Self-paced learning of math and physics by blending of video clips and exercise sheets Riet Callens KU Leuven, Tutorial Services Engineering Science Leuven Engineering and Science Education Center (LESEC) 20/09/2018

Context First year university students in engineering sciences Belgium: open access to university large groups (about 600 students) Courses mathematics and physics summer courses remediation courses Focus on Problem solving Team professors teaching assistants tutors My job as a tutor: Help first year students to fit in the system. Help to develop the system so that more students fit in it.

Problem solving session: an example Positioning test July 2017 57% correct (635 participants) Find the length of the blue curve. Students start solving problems and exercises, designed to challenge misconceptions and threshold concepts, and get stuck at a certain point. At that point, they start discussing with peers and ask for help from teachers and teaching assistants. Teachers and teaching assistants start to help individually (tutoring) and end up with some explanation in front of the whole class. This approach is limited by the available teaching staff and in our experience often forces students to work at the same pace. Example - > pulley: how rope goes along the pulley

Problem solving session: an example Positioning test July 2017 57% correct (635 participants) Find the length of the blue curve. Exercises are designed to challenge threshold concepts or misconceptions Meyer and Land (2003) ‘A treshold concept can be considered as akin to a portal, opening up a new and previously inaccessible way of thinking about something. It represents a transformed way of understanding, or interpreting, or viewing something without which the learner cannot progress.’ Students start solving problems and exercises, designed to challenge misconceptions and threshold concepts, and get stuck at a certain point. At that point, they start discussing with peers and ask for help from teachers and teaching assistants. Teachers and teaching assistants start to help individually (tutoring) and end up with some explanation in front of the whole class. This approach is limited by the available teaching staff and in our experience often forces students to work at the same pace. Example - > pulley: how rope goes along the pulley

Problem solving session: an example Positioning test July 2017 57% correct (635 participants) Find the length of the blue curve. Exercises are designed to challenge threshold concepts or misconceptions Well-experienced teachers can accurately predict, or even trigger by design, the points at which students need assistance. Teachers have tailored explanations that assist the students challenge their understanding. Students start solving problems and exercises, designed to challenge misconceptions and threshold concepts, and get stuck at a certain point. At that point, they start discussing with peers and ask for help from teachers and teaching assistants. Teachers and teaching assistants start to help individually (tutoring) and end up with some explanation in front of the whole class. This approach is limited by the available teaching staff and in our experience often forces students to work at the same pace. Example - > pulley: how rope goes along the pulley

Problem solving session: classical approach frontal teaching for the introduction individual work/discussion with peers individual tutoring by the teacher frontal teaching Optional: printed hints full written solutions Students are forced to work at the same pace. Number of students Slower students Faster students Students start solving problems and exercises, designed to challenge misconceptions and threshold concepts, and get stuck at a certain point. At that point, they start discussing with peers and ask for help from teachers and teaching assistants. Teachers and teaching assistants start to help individually (tutoring) and end up with some explanation in front of the whole class. This approach is limited by the available teaching staff and in our experience often forces students to work at the same pace. Example - > pulley: how rope goes along the pulley Examples: pearson my mathlab, mastering physics

Problem solving session: online approach make the exercise on paper type the answer get hints retry get the full answer All students slow down. Students discuss less. Students ask fewer questions. Number of students Slower students Faster students Students start solving problems and exercises, designed to challenge misconceptions and threshold concepts, and get stuck at a certain point. At that point, they start discussing with peers and ask for help from teachers and teaching assistants. Teachers and teaching assistants start to help individually (tutoring) and end up with some explanation in front of the whole class. This approach is limited by the available teaching staff and in our experience often forces students to work at the same pace. Example - > pulley: how rope goes along the pulley

Problem solving session: online approach How can we provide just-in-time and tailored support? frontal teaching for the introduction individual work/discussion with peers QR-codes with help for frequently asked questions (applets/hints/solutions) 4. individual tutoring by the teacher Number of students Slower students Faster students Students start solving problems and exercises, designed to challenge misconceptions and threshold concepts, and get stuck at a certain point. At that point, they start discussing with peers and ask for help from teachers and teaching assistants. Teachers and teaching assistants start to help individually (tutoring) and end up with some explanation in front of the whole class. This approach is limited by the available teaching staff and in our experience often forces students to work at the same pace. Example - > pulley: how rope goes along the pulley

Advantages of using QR-codes Focus lies on the work students perform on paper. Distraction from the online world is minimized. Clear for which exercises there is online support. There is a little barrier, students are stimulated to first try themselves to solve the problems. Students regulate own learning process. Support is delivered just-in-time. During the live sessions, teachers get more time to help students individually. Students can use the applets and first-aid video's at home, which makes it less necessary to force students at the same pace.

Geogebra applets Find the length of the blue curve. Positioning test July 2017 57% correct (635 participants) Find the length of the blue curve. https://youtu.be/ceWlYl_lwBI Thanks to Koen Paes

Geogebra applets https://www.geogebra.org/m/djhdhuzv Positioning test June 2016 62% correct (811 participants) https://www.geogebra.org/m/djhdhuzv Thanks to Koen Paes

Geogebra applets https://www.geogebra.org/m/djhdhuzv Positioning test June 2016 62% correct (811 participants) https://www.geogebra.org/m/djhdhuzv Thanks to Koen Paes

Video recording using a webcam Low cost setup, close to my office Fast recording (10 min for 7 min video) “Natural selection” of topics Things I repeated over and over again in live sessions Explanations that feel all right Record immediately after the live sessions  no extra preparation required I never watch the whole video myself… Students do not complain about the bad video quality…

Video recording using a webcam https://youtu.be/bT-oLgiryT0

Video recording using a webcam Paper recordings White board recordings You can shift up paper, take second paper  suitable for longer calculations Easier for students to take conventional notes Ratio hand/paper is worse Possible to use printed figures Possible to erase, easier to manage that everything is visible Easier for students to take screenshots Ratio hand/whiteboard is better

My production process Record with webcam https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/hd-pro-webcam-c920 using software of webcam auto-adjust on, put hand on table, auto-adjust off microphone: http://www.rode.com/microphones/podcaster distribute on youtube channel ‘kennisclips monitoraat’ produce QR: http://goqr.me/#t=url Latex-code to implement QR: \parbox{2cm}{\includegraphics[width=2cm]{QR_clip_pakket_grafiek}} clip: \href{https://youtu.be/1wCVJ4133o4}{https://youtu.be/1wCVJ4133o4}  read QR with app on smartphone: i-nigma

Video recording using a tablet low cost setup everywhere used app: “explain everything” no arm or hands + everything can be viewed clearly - more difficult to point at things

THANKS TO ALL MY COLLEAGUES Conclusion Blending of: frontal teaching, mainly for the introduction of the concepts discussion with peers QR-codes that link to applets and short video’s with “first- aid video-help” individual tutoring is an efficient way to provide just-in-time and tailored support for students during mathematics and physics problem solving sessions.       THANKS TO ALL MY COLLEAGUES