Opportunities for Research in Instruction

1. Opportunities for Research in Instruction Additional Components Ginger Holmes Rowell, Ph.D. Department of Mathematical Sciences

2. Additional Components • Using Existing Evaluation Instruments • Involving Students in Instructional Research • Disseminating Your Results

3. Using Existing Evaluation Instruments • Benefits • Saves time and trouble • Already tested for reliability and validity • Appropriate analysis methods for using instrument and scoring results already exist • Can make comparisons with national norms or with others who have used the instrument. • Disadvantages • It may not ask exactly what you would like

4. Example of Existing Instruments • The Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics (SATS), Candace Schau (cschau@unm.edu) • 28 questions, takes 10 minutes, free, validated • Assesses 4 components of student attitudes (Affect, Cognitive Competence, Value, Difficulty) • Includes demographic questions (academic background, self-confidence, expected grade) • Pre- and post-course versions available • Provides instructions for scoring • The author requests you share your data with her. http://www.unm.edu/%7ecschau/infopage.htm

5. Plenty of Other Examples Exist • Source for Classroom Assessment Tools • http://www.flaguide.org/index.php

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8. Another Source • Online Evaluation Resource Library (OERL) • http://oerl.sri.com/

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10. Glossary Backup Slides

11. Other Sources • ERIC/AE Test Locator • The major printed indexes that identify and review educational and psychological measurement instruments • ERIC Clearinghouse on Assessment and Evaluation • Health and Psychosocial Instruments (HAPI) • Washington State University Assessment & Evaluation Center

12. Additional Components • Using Existing Evaluation Instruments • Involving Students in Instructional Research • Disseminating Your Results

13. Involving Students in Instructional Research • A Win-Win Situation • Students learning about research • Faculty gaining insight from students • Examples • Internet Applet Assessment • 2 students: 1 Rubric, 1 website, led to Co-PI on a NSF Digital Library for Statistics Education (CAUSEweb) • Biostatistics Laboratories • 2-semester Class Project (78 students), 1 student assistant, 1 paper so far

14. Involving Students in Instructional Research • Help students understand the research/creative process (perhaps different in different disciplines) • Start with a (SMALL) research question related to the Instructional Research that you are doing • Conduct a literature review • Carefully formulate hypothesis • Decide how to assess hypothesis • Collect data & analyze data • Report the conclusions • Decide what should be done next

15. Additional Components • Using Existing Evaluation Instruments • Involving Students in Instructional Research • Disseminating Your Results

16. Disseminating Your Results • Three Dissemination Components • Materials Developed • Research on Effectiveness of Materials Developed • Student Research (if included in your project)

17. Disseminating Your Results • DisseminateMaterials Developed • Traditional: • Textbooks, Workbooks, Software, Prints, CDs, … • Maybe less traditional: For smaller items (individual modules) • Peer-reviewed Journals (education and discipline/education) – See next slide • Peer-reviewed Digital Libraries • MERLOT (www.merlot.ort) • NSDL (www.nsdl.org) • Eisenhower National Clearinghouse(http://www.goenc.com/)

18. Disseminating Your Results • Research on Effectiveness of Materials Developed • Presentation at national conferences • Peer-reviewed Journals • Some Options: • See handout list • For more details see website: http://www.mtsu.edu/~rowell/publish_teaching/index.htm • Student Research Journals • On Campus: Scientia (www.mtsu.edu/~scientia)