CIRCL News: NSF Update on Cyberlearning
Happy New Year from CIRCL! Here are a few key tidings of the new year:
- A call for EXP proposals, due February 10.
- Our signature convening, Cyberlearning ’17, will take place April 18-19 in Arlington, VA.
- Feature your work at the Video Showcase; register to present by February 15.
- Don’t miss our new CIRCL Primer on Remote Labs. Want to see your name in lights? Volunteer to help write a primer… the CIRCL team makes it easy!
And in case you missed it, check out recordings of CIRCL’s December webinar: NSF Update on Cyberlearning and January webinar: Exploring Speech Technology for Education Research.
STEM for All Video Showcase
The 2017 STEM for All Video Showcase: Research & Design for Impact funded by NSF will take place online the week of May 15-22, 2017. Last year’s showcase attracted tens of thousands of participants. You are invited to present a 3-minute video to showcase your NSF and other federally-funded project work that is aimed at improving STEM teaching and learning. If you want to be a presenter, you must register by February 15.
Cyberlearning Community Report
CIRCL is working with a group of cyberlearning researchers to produce a Cyberlearning Community Report on some of the exciting work our community is engaged in as we integrate the latest innovations in learning science and computer science into new research designs and methods. Specifically, we are focusing on the following:
|
|
If you are working on projects that incorporate any of these designs or methods, we’d love to include your work in the report. We intend to have a draft to share at Cyberlearning 2017 in mid-April, so please contact us soon.
Featured Perspective: Meet Ibrahim Dahlstrom-Hakki
Ibrahim Dahlstrom-Hakki is an Associate Professor and Director of the Landmark College Institute for Research and Training. His research focuses on new methods for teaching STEM to students with disabilities, and using eye-tracking technology to study the cognitive underpinnings of information processing.
Your work focuses on students who learn differently. How can the field of cyberlearning help these students?
Drawing the line between what is and what isn’t cyberlearning is a little fuzzy. For students with learning disabilities or learning differences assistive technology has long been a way to make content more accessible to them. The line between what is assistive technology, what is educational technology, and what is cyberlearning is blurring. Resources that were at one point specifically for students with learning disabilities — like speech to text, and text to speech technology — are now available across the board and useful to all learners Read more of Ibrahim’s perspective.
Project Spotlight: The Invention Coach
An interview with Catherine Chase, Assistant Professor of Human Development at Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Chase studies how exploratory learning activities impact student learning, transfer, and motivation, largely in the context of STEM education.
What is the big idea of your project?
How do we we help students transfer, in a flexible, adaptive way, what they are learning in school to novel contexts and situations? Our project focuses on transfer of concepts at the intersection of math and science, and one thing that we’ve found to be very successful at promoting this type of transfer is a method we call “invention” (Schwartz et al., 2011). Read more about The Invention Coach.
Opportunities: NSF Solicitations
The NSF Cyberlearning solicitation invites proposals for Exploration Projects (EXP). EXPs explore the proof-of-concept or feasibility of a novel or innovative technology and use of such technology for assessment or to promote learning, and are particularly suited to trying out new ideas, especially risky ones. Full proposal deadline: February 10.
The NSF Computer Science for All: Research Practice Partnerships (CS for All: RPP) solicitation invites proposals for researcher-practitioner partnerships (RPPs) that foster the research and development needed to bring CS/CT to all schools. Full proposal deadline: February 28.
The NSF Building Community and Capacity in Data Intensive Research in Education (BCC-EHR) solicitation invites proposals to enable research communities to develop visions, teams, and capabilities dedicated to creating new, large-scale, next-generation data resources and relevant analytic techniques to advance fundamental research for areas of research covered by EHR programs. Full proposal deadline: March 15.
The NSF BIGDATA solicitation invites proposals for novel approaches in computer science, statistics, computational science, and mathematics, along with innovative applications in domain science, including social and behavioral sciences, education, biology, the physical sciences, and engineering that lead towards the further development of the interdisciplinary field of data science. Submission window: March 15-22.
The NSF STEM + Computing Partnerships (STEM+C) solicitation invites proposals to advance a 21st century conceptualization of education that explicitly includes computing as a STEM discipline and as a discipline integral to the practice of all other STEM disciplines. Proposal deadline: March 29. Join Arlene deStrulle and STEM+C Program Officers in a webinar about STEM+C, held multiple times in the coming months.
Opportunities: Calls for Papers, Conferences, and More
Call for Papers: Special Issue on Multimedia Big Data Analytics in Technology Enhanced Learning. This special issue focuses on multimedia analytics, a new and exciting research area that combines multimedia analysis and visual analytics to create systems that analyze large-scale multimedia collections. Submission deadline: September 1.
Call for Journal Papers: Special Issue on Multimodal Data for Learning. This special issue of the Journal of Computer Assisted Learning (JCAL) is focused on the implications of the data collected through the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT) and maker movement. Submission deadline: May 8.
Call for Papers: Special issue on Connecting Learning Design and Learning Analytics. This special issue of Interaction Design and Architecture(s) Journal (IxD&A) solicits original research papers framing connecting learning design with learning analytics. Submission deadline: May 20.
Call for Chapters: The second edition of the Handbook of Mobile Teaching and Learning. The second edition will keep the previous sections and include a new section focusing on wearable technologies, virtual reality, augmented reality and artificial intelligence. Send chapter proposals to Dr. Aimee Zhang (aimee_zy@hotmail.com) or Dr. Dean Cristol (Cristol.2@osu.edu ).
Call for Nominations: 2017 Klaus J. Jacobs Research Prize. The prize awards outstanding scientific contributions of individuals from all scholarly disciplines aiming at improving the development and living conditions of children and youth or contributing to one of the Jacobs Foundation’s thematic priorities. Submission deadline: March 1.
EC-TEL 2017 will take place at Tallinn University in Estonia on September 12-15. EC-TEL engages researchers, practitioners, educational developers, entrepreneurs and policy makers to address current challenges and advances in the field of technology-enhanced learning. This year’s theme is “Data Driven Approaches in Digital Education”. Abstracts due April 3.
The 2017 Virtual Worlds Education Conference will be held at Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Florida on June 5-8. It will highlight research related to learning college-level STEM subjects in virtual worlds. Abstract submissions due March 3.
The Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS), to be held Jan 3-6, 2018, invites submission of Symposium, Workshop, and Tutorial (SWT) Proposals; Minitrack Proposals; Papers; and Pre-Conference Doctoral Consortium. Minitrack proposals are due February 12.
New Cyberlearning Awards
A sample of new projects with a cyberlearning theme funded by the NSF Cyberlearning program and programs across NSF.
Recent NSF Cyberlearning awards:
- CAP: Building Capacity for New Genre of Learning on the Move (LoM), funded by CFLT. PI: Rogers Hall, Vanderbilt University, Co-PIs: Ananda Marin, Katie Taylor.
- CAP: The Seventh Symposium on Educational Advances in Artificial Intelligence (EAAI-17), funded by CFLT. PI: Eric Eaton, Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence.
- Collaborative Research: Designing the Impact Studio — Dynamic Visualizations in the Write4Change Networked Community, funded by ITEST & CFLT. PIs: Glynda Hull, University of California-Berkeley; Amy Stornaiuolo, University of Pennsylvania.
- DIP: Graphical Model Construction by System Decomposition: Increasing the Utility of Algebra Story Problem Solving, funded by CFLT. PI: Kurt VanLehn, Arizona State University, Co-PIs: Jon Wetzel, Fabio Augusto Milner.
- EAGER: Mobile City Science: Youth Mapping Community Learning Opportunities, funded by CFLT. PI: Katie Taylor, University of Washington, Co-PIs: Nichole Pinkard, Andres Henriquez.
- EAGER: Teaching Computational Thinking through Programming Wearable Devices as Finite State Machines, funded by STEM+C & CFLT. PI: Ivon Arroyo, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, Co-PIs: Erin Ottmar, Kathi Fisler.
- EXP: Inclusive Design for Engaging All Learners (IDEAL): Designing Technology for Cultural Brokering, funded by CFLT. PI: Yanghee Kim, Utah State University, Co-PIs: Sherry Marx, Tung Nguyen.
- EXP: Inq-Blotter – A Real Time Alerting Tool to Transform Teachers’ Assessment of Science Inquiry Practices, funded by DRK-12 & CFLT. PI: Janice Gobert, Rutgers University New Brunswick, Co-PI: Michael Sao Pedro.
- EXP: Tenacity: Self-Regulation of Attention and Its Relationship with Learning, funded by CFLT. PI: Constance Steinkuehler, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Co-PIs: Kurt Squire, Richard Davidson.
- Workshop for Building a Network for Early Career Scholars of Games and Learning, funded by CFLT. PI: Owen Gottlieb, Rochester Institute of Technology, Co-PI: Crystle Martin.
Recent cyberlearning-themed awards across NSF:
- BIGDATA: Collaborative Research: IA: F: Latent and Graphical Models for Complex Dependent Data in Education, funded by Program Evaluation & BIGDATA. PI: Matthias von Davier, Educational Testing Service, Co-PI: Qiwei He.
- Cognitive load and representational competence: The development of an adaptive learning system to assist students with structure creation, funded by IUSE. PI: Nathaniel Grove, University of North Carolina at Wilmington.
- Collaborative Research: ArguLex – Applying Automated Analysis to a Learning Progression for Argumentation, funded by Core R&D. PIs: Christopher Wilson, Biological Sciences Curriculum Study; Mary Anne Sydlik, Western Michigan University; Mark Urban-Lurain, Michigan State University; Jonathan Osborne, Stanford University. Co-PIs: Molly Stuhlsatz, John Merrill, Kevin Haudek.
- Collaborative Research: Group-Based Cloud Computing for STEM Education Project, funded by ITEST. PIs: Uri Wilensky, Northwestern University; Walter Stroup, University of Texas at Austin. Co-PIs: Corey Brady, Anthony Petrosino.
- Collaborative Research: Using Data Mining and Observation to derive an enhanced theory of SRL in Science learning environments, funded by Core R&D. PIs: Ryan Baker, Columbia University; Gautam Biswas, Vanderbilt University. Co-PI: Luc Paquette.
- Developing Guidelines for Designing Challenging and Rewarding Interactive Science Exhibits, funded by AISL. PI: Clara Cahill, Museum of Science, Co-PI: Christine Reich, Gabrielle Rappolt-Schlichtmann.
- EAGER: Smart and Connected Communities: Reducing Friction in the L3 Connects Infrastructure: Embedding a recommender system into mobile apps to support real-time brokering, funded by AISL. PI: William Penuel, University of Colorado at Boulder, Co-PIs: Tamara Sumner, Nichole Pinkard.
- Informal Learning in Computer Science: Social and Conceptual Factors Related to Women’s Persistence, funded by AISL. PI: Louise Lyon, ETR Associates, Co-PI: Jill Denner.
- Intelligent Science Exhibits: Transforming Hands-on Exhibits into Mixed-Reality Learning Experiences, funded by AISL. PI: Ken Koedinger, Carnegie-Mellon University, Co-PIs: Scott Hudson, Kevin Crowley.
- Supporting Chemistry Learning with Adaptive Support for Connection Making Between Graphical Representations in a Cognitive Tutoring System, funded by IUSE. PI: Martina Rau, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Co-PI: Judith Burstyn.
- Visitor Interactions in Microbiology: A New Genre of Science Museum Exhibits, funded by AISL. PI: Hans Riedel-Kruse, Stanford University, Co-PI: Joyce Ma.
Resource & Tech Corner
Watch recordings of recent NAPLeS webinars featuring researchers including Sheryl Burgstahler (accessibility), Dan Hickey (motivation and interest), Sharon Ainsworth (multimedia learning), Dor Abrahamson (embodied learning), and Marlene Scardemalia and Carl Bereiter (knowledge building). NAPLeS webinars are freely available along with references to basic readings and most including the corresponding presentation slides.
The Common Guidelines for Education Research and Development report from IES and NSF explains specifications for early stage projects, and is one of many proposal writing resources on the CIRCL web site.
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine have released a new research agenda on Communicating Science Effectively (Download Free PDF option). The report examines some of the unique challenges connecting research and practice in science communication, especially with regards to topics subject to public controversy, and encourages the use of scientific processes to develop evidence-based strategies for effective science communication.
NSF awards funded since 2010 are required to submit a Project Outcomes Report upon completion of their work. These reports inform the public about the results of research conducted with taxpayer funding, and are a useful resource for preparing your own proposals by helping you learn from and build on prior work. Learn how to find Project Outcomes Reports.
The i3 Dissemination Community is joining forces with the Ed Tech Community to offer a module on Using Social Media for Dissemination. If you are interested in joining a kickoff call on February 14 at 2:00 p.m. EST to talk about the different platforms and their strengths and weaknesses for disseminating your work, email Rebby Carey (rcarey@edc.org).
Books & Publications
Have a recent publication or article about your cyberlearning project, or that you think the community should know about? Let us know and we’ll announce it here!
The 2016 Innovating Pedagogy Report proposes ten innovations that are already in currency but have not yet had a profound influence on education. This report is the result of collaboration between researchers at the The Open University in the UK and National Institute of Education in Singapore. It is the fifth in a series of annual reports on innovations in teaching, learning and assessment, intended for teachers, policy makers, academics and anyone interested in how education may change over the next ten years. CItation: Sharples, M., de Roock , R., Ferguson, R., Gaved, M., Herodotou, C., Koh, E., Kukulska-Hulme, A., Looi, C-K, McAndrew, P., Rienties, B., Weller, M., Wong, L. H. (2016). Innovating Pedagogy 2016: Open University Innovation Report 5. Milton Keynes: The Open University.
CIRCL congratulates the 15 projects featured in Stories from ITEST: Inspiring Young People to Pursue STEM Careers, in the Journal of Science Education and Technology (ITEST Special Issue, Dec 2016). The outcomes from these projects have contributed significantly to the national body of knowledge about strategies, successes, models, and interventions that support and encourage youth to pursue STEM careers. Register for a STELAR webinar on February 28 to hear from authors of this special issue.
The special issue of the IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies (TLT) on Learning through Wearable Technologies and the Internet of Things, edited by Mark Lee, contains 7 papers reporting innovations in six countries that represent the diverse domains of physics, public speaking, health and physical education, statistical literacy, language learning, and computing. The guest editorial preface is free to download and provides an overview of the articles. TLT articles become open access 12 months following publication. Citation: Lee, M. (2016). Guest Editorial: Special Section on Learning through Wearable Technologies and the Internet of Things, IEEE Transactions on Learning Technologies, Vol. 9, No. 4, October-December 2016.
Share Your News
Have some news (project highlights, publications, job opportunities, etc.) that you want to share? Contact CIRCL.
CIRCL is supported by NSF grants IIS-1233722, IIS-1441631, and IIS-1556486. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.