The Sudbury school strike — The effect on students one year after

Conclusion In sum, two generalizations emerge from the research presented here. First, three months of Grade 13 do not contribute significantly to university relevant skills. Second, high school teacher strikes for periods of three months may not have significantly deleterious consequences for students who continue on to university. These conclusions must be qualified by the specific characteristics of time, place, and sample, as well as considered in the light of the alternative interpretations discussed in the text. Nevertheless, they are important results which could not have been predicted prior to the study.     

Education and the Ultimate Machine

The computer, still less than 40 years old, is shaping radical changes in the manner in which we work and play, think and feel, plan and manage. As the ultimate machine (much as the brain is the ultimate, irreplaceable organ) it is laden with emotional implications. And reasonably so, for our success in attempting to integrate it humanely into society will determine the future course of human conflict and development. There is no turning back. And upon the shoulders of educators will fall a major share of the responsibility for directing this inevitable computer-induced change.     

Context matters: increasing understanding with interactive Clicker Case studies

Although interactive technology is presumed to increase student understanding in large classes, no previous research studies have empirically explored the effects of Clicker Cases on students?? performance. A Clicker Case is a story (e.g., a problem someone is facing) that uses clickers (student response systems) to engage students in understanding the meaning of the science contained within the story. Using an experimental randomized Solomon design across 11 institutions, we found that Clicker Cases increased student understanding more than PowerPoint lectures in large introductory biology classrooms, although there was variation across institutions and topics. By examining student performance in conjunction with faculty experience, we found that strong Clicker Cases created dissonance, captured attention and involved students in interpreting data or making decisions. This study provides a model for collaborative research across multiple institutions and demonstrates the need for using multiple institutions and topics in research on education.     

Get Your Head into the Clouds: Using Word Clouds for Analyzing Qualitative Assessment Data

Word clouds (or tag clouds) are popular, fun ways to display text data in graphical form; however, we contend that they can also be useful tools in assessment. Using word clouds, instructors can quickly and easily produce graphical depictions of text representing student knowledge. By investigating the patterns of words or phrases, or lack thereof, in textual student responses, instructors can evaluate if students, as a whole, have grasped or missed key concepts or have made common mistakes. Word clouds can be used to provide formative assessment feedback to students, and to identify common themes in student reflection papers. They can also be useful as a starting point or screening tool for large amounts of text data, whether related to assessment or not.