Dave Brooks

1
Dave Brooks

• Most work centered on using technology in
  instruction
• 140 papers
• 3M grants

2
Teachers

• Teachers have among the largest effects on
  learning.
• In spite of this, my work focuses on systems that
  either are teacher free or that queue up
  information for a teacher to review.

3
Performance-Related Feedback

• Whenever two instructional strategies are
  compared, the one the provides the larger amount
  of performance-related feedback nearly always is
  the one found to be best (most effective, most
  efficient, etc.)

4
Automatic Testing

• Demonstrated in 1996
• Automatic testing is one way to provide
  performance-related feedback.
• Web-based, automatic testing makes it possible to
  provide performance related feedback 24/7.
• You cant do everything you might want to do with
  automatic testing you can do a great deal.

5
HyperCard

• Started with HC in 1987 as videodisc controller.

6
HyperCard Server

• Run HC on a server. A HyperCard file (stack)
  takes information from Web form through Web
  software and processes that information.
• A HC script computes the characters needed for a
  Web page (e.g., ltHTMLgtltHEADgt etc.), and returns
  that output. So, HC creates dynamic Web pages.

7
Tailored Feedback

• We can tailor feedback in response to the
  learners history and most recent response(s).

8
How?

• Mac OS 9
• WebStar (server software)
• Apple event to HC
• HC uses on appleEvent handler to start process.

9
Other Systems

• This is not unlike EDU (John Orr) except that we
  calculate instructional materials. EDU is a more
  robust testing system.

10
Web Traffic

• Had gt27,000 hits between 4 AM and 4 PM on
  4/16/03. Have had gt20,000 essentially every day
  for 10 months. Peaks gt 70,000 hits/day.
  Consistent!
• UNL Blackboard has 1,000,000 hits/day.

11
Current Projects

• 15 Web courses for chemistry teachers (716K NSF)
• Our Zoo to You -- communications system (numerous
  small grants)
• AP Chemistry practice question
• All of my courses

12
Impacts of Funding

• Some programs target specific needs of science,
  math, and engineering.
• For example, the biggest leap forward in the
  Chemistry Resource Room came as the result of an
  NSF CAUSE grant. Room still functions today.

13
Professional Development

• Im guessing that grants have given me access to
  100K of hardware and software that I wouldnt
  have gotten otherwise, and have given me a chance
  to learn about using them.

14
Infrastructure
15
Excellent

• Grant Writing
• Monica Norby
• Marla Rohrke
• Grant Management, Pre-Award
• Norm Braaten

16
Excellent

• Statistics Consultation
• NEAR Center
• Barbara Plake, Ralph De Ayala, others

17
Excellent

• Use of consultants during proposal preparation.

18
Good/Very Good

• Multimedia Production
• Bruce Crampton, Todd Jensen
• DEAL Lab

19
Good

• Jim OHanlon has been very helpful in getting
  recovered overhead into project.
• BUT, not consistent across UNL. No overhead in
  IS. No infrastructure for research in education
  like more conventional lab research.
• By now Bob Fuller and I have gt1M in overhead
  Bob may have that alone!

20
Good

• (Early) successes at NETV.

21
Poor

• Help with understanding learning. Learning is a
  much more clear and understandable process than
  most believe.

22
Poor

• Killing of the TLC was a uniquely stupid act.
  Among other things, no thought was given as to
  how such a teaching center supports research.
• Examples involve resources and networking.

23
Poor

• Some bad UNL history -- especially the Class
  Project.

24
Poor

• Space for work.
• Bought hardware and sent it home with people
  because didnt have space.
• Several early projects would not have been funded.

25
Poor (Bad)

• IRB
• Nearly all research in education is exempt by
  Act of Congress. However, local IRBs across the
  US have chosen to include this research.
• Unlike medicine, there really are few modal
  therapies. For example, think of the whole
  language fiasco.

26
Issue

• Overhead on some education grants either 0 or
  8.
• Some projects should NOT go forward.
• Others should be encouraged.
• BUT, whenever you get a real grant with 8,
  there IS something coming out of our hide.

27
Recommendations

• Address infrastructure issues
• Maintain good aspects of infrastructure
• Provide consultative services
• Review, modify IRB procedures

28
Advice for Novices

• About 3 of 4 of my proposals are rejected.
  Sometimes they fund ones I think of as marginal
  but turn down others I think of as really good.
• Bob Fuller submitted 6 proposals before his 7th
  proposal was funded!
• Without a proposal, you (usually) cant be funded.