An Integrated Approach to Local/Distant Mathematics Instruction

Brief Background: u Program started with several NSF projects –Needed for distance learning, dissemination u Investigated whether systematic DL in mathematics can work at UK –economics must make sense –infrastructure requirements –human resources requirements –faculty interest required

Underlying Realities: With our current level of experience the initial presentations of a mathematics Distance Learning course require about four times the resources per student as comparable on-campus courses, UK currently funds DL instruction on a per student basis of 63% of tuition,

Tuition for 3 hr course: UK (i.s) UK (o.s) U. of Phoenix*U. of Phoenix* GRD$450$900$1380 UGRD$300 $1320$1095 * 5 week “online” course, 20 hrs/wk with 2-3 hrs of connect-time (brief upload/download sessions)

Allocation of UK DL Tuition u Central Admin 30% u DL Prgms 17.5% u Instruction 52.5%

Instructional Funds per Student (in- state) for 3 hr DL course at UK u Undergraduate:$ –$ for 15 student course – (15 is a large DL math course) u Graduate:$ –$ for 15 student course

Conclusion: u DL feasible only at supplemental rates (i.e only as an auxiliary activity to the on- campus instructional program), u No funding for senior faculty program development,

Our approach determined by: u Severe economic constraint, u Several years of experiment

Initial DL Courses: Shower curtain Ancient borrowed “elmo” Last second hardware fix Undergraduate assistant Instructor phone

Live session: Home camcorder “control room”

In Our Early DL Experiments we Observed : u We were basically talking to VCR’s. People need DL because the time they have to invest in education is available at random u Students tended to cluster together in small groups to work on course material u The communications technology the distant students were using was virtually identical to that being used as instructional technology on campus

Basic Assumptions for DL: u Traditional format provides the optimal instructional experience, u Primary objective in distant instruction is to provide the same experience to remote students as that afforded on-campus, u Distant and local students will have essentially the same electronic communication and computation environments, u Individual distant students will participate on schedules tailored to their individual needs

General Strategy: u Model DL as a metaphor for the well- understood lecture recitation format u Use the identity of DL and local instructional technology to integrate programs so that development and faculty costs are shared, u Use supplemental income from DL to support graduate students who provide the additional teaching services to distant students.

Any course has two primary features which must have DL analogs u Entertainment –lecture, web page, text, etc. –scales (essentially) indefinitely –DL can provide very large scale factor u Service –student consultation, evaluation –certification –does not scale –DL requires fractional scale factor (  ½) ( twice the cost per student)

Try the easy part first: u See if we can make the lectures work

Local/Distant Lectures u Faculty prepare lectures in advance and they are recorded in ITV studio –lectures take huge amount of time to prepare –must be done with prepared slides –blackboard not systematically feasible –lectures have very high information density –less need for repetition when they can be replayed –Doesn’t work well to record in-class lectures if they involve technical details (expository lectures work well)

Numerous Formats Possible u Compressed video u Direct broadcast tv u tape u CD/DVD u netcast –cheapest –most flexible –fewest dissemination problems –smallest bandwidth –least developed

In addition to Faculty, DL lectures require substantial: u Staff Resources –production and post-production –most can be done by advanced students –must work closely with faculty u Technical Infrastructure –production and distribution

Resources to build on: u Large, strong faculty with ability to recruit, serve, and effectively employ graduate teaching assistants, u Excellent campus-wide communications infrastructure, u Excellent administrative support from College and V.P for Information Systems u Math Sciences organization with Extensive experience in distance learning and computer communications

Math Sciences DL Staff Infrastructure (Fall 1998): Faculty Director

Student post-production staff and senior staff mentor/supervisor Liu, chemistry graduate student Dan, senior staff and communications graduate student Kathryn, math graduate student

Senior Hardware Specialist (Mike)

Math Sciences DL Communications Infrastructure Library Campus High Speed Network Classroom Building Faculty, staff offices World Internet Math Sciences Instructional Labs, ITV Classroom New very high speed R&D network

The basic Model

Lectures for a regularly scheduled class are moved to a DL classroom/studio u Lectures recorded electronically, u Instructional visuals (slides, sketches, computer screen images captured dynamically)

Current Studio (built ca. 1985) Not needed for Algebra Talk

Lectures are edited at the desktop by faculty, staff, graduate student team u Supplemental audio and video clips, links previous classes added, class web page edited, etc. u High speed Math Sciences Network and DL Studio make this possible Computer/DL Staff Desktop Graduate TA Desktop Math Sciences Video Server Faculty Desktop Digital DL Studio Campus Network

Students in Labs and Libraries Have Access to Edited Lectures and Integrated Software on Demand Video Server LABS Library Internet student

Open lab facilities in library 40+ stations in this facility Earphones

Library is “distant” enough to simulate “D” in DL Dorm Complex Library View from faculty, staff office building Studio, development labs, and most math classrooms

Development Program Home Page: Calculus Course Experiment Information

Overview of the current experiment u Ma semester hour, general studies calculus course u Experiment involves 3 of 30 fall 1998 sections - initially about 75 students – students did not volunteer

Experimental Intro Calculus Course Syllabus Text: HTML and color Postscript

Course Video Page Individual Lectures Lecture Segments

Course Video Page (cont.) Review for Test 2 Chapter 12 Lecture (multiple segments) Solutions to Exam 2 Access to Web pages with or without video

Video lecture synchronized with web pages

HTML Index “Lecture Diagram” Web Page

“ Click and Clack” Model with two lecturers

Narrated explanation of text example

Students particularly like brief, annotated, “step by step” clips

“Interaction” with Lecture (“Click and Clack” model) There are frequent breaks where students work are asked to work on a problem before continuing

Break Problem

Interaction: is essential component of “web outline with video” format Student initiates brief topical video from within web page Page is based on book organization

Textbook Concerns: u Intellectual Property –What portion of a text can be posted to web? –Homework problems? (solutions?) –Does “fair use” extend to cases when non students have access? u Wanted web version of text for easy reference u Wanted to tie lectures closely to text by using text organization for lectures. u Wanted to be able to adapt course in light of experience

Resolution: u Adapted a “GNU License” text prepared by Neal Koblitz of University of Washington u Original source in AMSTeX u Moved to LaTeX in Calculus and ATE projects - LaTeX source on dissemination “CHISEL” CD’s from those projects. u Moved LaTeX source to Maple Worksheet format then exported various version:

All figures in text were converted to Maple Graphics

Multiple versions of text then generated from Maple source u Idea developed by Carl Eberhart u Uses PERL file manipulation scripts to organize multiple worksheets into books u Generate indices u “colorize” graphics u methods shared in workshop format

Multiple Documents Derived from Single Source Document u HTML (full color and graphics from web) u On-line formatted text (Color Postscript to be viewed directly or downloaded from web) u “Live Text” (complete text in form of computer algebra text - text calculations and graphics can be calculated directly by student or teacher). u “Lecture Slide” version for in-class and video u “Hard copy” inexpensive student text and workbooks u (In principle) changes in source produce changes in other materials making adaptation easy.

HTML Version of Text Viewed with any web browser (e.g. Netscape) Hyper-text Index Full color

Postscript Version of Text Traditional Book Format with full index, graphics From exported LaTeX Also online

Inexpensive Student Text Pocket book size, Retained by Student Cost about $10 Elaborate graphics in electronic versions Local version each course if desired. Produced from Postscript version

“Live (interactive) Worksheet Text Computer Calculations done and graphics created directly from text

Video/Slide Version Text directly edited to produce lecture slides and web pages for videos

Experience to Date in MA123 u Major problem is student compliance –Large number (50%) do not view lectures –attendance not enforced directly –these students dropped out very quickly u Students who do comply do very well –high grades, student morale, u Recitation format is enjoyable for faculty –time for remedial work –animated classes –recitations themselves don’t require that much work

Production : (Faculty Perspective) u Video lectures take a very large amount of time to prepare and deliver –figure 5 hours per class hour (initial production) u Job can be shared - no need for one person to do them all u Relatively simple to supplement lectures –review sheets –test solutions –makes it simple to “personalize” recitation sections

Consensus: u Lectures will work u lecture load can be shared among multiple instructors u lectures can be improved incrementally u some component of the course is needed to reinforce compliance

Next Steps: Remote services u Spring 1999 with small number of Ma123 students u “Distant Office Hours” u Will use conferencing software such as MS Netmeeting to talk to students in the study rooms in the library. u Open path to distant recitation sections using same technology in fall 1999.

DL Students view lectures electronically u Tape, CD, DVD, TV, Netcast, etc. u Formal appearance same as for on campus students viewing in labs or library u Typically in small groups

Exchanging Mathematics Using Maple or TeX Source Documents Student computer text file text file Teacher Computer

Real Time Application Sharing Student computerTeacher computer Internet

Small group discussion and office hours are handled primarily via electronic conferencing Internet

Spring 1999 Experiment u Small group study rooms in library used to model distant student environment u Conference directly with faculty office

Small study rooms serve as metaphors for “home” environment 18 Rooms with computer, table and chairs, and marking surface Signs say “Reserved for MA123”

Connected to faculty, TA, staff offices by high speed network

Now Soon Conferencing Capability

“Course Packaging” u Write lectures, web pages, communications software to CD (DVD) u Experience in doing so developed with CHISEL project u Prepare Ma 123 distribution in summer 1999 for use on campus in Fall 1999 u Intellectual Property Issues: –faculty/UK ownership –control

CHISEL CD System: Standard communications environment and materials distribution

CHISEL System u CD format, u Contains all material distribution form and in source, u Contains all formatting software and viewers which can be freely distributed (system does install), u establishes common communications environment among all users.

DVD System under development: u Contains complete (updated) CHISEL environment u complete materials in source with formatting software u Complete set of lectures (20 hours) coordinated with web pages u Cross-indexed among courses –permits packaging of prerequisite materials –permits production of programs rather than simple courses

Concurrent development in `99: u Second Iteration of Ma 123 –development philosophy: improve by iteration –no “final version” u dissemination program: –tools, production methodology –ma375 (Communicating Mathematics) –ma503 (Summer workshop series) u Other courses: –PDE (sp. 1999) –Ma162 (sp. 1999)

3 Week Summer Workshop Program for teachers Building text materials

Ma 375/503 u Dissemination of techniques, methodology, u Develop graduate and undergraduate staff and teaching assistants

Math 375: Communicating Mathematics Department of Mathematics University of Kentucky Tools for electronically sharing mathematical ideas