building an online educational community for algorithm visualization cliff shaffer virginia tech...
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Building an Online Educational Building an Online Educational Community for Algorithm Community for Algorithm VisualizationVisualization
Cliff ShafferVirginia Tech
Susan RodgerDuke University
Tom NapsUniversity of Wisconsin
Oshkosh
Steve EdwardsVirginia Tech
Two AudiencesTwo AudiencesAlgorithm Visualization community
People interested in building online educational communities
AVs: The ProblemAVs: The ProblemAVs have high faculty and student
favorability ratingsBut most faculty don’t use them
much in courses
Informal Survey ResultsInformal Survey ResultsWarning: Self-selected
respondersAre AVs useful?
◦Strongly Agree: 12◦Agree: 17◦Neutral: 1
A majority indicated that they used some sort of visualization with class
Survey: Impediments to Survey: Impediments to UseUse
Lack of knowledge/time to find good AVs: 13
Time to make good AVs: 2Difficulty integrating in class: 9Lack of time within class constraints:
2Uncertainty about quality outcomes:
1Content not relevant to my classes:
1
AVs: The Solution is AVs: The Solution is CommunityCommunity
http://algoviz.org/◦Build a community of users/developers◦Better disseminate best practices
informationProject Support
◦NSF CCLI grant◦NSF NSDL grant◦Connections to NSDL/Ensemble project
AlgoViz.orgAlgoViz.orgA collection of links to over 500AVsAnnotated bibliography of over 100
papersForums, field reportsOpenAlgoViz
Phase I: The Passive SidePhase I: The Passive SideWhat problem do we solve here?
◦Information? We provide that (to a limited degree)
Nearly done!
Phase II: The Phase II: The ActiveActive Side SideCreate a new model of “dissemination” to
lower barriers to accessMove away from the “digital library”
model of users coming to collectionsNotification
◦Can be via social networksFocus on “community-driven” content
development◦Discussion, review, ratings◦Think Amazon, but we have critical mass
issues
Building Online Educational Building Online Educational CommunitiesCommunities
How are we similar or different from other (potential) online educational communities?◦Stakeholders: Practitioners,
Researchers, Students◦Artifact assessment◦Best practice defined by community
Stakeholders: The AV Stakeholders: The AV communitycommunity
Students Visiting as part of their work in a course
Visiting on their own
Stakeholders: The AV Stakeholders: The AV communitycommunity
Instructors who want to incorporate AV into their course
◦ As lecture aid◦ In lab exercises/assignments in which the work of their students do with the AV is assessed by: Instructor or TA By the AV tool interacting with online DB
Stakeholders: The AV Stakeholders: The AV communitycommunity
Instructors who want to author content to help provide “context” for AV
◦ Lab exercises and assignments◦ Hypertextbooks◦ These stakeholders do not want to create AV – just content that helps students learn from it more effectively
◦ Is there some way of “recognizing” or “reviewing” what they do?
Stakeholders: The AV Stakeholders: The AV communitycommunity
What advantages could AlgoViz offer each of these stakeholders?
How could AlgoViz foster links between them that would allow them to leverage off of what each is doing?
CommunityCommunity Participation ParticipationHow do we increase participation?
◦Using and contributing◦Nominations and voting
This round◦Some simple (applet), Others download,
installNext round?
◦Videos? 3 min? YouTube?What would it take to get you to
vote?
RecognitionRecognition
Importance – promotion/tenure/creditExample of another award
◦NEEDS Premier award for Excellence in Engineering Education
◦All of Engineering, Extensive coursewareAlgoViz.org awards
◦A way to get recognition for Algorithm Visualizations