Simulated Performance Assessments for Related Knowledge and Skills

1
Simulated Performance Assessments for Related
Knowledge and Skills

• by
• John Chamberlain, CORD4901 Bosque Blvd Waco,
  TX 76710Email chamber_at_cord.org
• Supported by National Science Foundation,
  DUE-0603389

2
Teaching Performance-Type Skills

• Trade skills (welding, construction,)
• High-risk (lasers, nuclear, bio-hazards,)
• High-cost (space program, surgery,)
• Rare/Controversial (procedures, research,)
• Troubleshooting (complex devices and
  situations)
• Difficult (research, destructive testing,
  costly tools,)

3
Performance Assessments

• How do we assess hand skills?
• Students
• Employees
• Paper/Pencil test (worst case)
• Poorly represents performance
• Generally indicates only head-knowledge
• Requires well-designed test instrument
• Hands-on test (best case)
• Excellent measure of performance
• Requires real-world equipment/conditions
• Requires real-time proctor involvement

4
Background The Previous Project
Computer-Assisted Performance Assessments

• Created assessments in the middle ground
• Realistically simulated the performance tasks
  (Univ of CO PhET Natl Instruments LabVIEW)
• Captured data and scored it with an objective
  rubric (Concord SAIL/OTrunk)
• Compared scores with other tests
• Better than paper-pencil, and safer, more
  convenient and cost effective than real hands-on
  assessments.

5
Computer-Assisted Performance Assessments... CAPA

• Digital Multimeter
• Using a DMM
• Ohms Law
• Oscilloscope
• Freq and amplitude
• Amplitude modulation
• Circuit troubleshooting
• Logic gates (digital)
• Amplifier (analog)
• More details are available at
• http//capa.concord.org

6
What We Learned

• Compared to multiple choice tests, conflicting
  interpretations of results.
• Is the multiple choice test measuring the same
  thing as the hands-on simulation?
• Is simulation giving adequate motor-skill
  feedback to approximate real-hands-on task?
• Course instructors are very interested!
• We frequently heard students ask, Can I try it
  again? I can do better! They are very
  interested, too!

7
A Follow-On Project Is Born!

• Aha! Students want to improve their scores!
• We can TEACH the skill/concept with simulations
• As in CAPA...
• Simulate real-world, hands-on tasks and equipment
  
• Watch over the shoulder as student performs
  task
• Score student actions as well as answers
• Provide detailed report to student and teacher
• In addition to CAPA...
• Enable students to repeat the assessment and
  encourage them to improve their score
• Track student performance overall, and trouble
  areas
• Run in a browser, requiring minimal software
• Include tutorial material designed to teach!

8
Proposed Modules
Simulated Performance Assessments for Related
Knowledge and Skills

• 1 - Resistor Color Code
• 2 - Series Circuits
• 3 - Parallel Circuits
• 4 - Series-Parallel Circuits

• 5 AC Series Circuits
• 6 - AC Parallel Circuits
• 7 - AC Series-Parallel Circuits
• 8 - Resonant Circuits

• Digital Multimeters,Breadboard, DC

• Oscilloscope, Function generator, AC

9
Module 1 Resistor Color Codes

• Students are presented with
• Realistic resistor
• Random (but real) R values
• A realistic, functioninginteractive digital
  multimeter
• Tasks
• Interpret resistor color bands
• Measure R by properly using the digital
  multimeter
• Compare with rated tolerance range

10
Modules 2-4 Resistors DC

• Students are presented with
• Random (but real) R values
• Realistic resistors in circuits on a realistic
  breadboard
• A functioning, interactive digital multimeter
  (DMM)
• Tasked with
• Making voltage and current measurements in
  series and parallel circuits.
• Calculating resistance values by applying Ohms
  Law.

11
Field Testing

• Tidewater Community College (Virginia Beach,
  VA)
• Minuteman High School(Boston, MA)

12
Field Testing
13

• For more information
• http//sparks.concord.org
• (always under development ?)
• To contact us, send email to
• sparks_at_concord.org