March 25, 2012, 10:17 pm
Anthony E. Kelly, Office of Educational Technology, US Department of Education, and George Mason University
This post builds on analyses of two use cases by Barbara Means of SRI. One case describes the testing of a multimedia intervention in a college-level course. The other case describes course redesign using longitudinal data analysis.
Drawing on these two cases, I propose some new approaches to design-based research, including increased collaboration through shared design and data repositories. I seek feedback on these nascent analyses, and welcome similar cross-case analyses using these and other use cases. READ MORE
March 19, 2012, 2:31 pm
Challenge: Timely Feedback for Every Level of the Education System
Stakeholders: Developers, Corporate Decision Makers, Teachers, Students
Tech Affordances: Immediate feedback from end users at scale; Longitudinal measures
Methods: Controlled trials of new approaches
Author: Barbara Means based on a presentation by Bror Saxberg for the February 12 convening of the Next Generation Learning Challenges Wave 1 Grantees, Austin, TX.
The Challenge: Kaplan Inc. has grown from a small test preparation business to a major provider of online learning. Bror Saxberg, Kaplan’s Chief Learning Officer, points out that most commercial providers of services for K-12 and higher education face a “double-buyer situation” since they need to satisfy two kinds of stakeholders. READ MORE
December 23, 2011, 6:07 am
Educational accountability systems have focused the attention of schools and districts on students’ performance on end-of-year state achievement tests. Whether or not a student scores on these tests at a level that meets or exceeds the proficiency requirement has consequences for superintendents, principals, and teachers. A whole industry has grown up around the provision of assessments that can be administered during the school year to identify those students at risk of failing to score proficient on the end-of-year exam.
Critics point to the amount of time this interim assessment activity is taking away from instruction while advocates point to the usefulness of assessing during the school year when there is still time to give extra support to those students who need it. READ MORE
