Program Guide



February 9

4:00-4:30
Welcoming remarks, workshop goals and introduction (PowerPoint 109kB Feb10 04)

4:30-5:00
30 second introductions

5:00-6:30
Sharing posters and demos

The goal of the poster session is to allow all of the participants to learn from one another. In particular, we ask that your poster address two things:

  1. Your experience with using web-based learning resources in your courses or web-based learning resources that you have created. The poster session is the only opportunity to present this material in a formal way. We hope that it allow other participants to identify topics that they would like to discuss with you further either during
  2. Your idea for your project-a web-based learning resource that you would like to create or modify. The projects will be done in groups. We hope that the poster session will facilitate the formation of these groups. The idea for your project and your experience may overlap or be the same.

Posters can be up to 4 feet by 6 feet. We will be hanging them on the wall so they should be a single sheet. In addition, there will be a wireless network and table space if you would like to set up a computer to show your work or provide handouts. We will begin the poster session with 30 seconds for each participant to introduce themselves and their poster. It will be important to stick to 30 seconds because there are 30 participants and we want to have time to view the posters.

Electronic versions of the posters will be made available through the website. You can send these via email (in whatever format you have available) to sfox@carleton.edu. If the file is too large to work as an email attachment just drop a note to the same address and we can work out alternate arrangments to transfer the file.


6:30-8:00
Dinner

February 10

8:30-9:30
Setting Learning Goals (introduction, activity, discussion) (PowerPoint 152kB Feb10 04)

Tom Boyd, Colorado School of Mines; Cathy Manduca, Carleton College

The goal of this session is to focus on the value of setting learning goals in designing web-based learning resources and to develop skill in setting goals that support resource development, assessment of learning, and rich student accomplishment. The session begins with an introduction by Tom Boyd addressing the role of learning goals; a goals framework of content, skills, and higher order thinking skills; the importance of considering context in setting goals; and the value of focusing learning on a finite number of points. Participants will then work with existing resources to explore the learning goals that they support and to develop strong statements of these goals that are simple enough to be accomplished yet rich enough to lead to substantial learning. The whole group will then work together to create a set of tips for creating learning goals that summarizes our collective learning in the session.

Web Resources
Understanding by Design: Grant Wiggins and Jay McTighe, 1998
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, Alexandria Virginia

9:30-10:30
Fostering Critical Thinking
(introduction, activity, discussion)
Mimi Recker, Utah State University; and Tom Boyd, Colorado School of Mines

This session calls on participants to explore and develop the meaning of the terms "Inquiry" and "Critical Thinking", and presents current ideas about fostering critical thinking. The session is built upon discussion of the meaning of these two terms, the overlap between them, and how active learning can be structured to engage students in inquiry and critical thinking in a web context. In this session, participants view Tom Boyd's online course, Introduction to Geophysical Exploration. This course develops background skills and understanding of geophysical research techniques, by posing a complex, realistic land-use problem. Solution of the problem requires students to plan survey sites and lines, select appropriate geophysical methods and survey techniques, and consider the cost vs. value of each technique they choose.

Following Tom's presentation, participants engage in a critical review of the course site, the strengths and limitations of the learning experience in comparison with students' experience in solving field- based problems.


10:30-10:50 Break

10:50-11:50
Designing Assessments into Activities that meet Learning Goals (PowerPoint 122kB Feb10 04)
(introduction, activity, discussion)
Michelle Hall-Wallace, University of Arizona

In this session, participants explore strategies for incorporating assessment in web design. Designing creative assessments is a complex process, particularly when the goal involves developing formative assessments that reinforce learning. Many of our current assessment techniques are easily adapted to the web, and in some cases, interactive web assessments may be more effective at motivating and reinforcing student learning than traditional paper-and-pencil testing. Discussion in this session is focused on assessment goals, creative assessments based on Bloom's taxonomy of thinking skills, and participants own "best practices" for assessment, and the suitability of these practices for web adaptation. Participants will review and evaluate on-line resources with built-in assessments, comparing advantages and limitations of various online assessment techniques.


11:50-1:00 Lunch

1:00-3:00
Supporting Students for Understanding, and Sequencing Activities to Guide Scientific Inquiry (PowerPoint 441kB Feb10 04)

Mimi Recker, Utah State University

This session will focus on two key design aspects in the development of Web-based resources. First, the session will describe and discuss strategies for supporting effective student learning, a process often called scaffolding. Web-based design elements to support scaffolding include providing access to experts, peer discussions, and tools that help structure scientific tasks in order to help students focus on important aspects, manage complexity, and monitor progress.

Second, the session will consider design strategies for sequencing learning activities. In particular, we will consider an apprenticeship-style model, in which the designer first identifies a set of scientific inquiry problems. Then, these are used in a sequence to 1) model the problem solving process via worked examples, 2) guide the learner via prompted examples, 3) allow more independent and sustained scientific inquiry, and, finally, 4) allow opportunities for synthesis and reflection. These concepts and resulting design guidelines will be explored by examining existing Web-based geoscience resources, and brainstorming their re-design to better implement scaffolding and sequencing guidelines.


Web Resources
How People Learn: Brain, Mind, Experience, and School
National Research Council (1999); Chapter 9.
Brown, J., Collins, A., & Duguid (1989). Situated cognition and the culture of learning. Educational Researcher, 18:32-41.
http://www.exploratorium.edu/IFI/resources/museumeducation/situated.html

3:00-3:20 Break

3:20-4:00
Group Discussion


The goals of this session are to 1) reflect on the day's activities and their application to geoscience education, and 2) articulate the ideas we would like to share more broadly. What are the most important ideas, lessons learned or principles coming from the workshop sessions and discussions? One of the workshop products will be information about the most important lessons learned at the workshop. This session is an important step in identifying the content for these materials.


4:00-5:30
Project Groups


During the workshop we would like you to both learn about principles for designing web-based learning resources in general, and to apply them to a resource you would like to use in your teaching. To this end, we have asked you to identify a resource that you would like to work on. On Monday afternoon and Tuesday morning there will be time to work on these resources. This work will be done in small groups because we believe that the discussion of ideas and issues with other participants bringing different experiences and expertise will enhance everyones work. You will decide who you would like to work with on Monday afternoon. You are free to change your ideas about what you want to work on at the meeting.

We envision that the groups may choose to work together in any one of three ways:
  • the group may choose to work together on a single resource, pooling your efforts
  • individuals could work on resources separately with group meetings for discussion and critique
  • the members of the group could work side by side on individual resources discussing your ideas as you work.

You have a relatively short amount of time at the workshop to work on your project. Thus we don't anticipate that you will be able to compete a resource and have it ready for use. Rather, we are most interested in your having an opportunity to apply each of the principles discussed on Monday to a resource in a setting where you can ask questions and obtain feedback. On Tuesday we will ask that each group share the results of their work in a second poster session. These reports could take several forms depending on how you have worked on your resource(s).

For example, you might present
  • an annotated version of an existing resource that shows how it will be modified to apply strategies learned at the workshop.
  • a modified resource with annotations that discuss what has been changed and how this relates to strategies learned at the workshop.
  • a bulleted list describing changes that you would like to make to an existing resources and their motivation
  • a detailed plan for developing a new resource that indicates how the resource will apply the strategies learned at the workshop.
  • an annotated mock up of a new resource discussing the design principles employed

If the whole group works on a single resource, the group would prepare a joint presentation. If individuals are working on different resources in the group, you would create a presentation for each resource or a presentation that presents the collective work on all of the resources. We will have limited printing capability, so you will want to combine computer presentation with either hand written posters, or brief printed material to make your points. The group will view the materials from 12:30 to 1:45. We will encourage participants to comment on the presented work and contribute suggestions by providing sticky notes that can be filled out and left at the individual presentations.


6:00-7:30 Dinner

after dinner

Free time for groups to work, and for informal networking

February 11

8:30-10:00
Project groups work with consultation from workshop leaders

10:00-12:00
Group Planning

In this session, we ask you to consider what actions are needed to enhance the creation and effective use of web-based learning resources throughout the geoscience community. A key aspect of On the Cutting Edge emerging theme workshops (such as this one) is the development of a plan leading to broad implementation of the ideas discussed at the workshop and the initiation of activities implementing the plan.

The On the Cutting Edge Workshop Series provides resources that can assist workshop participants in implementing strategic plans.

  • Stage 2 Emerging Theme Workshops: These workshops involving 40-60 people are intended to provide an opportunity for a larger group to work on issues or needs that will enable an emerging theme to move into the mainstream. For example, a stage 2 workshop could be used to develop instructional or informational materials needed to enable a topic to be incorporated broadly in courses. Alternately, a stage 2 workshop could be used to launch a broader dissemination effort. One Stage 2 Emerging Theme Workshop is offered each year, workshop participants can propose a topic for evaluation.
  • Workshops at professional meetings. These workshops would generally be one-day workshops that could involve 25 to 60 people.
  • Course Design, Early Career, and/or Preparing for an Academic Career workshops provide a mechanism for disseminating information to a broader audience. Discussions with the PI team may provide avenues for bringing selected resources or ideas to these groups.
  • On the Cutting Edge workshop websites and list-serves provide on-line mechanisms for on-going communication and dissemination. Emerging theme workshop list-servers can be opened up for participation by the broader community. On-line cataloging tools enable on-going development of resource collections on particular topics. Other types of web-based information can be developed and disseminated by the workshop participants in collaboration with the workshop conveners.

12:00-12:30 Box lunch

12:30-1:45
Presentations of group work focusing on new aspects of activities resulting from workshops

1:45-2:00
Closing remarks, evaluation, reminder of next steps.