The LearningOnline Network with CAPA

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• The LearningOnline Network with CAPA
• A Cross-Institutional Open-Source
• Learning Content Management and Assessment System
• Gerd Kortemeyer
• Michigan State University
• PERG Seminar
• University of Maryland

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• Some of the History

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1992 CAPA

• Started by Ed Kashy et al. in Cyclotron
• Individualized assessment system for science and
  math
• Immediate feedback, multiple tries - mastery
  based
• Used paper copies of assignments and terminal
  input
• X-Windows problem editing
• Got Web student interface in 95

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1997 LectureOnline

• Started by Wolfgang Bauer, Walt Benenson, Gary
  Westfall, and Gerd Kortemeyer in Cyclotron
• Learning content management and individualized
  assessment system for science and math
• Sharing of content between courses
• Completely web-based interface

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1999 LON-CAPA

• The LearningOnline Network with CAPA
• Collaboration of CAPA and LectureOnline groups
• The best of both worlds
• Sharing of content between courses and
  institutions
• Reusability of content on different levels of
  granularity
• Distributed and Scalable

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LON-CAPA Today

• Attracted NSF Information Technology Research
  grant Investigation of a Model for Online
  Resource Creation and Sharing in Educational
  Settings (more later)
• Has over 20 partner institutions (more later)
• Useful and usable for casual (non-power)
  faculty user outside science and math
• LON-CAPA is a full-featured course management
  system
• Software platform has GNU General Public License
  and is free of licensing fees
• 2003 ComputerWorld 21st Century Achievement Award
• Version 1.0 was rolled out this Fall

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Today LON-CAPA is used

• With material written by faculty teaching course
  or re-used from other faculty helproom
• For homework in addition to traditional lecture
  and textbook helproom
• Hybrid with traditional lecture, homework and
  textbook online helproom
• Completely virtual courses
• AP courses
• Prelab quizzes
• In-class exercises
• Class sizes 10-3,000

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Today LON-CAPA is used Helproom

• Helproom at MSU started out
• Very few computers,
• no seating in front of computers
• Round tables
• Big sheets of paper
• Whiteboard all around the walls
• TAs present
• Basement cave
• Absolutely crowded
• The all-new helproom since last year
• Lots of desktop computers in cubicles
• _at__at_!

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Student Numbers at MSU
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Subject Areas MSU Fall 2003
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System-wide Use

• 24,000 students/semester system-wide
• Middle Schools 300
• High Schools 500
• Community Colleges 50
• Four-year Colleges 300
• Universities gt22,000.

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• Cross-Institutional

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Distributed Server Network

• LON-CAPA is built as a geographically distributed
  network of
• constantly
• connected servers

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Logical Domains

• The network is logically divided into domains
  such as MSU, FSU or Publisher X
• Domains limit the flow of user information
• Domains can limit access to content resources
• Domains limit the extent of user privileges

15
Authentication

• Any user in the network can log into any machine
  in the network
• Example Michigan State University user logs into
  server at North Dakota State University

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Authorization

• Any LON-CAPA user can have roles for any domain.
• Example Michigan State University faculty is
  Course Coordinator for a course at North Dakota
  State University

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Virtual Filesystem

• The shared content repository appears as one
  virtual filesystem

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Resource Assembly

• Pages can be constructed from fragments and other
  pages
• Sequences can be constructed from fragments,
  pages, and other
• sequences
• Courses point to (top-level) sequences
• Maps at every level are simply other content
  resources

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Resource Assembly

• Graphical resource assembly tool (RAT) to
  construct maps
• Working on
• branching
• based on
• conditions using
• performance data,
• course data,
• and preferences
• Individualized
• curriculum

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Shared Resource Pool

• Shared resource pool currently holds
  approximately
• 6,000 original homework and exam problems
• 5,000 images
• 150 movies
• 180 java applets
• 3,000 content pages.
• LON-CAPA Pool available in NSF
• National Science Digital Library

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• Individualized Assessment

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Individualized Assessment

• Individualized problems different numbers,
  different graphs, different options,
• Classical online homework elements multiple
  choice, option response, mix-and-match, string,
  etc
• STEM elements numerical, multicomponent
  numerical, physical units, symbolic math,
  individualized simulations
• Free combination of the above elements
• Adaptive immediate feedback
• Multiple attempts - mastery based

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Individualized Assessment

• Example Individualized graph, numerical answer

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Individualized Assessment

• Example Individualized
  labels, options
  

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ConceptualFunctions GraphedRandomLabels
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Individualized Assessment

• Example Multicomponent numerical with
  individualized animation and physical units

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Individualized Assessment
Text for Applet
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AppletInitial and Final ActionFrames
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Student evaluations of CAPA
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Evaluations of CAPA by students in Physics for
Scientists and Engineers
CAPA as Tool for Learning/Understanding
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Phy184 Spring 95 N156 Birge, Cowen
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PHY184 Spring 96 N104 Berz, Tomanek
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Time-on-task with and without CAPA
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Educational Effectiveness in Physics
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Technology Impact
Prof. Danielewicz (Physics)
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• Distribution of grades in Introductory Physics
  for Scientists and Engineers
• 1992-1994 w/o CAPA
• 1996 with CAPA

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Gender Differences in Physics
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• Grade distributions for male and female students
  for a two-semester course (PHY231 and PHY232).
• PHY231 was taught the traditional way, and in
  PHY232 CAPA was used.

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Item Analysis
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ltconceptgroup conceptFruitgt
ltfoilgtApplelt/foilgt ltfoilgtOrangelt/foilgtlt/concept
groupgtltconceptgroup conceptMetalsgt
ltfoilgtCopperlt/foilgt ltfoilgtGoldlt/foilgtlt/conceptg
roupgt
Doing Item Analysis on Randomized Questions
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1. Two masses have the same acceleration if the
string does not stretch.2. Weight of the two
masses is greater than the tension of the string
attached to the ceiling3. The top tension equals
the bottom tensions. (massless pulley)4. Tension
holding the two masses are equal if mass of
pulley 05. Sub-system accelerates upwards or
downwards accordingly6. Center of mass
accelerates downward
First 18.6 of responses
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Predicting Success, Learners at Risk
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Covariates included ACT, College GPA, Initial
Physics knowledge (Force Concepts Inventory), and
number of absences
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Success Prediction Power
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Cheating
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(No Transcript)
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Influence of Websites
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• The NSF ITR Grant Project

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The Project

• Investigation of a Model for Online Resource
  Creation and Sharing in Education Settings
• Uses LON-CAPA as model system
• Five year project, 2.1M, funded by the National
  Science Foundation Information Technology
  Research Program

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The Project Research Goals

• Open source code development concept for
  Instructional Management System
• Pooling online educational resources between
  departments, colleges, universities and schools
• Business models for trading such resources on
  small level of granularity
• Business models for services and support
• Metrics for resource quality and effectiveness
• Curriculum adaptivity to learner
• types and remediation needs

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Economy of Scale

• Content System more attractive the more content
  is online
• Code base GNU GPL, system improvements from
  larger development community
• Support mechanisms for peer-to-peer support
• Training mechanisms for peer-to-peer training

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On the web ...

• www.lon-capa.org
• help.lon-capa.org
• bugs.lon-capa.org
• mail.lon-capa.org
• install.lon-capa.org