1. 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)
14/06/2018

2. 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.

3. Problem solving session: an example
Positioning test July % 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

4. Problem solving session: an example
Positioning test July % 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

5. Problem solving session: an example
Positioning test July % 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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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.

10. Geogebra applets Find the length of the blue curve.
Positioning test July % correct (635 participants)
Find the length of the blue curve.
Thanks to Koen Paes

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

12. 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…

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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