Project Evaluations

This evaluation describes the context in which the Film Language Glossary was produced and implemented in Professor Richard Peña's Fall 2005 graduate course "Introduction to Film Studies." The document also covers the design and deployment of the Glossary in Peña's class; an overview of the findings derived from this evaluation; and, finally, recommendations for future implementations of the Glossary in the classroom.

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Epiville is a series of web-based exercises in which students investigate a series of public health problems by assuming the role of an intern at the Department of Health in a fictional town. The exercises were designed to incorporate theories of adult learning. As part of the development process, the design team performed an evaluation of the students' learning experience, utilizing data from student and faculty surveys and interviews. In addition, the team engaged a research cognitive psychologist to perform an external evaluation.

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In 2003, CCNMTL collaborated with the University Libraries to design and evaluate an online environment to help students develop and enhance their academic research skills. The evaluation team developed a two-part instrument, which observed and recorded students as they completed a task-based exercise utilizing the environment and also questioned them about their experience. The evaluation report describes the major findings that emerged and suggests next steps for its development.

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This evaluation describes and assesses the implementation of the first iteration of Video Interactions for Teaching and Learning (VITAL), an online study environment deployed in Spring 2003 in Professor Herbert Ginsburg's course "The Development of Mathematical Thinking" at Teachers College. The study utilizes and examines student work, including weekly assignments, video lessons, and the final assignment; weekly reflections from students and a guest observer, a faculty member from another university; and student questionnaires.

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Faculty: Stephanie Pfirman
Barnard College

This evaluation summary focuses upon the online journaling techniques employed in the Poles Together project in the Fall 2003 course "Exploring the Poles," a Barnard College first-year seminar. Through class observations, student questionnaires, interviews and focus groups with students, analyses of student work, and frequent communications with class instructors, the evaluators concluded that online journals were used effectively to improve students writing skills and as a just-in-time fast feedback loop for faculty preparing lecture material and class discussions.

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ReliefSim was designed to train humanitarian workers to manage complex emergencies. As part of our Andrew W. Mellon Foundation-supported efforts, CCNMTL and our project partner, the University of Oxford's Refugee Studies Centre, tested a proof-of-concept prototype at the Mailman School of Public Health. An external evaluator from the UK Open University's Institute of Educational Technology observed and evaluated the use of the prototype. The evaluation utilized surveys and a focused class observation.

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This design research report describes the development of a new application that provides students with a digital workspace in which to view, excerpt, describe, and analyze film clips in order to apply film vocabulary to create new understandings about film. The report outlines the educational need and lists the educational hypotheses to be tested. It provides a summary of the development process, the technological intervention, and its implementation in a semester-long School of the Arts Film class. It includes an assessment of the intervention and recommended revisions in light of the evaluation.

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Students assume the roles of reporters covering a fire in a fictitious small city in News Sim, where they practice news-gathering skills, interviewing techniques, and writing in a controlled environment that approximates some of the conditions found in the real world. In addition to surveys and interviews, the primary researcher observed student volunteers utlizing the simulation. As a result, the evaluation provides a strong portrait of navigation strengths and weaknesses. The evaluation also points out the ability of the simulation to introduce and train students in many of the skills of investigative reporting.

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This evaluation summary focuses upon how and to what extent students utilized discussion boards in this class of 300 students, required of all SIPA MPA and MIA students. Employing multiple research methods, including class observations, surveys, and focus groups, the authors discuss the spatial and temporal expansion of the course, its enriched content, the development of a class community, as well as resistance to digital technologies.

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This database allows faculty to organize content online in a manner that reveals the multiple connections within a collection of digital assets (slides, images, movies, audio, text) for use in their courses.

The evaluation compared the intentions of designers and faculty with the actual uses students made of the technology within a semester course. Researchers utilized focus groups, surveys, observations, and interviews. Amongst their conclusions are recommendations as to the importance of "help" sections and classroom infrastructure.

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Located in 308 Lewisohn Hall, the Experimental Digital Classroom features a SmartBoard and wireless internet connections that allow faculty and students the flexibility to incorporate multimedia in class presentations. The evaluation addressed how faculty and students in eight different classes utilized the classroom's different features. The primary researcher obtained data by means of faculty and student surveys, faculty interviews, and observing classes. The study points to how technology, thoughtfully employed, can support transformative teaching and learning experiences.

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The evaluation attempted to determine the effectiveness of the multimedia study environment (MSE) as a generic learning tool, as well as the capacity of this particular study environment to enhance students' understanding of Danto's philosophy of aesthetics. Research took the form of detailed observations of volunteer participants, who explored the MSE, completed a sample essay assignment, and discussed their experiences utilizing the MSE. The study notes the importance of visual resources in the supplementary materials as well as the correlation between student learning styles and resources consulted.

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Much of the data in this evaluation was collected by a survey administered through the Course Director of Sciences Basic to the Practice of Medicine of Dentistry to the 206 students enrolled in the course. The evaluation indicates that over 80% of students found the Heart Simulator useful for learning various aspects of heart mechanics. Student responses indicate the relationship between the ability to manipulate individual variables and understanding various concepts as well as the importance of instant feedback and visualizations.

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