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We have generalized the process of anonymous online review
by creating a system that allows students to author explanations
for instructor-provided questions. These explanations are
read and reviewed by other students. Our system, which we
call ExplaNet, is a cross between discussion boards and
online quizzes. Beyond creating a powerful environment for
collaboration, and encouraging students to think critically
about concepts, ExplaNet provides a framework for content
development. It is both difficult and expensive for instructors
to create course materials that will appeal to a variety
of students. Each student brings to a class a unique background
knowledge and perspective, as well as a set of preferences
for how they best assimilate course material. ExplaNet exploits
this diversity by shifting the process of creating course
content from the instructor to the pool of students, who
we feel are better suited to generate course materials for
their peers.
If questions cover important concepts, students will generate
a lot of course content. Students who do not understand
a concept will have access to the varied explanations created
by other students. In addition to fostering these explanations,
ExplaNet provides individualized rankings of the explanations
based on both
explicit student ranks as well as student profiles and learning
styles. These rankings can be used to filter explanations
and reduce the volume of extraneous or poorly suited information
presented to each student. The rankings are based on the
assumption that if student A is ``like'' student B in some
important way, student A's explanation will be more useful
for student B than for some very difference student C. In
addition to the creation of course content, instructors
can use ExplaNet to asses students answers and trace the
flow of information throughout the class.
For a demo of the software contact Jessica Masters at jmasters@soe.ucsc.edu.
Masters, J., Madhyastha, T. M. and Shakouri, A.
"ExplaNet: A Framework to Manage and Analyze Student-Authored Course Content" ;
in American Society of Engineering Education, Nashville, TN, June 2003.
American Society of Engineering Education, Nashville, TN, June 2003:
ExplaNet: A Framework to Manage and Analyze Student-Authored Course Content
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