Helping Teachers Generate Exercises with random coefficients

1. Helping Teachers Generate Exercises with random coefficients Denis Bouhineau, Hamid Chaachoua, Jean-Francois Nicaud & Camille Douine 1 ICTMT’2007

2. What’s next ? • Introduction : about Aplusix • What is working ? For real ? • Two taxonomies • Teacher’s place and role in TEL* environments • Activities foreseen and provided by TEL environments • Patterns of exercises • Pedagogical Web Standard approach • Specifically Math web approach with CAS • (Our) Teacher-friendly approach • Perspectives (TEL*: Technology Enhanced Learning) 2 ICTMT’2007

3. Introduction : Aplusix • Aplusix – Learning by doing elementary algebra • A microworld and an exerciser for doing algebra • Students freely write algebraic expressions • Natural representation and editing of algebraic expressions • Two fundamental feedbacks • Semantic equivalence between successive steps • Syntax of the final expression • Introduction to Computer Algebra Systems (via commands) 3 ICTMT’2007

4. Introduction : Aplusix • Students • Gain autonomy • Learn algebra • Feel happy • Teachers • Specific tools (replay system, statistics, exercises editor, …) • Experiments • Available • for research, http://aplusix.imag.fr/Dir-Vers-Rech • or see publishers : Chartwell&Yorke (uk), Les éditions Archimède (fr), MediaDirect (it) 4 ICTMT’2007

5. What is working ? For real ? • Mediappro (7393 students aged 12-18, from 9 contries in EC) • 50~70% of family have computer with internet access, ~100% of college have computer with internet access • Internet (everyday/several time a week): 67 % at home, 26 % at school, in france 70 % at home, 10 % at school, (65% never) • one-to-one computing programs (NY State) • Many schools have given up • No evidence it had any impact on student achievement • It’s cost prohibitive • Laptops have been abused by students • Questions • Tel are good enough? • Teacher are happy to use TEL? 5 ICTMT’2007

6. Teacher’s place and role in TEL environments • TEL environments that simply ignore teachers (5/21*) • TEL environments that supposes the presence of a teacher • TEL environments that incorporates an electronic teacher • TEL environments that give feedbacks to teachers (4/21) • TEL environment showing externally the internal representation of the students • TEL environments dedicated to competencies diagnosis • TEL environments with teacher’s interface to manage classes (5/21) • TEL environments with teacher’s interface to manage classes and edit activities (7/21) 21* : 21 rich TEL environments 6 ICTMT’2007

7. Activities foreseen and provided by TEL environments • What are the added-value introduce with the use of computer ? • Lessons • most of the work (fill the content) is done by mathematicians, didacticians, teachers • activities analogous with/without computer • Training activities • link to Computer Algebra Systems (as mathematical expert) • or simple / multiple choice questions • Test activities • mathematical difficulties • major didactics and pedagogy difficulties 7 ICTMT’2007

8. Patterns of exercises • TEL with teachers to edit training activities • Pedagogical Web Standard approach • IMS-QTI, IMS-SS, IMS-LD, IMS-CP, LOM • IMS-MathQTI • Specifically Math web approach with CAS • Wims, AIM, … • Web expert (+ script expert) + CAS expert (+ teacher) • (Our) Teacher-friendly approach • based on our model of pattern • no web, no script, no cas • integrated to the standard system • instanciated examples + feedbacks 8 ICTMT’2007

9. Patterns of exercises • Model of patterns • Name, Comment, Heritage, Time, Frequency, PostProcessingPattern, Domains and Constraints. • First work • 2 didacticians, 9 files, 650 patterns, 157 Ko 9 ICTMT’2007

10. Patterns of exercises 10 ICTMT’2007

11. Perspectives • Generic Pattern editor and Exercises generator • Web-based Pattern editor and Exercises generator • Exercises generator based on didactical variables • Think about usage 11 ICTMT’2007