and other institutional, physical, and human infrastructures (this issue is
discussed further in the following section on cultural issues). Second, only a fraction
of existing STEM faculty are knowledgeable about existing cognition and learning
models relevant to STEM disciplines. Thus faculty training and education wall be
necessary for a scale-up of learner-centered education. Third, a good deal about how
people learn STEM concepts, both inside and outside an IT context, is still unknown.
A better understanding of how STEM concepts are initiated and processed in the
human brain would go beyond the application of active techniques (e.g., problem-
based learning, interactive and collaborative learning, and service-learning) and
beyond models for tools such as language tutors.
The workshop participants agreed on the need to embrace a scholarship of learning
to create the intellectual capital that would support effective STEM education and the
development of better tools to assess STEM learning outcomes.
Even if we had easy-to-use tools for developing content, efficient architectures that
supported sharing and reuse, and valid pedagogical models for achieving advanced
STEM learning outcomes, there would still be significant barriers to the use of IT in
the service of education. Human, cultural, and organizational concerns present
significant challenges to the use and dissemination of TT-based educational tools and
materials. Many of these issues, outlined below, have been discussed in non-STEM
domains, but they have been largely absent from discussions on the use of IT in
STEM education. Until these issues are addressed, the outlook for meaningful
progress is limited.
From preschool and kindergarten through secondary school, educational institutions
are primarily equipped to support non-TT-based teaching and learning experiences.
In spite of the explosion and popularity of electronic games and electronic learning
aids for all students, beginning with pre-schoolers, and despite the modern practice
of including CDROM textbook supplements, references to internet sites in textbooks,
and other electronic features to enhance texts and other traditional educational
materials, most students and teachers have had minimal exposure to TT-based
practices and resources in the classroom. Moreover, once students and teachers have
developed successful classroom learning strategies, they expect to continue learning
the way they have always learned.
OCR for page 18
18
IT-Based Educational Materials: Workshop Report
Teachers and students who have developed learning skills adapted
to non-TT learning environments, often find developing the skills
and strategies for learning in TT-based environments
uncomfortable, or even onerous. This resistance can be partly
overcome by appropriate training and practice schedules;
but people are resistant to change unless they perceive a
benefit.
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A related factor is that successive generations are more comfortable with the
electronic environment. Many students have had access to computers and other
electronic aids since preschool. But, only the youngest faculty members had access
to user-friendly computers during the formative years of their education. Therefore,
programs should be designed to transition faculty to an TT-enabled paradigm. And
even though in time the situation wait change naturally, the glacial pace of cultural
change in academia could be accelerated by deliberate actions and strategies.
Many people are just beginning to recognize the benefits of TT-based resources and
practices in education. Faculty who have embraced IT are beginning to seek out and
interact with others who share their unique ability to envision and implement TT-
enabled innovations. However, the majority of faculty and administrators appear
unconvinced that the benefits of TT-based innovations justify the costs of
implementing them.
One theme that emerged at the NAE workshop was that in the future, TT-based
materials and strategies must be easier to learn, easier to use, and better supported.
The challenge is to develop sustainable solutions that merit the investments required
to use them. This will require that developers pay more attention to overcoming the
full set of barriers in the STEM education culture.
An important lesson that has been learned in other (non-STEM) environments, and
that was repeated often at the workshop, is that current practices, beliefs, and
assumptions must be characterized before interventions for behavioral change can be
developed. Social models for growing and nurturing communities of practice-
collective groups of practitioners united by a common goal and models for realizing
specific behavioral changes in target populations or organizational cultures have
been developed. However,
environments. Thus, a period of learning and adjustment may be anticipated
they have rarely been applied to STEM educational
· · ~
OCR for page 19
Our Current State: Islands of Innovation
19
Past experience has shown that cultural, linguistic, and political differences among
teachers and students in STEM education are very important. For example, women
and underrepresented groups leave (or choose to not enter) STEM programs at
higher rates than majority male students. Studies have shown that academic
achievement is not the most significant factor in their decisions. Cultural factors,
such as classroom climate, the quality of teaching, and the lack of social acceptance
are more important factors) 2. Investigations into the cultural factors that influence
the success of TT-enabled resources and practices in STEM education may reveal
equally unexpected conclusions. The workshop participants agreed that widespread
success without a rigorous understanding of cultural influences.
The institutional culture (the culture that supports the fundamental mission of an
organization), is reflected in the incentive and reward system, as well as in the
institution's support structures. Although STEM institutions have been urged to
embrace TT-based education, they have been reluctant to change their underlying
culture. Workshop participants identified changes at the institutional level that
could encourage the use of TT in education. TT-based activities thrive in open
environments, but STEM institutions have traditionally been creators, collectors, and
repositories of knowledge; the emphasis has been on "ownership." An TT-pervasive
environment requires openness and sharing. STEM educational institutions must be
encouraged to adopt knowledge creation, knowledge sharing, and knowledge
dissemination as fundamental components of their mission.
Initiatives such as Open Course Ware (OCW) and DSpace are examples of
institutional commitments to support the broad dissemination and sharing of
learning materials through online media. The Creative Commons initiative is an
example of a structure that supports users who wish to provide open access to
learning materials and addresses the most common obstacles related to ownership
and intellectual property rights. At present, only a few organizations participate in
OCW, DSpace, and Creative Commons, but the success of TT-enabled education wall
depend on bold initiatives like these that allow for the easy exchange of ideas and the
freedom to build upon the work of others.
~ See Seymore, J. and N.M. Hewitt. 1997. Talk
the Sciences. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press.
sing About Leaving: Why Undergraduates Leave
2 See Adelman, C. 1998. Women and Men of the Engineering Path. Washington, D.C.:
Department of Education.
OCR for page 20
NSDL and MERLOT are large-scale initiatives that store educational content
for STEM educators. There also are numerous examples of more localized
initiatives that apply IT in the service of STEM education. Connexions at Rice
University has developed its own modular approach for delivering domain-
specific lesson materials to engineering faculty. The Sooner City Project at the
University of Oklahoma is an online curriculum for civil engineering students
from freshman through senior year.
Every year, the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE)
recognizes outstanding educational courseware through its Premier Award for
Excellence in Engineering Education. This is an indication that good quality
materials are available for those who happen to be in the right place or with
the right instructor. Excellent materials that cover a wide range of advanced,
domain-specific lessons using TT-based modules could be made available to
other educators over a shared network. However, very little is being clone to
it. . .. .
encourage o~ssem~nat~on te.g., providing Instruction and other support
services for other users). Thus, the use of these materials at other campuses,
in other departments, or even in other classes has been very limited.
Many of the tools for authoring, repurposing, maintaining, and distributing
learning content do not use technology consistently to support content-
oriented markup. For example, many people are familiar with web-authoring
applications, such as Adobe PageMill, Microsoft Frontpage, and Macromedia
Dreamweaver, that produce hypertext markup language (HTML) code to
support user-defined web page displays. But these applications are also
notorious for numerous quirks in the creation of objects, tables, frames, and
other display features. One fundamental problem is that HTML itself is a
display markup language (i.e., it lets the computer know what the display
should look like), but it cannot communicate information to the machine
about the use and purpose of the content. By contrast, other markup
20
OCR for page 21
Our Current State: Islands of Innovation
21
the artificial intelligence community, we know that plausible systems should be
developed before large-scale changes are proposed. And based on the difficulties
encountered by the NSF engineering research centers and engineering education
coalitions, we know that we must create an economically sustainable infrastructure
to make a lasting change.
OCR for page 22
and human infrastructures (this issue is discussed further in the following
section on cultural issues). Second, only a fraction of existing STEM faculty
are knowledgeable about existing cognition and learning models relevant to
STEM disciplines. Thus faculty training and education will be necessary for a
scale-up of learner-centered education. Third, a good deal about how people
learn STEM concepts, both inside and outside an IT context, is still unknown.
A better understanding of how STEM concepts are initiated and processed in
the human brain would go beyond the application of active techniques (e.g.,
problem-based learning, interactive and collaborative learning, and service-
learning) and beyond models for tools such as language tutors.
The workshop participants agreed on the need to embrace a scholarship of
learning to create the intellectual capital that would support effective STEM
education and the development of better tools to assess STEM learning
outcomes.
Human, Cultural, and Organizational Issues
Even if we had easy-to-use tools for developing content, efficient architectures
that supported sharing and reuse, and valid pedagogical models for achieving
advanced STEM learning outcomes, there would still be significant barriers to
the use of IT in the service of education. Human, cultural, and organizational
concerns present significant challenges to the use and dissemination of IT-
based educational tools and materials. Many of these issues, outlined below,
have been discussed in non-STEM domains, but they have been largely absent
from discussions on the use of IT in STEM education. Until these issues are
addressed, the outlook for meaningful progress is limited.
[earning to [earn with IT
22
Representative terms from entire chapter:
learning materials
