Research Directions

Overall, the whole 2-Sigma course, what have we learned about it, and what is the story it tells? If we were writing a lit reveiw about the 2-Sigma problem, what are some statements that would set up the questions that we would ask?

• Tutors matter/definitions (see class Anotated Bibliography)
• Class size/ratios
• Feedback: Frequency, Type, Timing
• Constructivism/Situated Cognition - Centered on students' interests; making classes more student-centered
• Small Changes
• Mastery Learning is possibly the next-best thing
• Technology enabling tutoring/implementation technology in schools

This list is kind of a list of "truisms."

Help colleges redesign high-enrolling courses. Exploratory grant program in early 2000s. Grant was to improve learning while reducing costs.

Freshman Composition - Teach in sections of 23-24 or smaller because of demands of grading on teacher time. Teachers spent most of their time preparing the lectures each week and then coming to class and giving the three lectures each week. As they analyzed how they were actually spendign their time, they realized they weren't spending their time on what could be most beneficial for the students. So they took grant money to create online lectures so teachers could spend more time going over student writing. Instructors spent 30-40 min. on each of four student papers, giving feedback. Then once a semester, they had a 1 on 1 conference with each student to talk about their writing. So the new model provided the lectures and gave teachers more opportunities to work one-on-one with each student. English classes were able to eliminate 10-20% of sections offered. As part of the project, brought in external evaluators who read the paper.

Tutor Roles - Sometimes the best thing a mentor can do is not to say anything at all. Guide - a guide knows when to go in and give direction, when to let the student meddle.

Instructional Science is a Social Science. In Public Policy, we look at Public Policy issues/challenges: teenage pregnancy, infant mortality, etc. "What if we change this one variable, will that help?" We don't know, because that one change leads to other changes. We don't always know if what we're doign is making a difference. The Science of Muddling Through. In both learning and public policy, the solution that works today probably won't work tomorrow. The subject matter is complex and dynamic.

Like the process of natural selection: It gives your intelligence too much credit. Trial and error is always better than anything any single person can design. We don't have any way of knowing which technology experiment is going to work best. We have to keep trying and getting feedback on our projects to really progress. Except in Education, we don't actually know what we're evaluating. (Like Miller vs. California, we don't really know how to describe it.)

This university is not ideal, but it is, becasue it's teh best we know how to do. Government standards may keep people from experimenting --> not lots of innovation.

People who had online class probably did better because of increased time on task.

Franklin Covey- Every 2-3 min. they ask for feedback from the student. (key to making effective trainings) Increased time on task.

* Who are we doing this for? (Higher Ed? Elementary School? Middle School?) Maybe we ought to narrow it to give it more focus.

* Maybe individuals can select a focus for it. If you need to pick a focus, what would it be?

• Mastery Learning: Anneke
• Concept Map/How they overlap: Anne
• Technology enabling/implementation: Jared, Jana
• Feedback: Jenn
• Tutors matter/Definitions: John (v. mastery)

* Frame a set of unanswered questions, of gaps in the literature--create a plan to answer these questions and fill the gaps.