1. Drs. Mai Yin Tsoi and Sonal Dekhane MEETING STUDENTS' NEEDS IN-HOUSE: SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT WITH PEERS AS CLIENTS TO INCREASE RESEARCH SKILLS GGC STEM Mini-Grant Spring 2012

2.  Background  ITEC 3870  CHEM 2211  Research Skills Targeted  Fundamentals of TsoiChem II App  Quantitative Results  Peer Evaluations  Usability Testing  Future Directions OVERVIEW OF ITEC/CHEM PARTNERSHIP

3.  Background:  Inspiration: daughter’s iTouch experience  Dr. Tsoi’s goal: iTouch  learning tool  Main objective:  Will using a touch-screen device be effective for learning a new skill? BACKGROUND

4.  Number of participants: 12  Males: 9  Females: 3  Age range: 21 – 50+ years old  Ethnicity: majority Caucasian, 2 African- American, 1 Asian  Previous Experience: 2 students in mobile apps development, 1 in graphics and design DEMOGRAPHIC DATA – ITEC 3870

5.  Junior/senior level course  Goal: teach students how to implement SD in real-world projects  Project-based course  Small enrollment  Mobile apps introduced 1 st class meeting ITEC 3870 – SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT II

6.  Required course for majors in: Biology, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dental, etc.  Historically VERY difficult  Visual in nature – utilizes spatial, logical, abstract thinking  Mechanism drawings– difficult skill to master CHEM 2211/2 – ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

7. Traditional SD course  Communication skills: discussed / studied  Written skills: for instructor, evaluated by instructor  Multiple perspectives: limited GGC SD Partnership  Communication skills applied with “client”  Written skills: for CHEM students, evaluated by app users  Multiple perspectives: enriched by CHEM students WHY PARTNERSHIP BENEFICIAL

8.  Develop effective reading, writing, and communication skills  Demonstrate creativity and critical thinking  Demonstrate effective use of information technology  Demonstrate an ability to collaborate in diverse and global contexts  Demonstrate an understanding of human and institutional decision making from multiple perspectives  Demonstrate an understanding of moral and ethical principles  Demonstrate and apply leadership principles GGC’S SEVEN IEE GOALS

9. Objective 1: Develop effective reading, writing, and communication skills IEE 1 Interacting with Organic professor, students; setting up requirement documents, project plans Objective 2: Demonstrate creativity and critical thinking IEE 2Design of mobile app Objective 3: Demonstrate effective use of information technology IEE 3 Xcode, Apple Interface Builder, learning Objective C Objective 4: Demonstrate an ability to collaborate in diverse and global contexts IEE 4 Working together as a class and with Organic students to design app Objective 5: Demonstrate an understanding of human and institutional decision making from multiple perspectives IEE 5 Design of mobile app--taking into account how a range of users might make a variety of choices while playing mobile app Objective 6: Demonstrate an understanding of moral and ethical principles IEE 6 Plagarism of existing code from other sources, referencing appropriate sources Objective 7: Demonstrate and apply leadership principles IEE 7 SD students taking charge of various phases of design and development cycle HOW PROJECT SUPPORTS IEE GOALS

10. Objective 1: SD class documents; class presentation videos; conference calls; discussion boards Objective 2: Instructor evaluation of SD students’ coding of mobile app – grading rubric Objective 3: SD student midterm/final exam grades Objective 4: SD students peer evaluations; teacher evaluations on collaboration, participation Objective 5: SD students Use Case Diagrams – analyzed for multiple perspectives of users – Use Case Grading Rubric Objective 6: SD citations and references – Grading Rubric Objective 7: SD students’ peer evaluations; teacher evaluations on leadership ASSESSMENT

11. ORAL PRESENTATION RUBRIC

12. PEER EVALUATION

13. BLOG REFLECTION RUBRIC

14.  Molecular reactivity explained = electron movement  Students required to draw arrows = electron movement  Need to understand origin, direction, target  Many struggle – several concepts used simultaneously WHAT IS A MECHANISM?

15. EXAMPLE OF A MECHANISM

16. TSOICHEM II: BACK FOR THE ATTACK  3 Modes of Learning  Identify, Draw, Challenge  Tutorial screens, Help screens  Colors to differentiate / guide user  Visuals re-affirmed by color and sound  Positive visuals/sounds as rewards  Sounds/visuals when incorrect

17.  Unexpected group dynamics  Leadership varied  Affected by personality, experience  Learning objectives trumped by project  Students sacrificed learning for sake of project  Pride regardless of participation  Realization of importance = communication  Breakdown caused issues  Feelings, pride hurt  Power issues RESULTS OF PEER EVALUATIONS & INTERVIEWS

18.  Very little self-reflection  More ‘reporting’ than communicative  Little interaction between parties  Majority of communication = phone, email  Mini-teams communicated the most  Future: devise better method to document communication RESULTS FROM STUDENT BLOGS

19.  Students found UT extremely helpful  Evidence of awareness of multiple perspectives  Evidence of leadership  Evidence of communication skills improvement  Evidence of critical thinking  Analyzing why user’s comments were new, unforseen RESULTS FROM USABILITY TESTING

20. FUTURE DIRECTIONS Analyze student interviews further Analyze student blogs further Instructor evaluations Quiz/final exam scores

21. THANK YOU! Dr. Mai Yin Tsoi and Dr. Sonal Dekhane mtsoi@ggc.edu sdekhane@ggc.edu