Cyber PLTL (cPLTL): Development, Implementation, and Evaluation

在美国，在线课程的入学人数增长速度远远快于整体高等教育入学人数。在2007年秋季学期，近390万学生至少参加了一门在线课程。这占2007年秋季入学总人数的21.9%，高于2002年秋季的9.9%。在390万学生中，超过80%的学生在本科阶段学习。公共机构和社区学院的在线课程增长率最高，包括除工程学以外的科学学科。为了覆盖所有本科理科课程的学生，需要集中精力创造各种有效的网络学习环境。智力优势：该项目正在制作和研究通过同行领导的团队学习（PLTL）加强网络学习所需的工具和条件。该项目研究了如何利用技术来加强已经在STEM课程中证明有益的教育策略。为了实现这一目标，该项目正在创建一个网络PLTL（cPLTL），这是一个在线协作环境，用于举办PLTL讲习班;研究cPLTL环境在复制传统面对面PLTL方法的已证明益处方面的有效性;检查cPLTL讲习班中现有PLTL材料的有效性;修改现有的培训课程，使同侪领导者成为cPLTL模式的有效促进者;为在cPLTL工作坊学习化学的学生提供简短的技术培训;并阐明了成功实施cPLTL计划的关键组成部分。 正在进行一项评价，以收集关于制订和实施共同语言和文字培训方案进程的数据。评估还包括一个准实验性研究，比较cPLTL与传统的PLTL部分，在同一时间教授。更广泛的影响：cPLTL有可能增加参与和保留在STEM领域的代表性不足的群体，通过提供积极的学习和领导机会，以更多样化的学生群体在一个灵活的时间框架。此外，cPLTL有可能加强社区学院招收学生的能力，这些学生通常在大二后离开学院，担任同龄人领袖。此外，如果成功，cPLTL的实施将鼓励其他化学课程，STEM学科和机构，特别是那些拥有大量非传统和通勤学生群体的机构采用。 虽然对cPLTL的研究不在本项目的范围内，但其他补充项目正在探索一些研究问题。cPLTL环境允许通过捕获聊天会话、书面协作、语音记录和视频来收集学生交互的数据。这种捕获和保存的数据允许对cPLTL中的学生互动进行研究，这在面对面的PLTL研讨会中无法达到这种详细程度。

Enrollment in online courses in the United States has been growing substantially faster than the overall higher education enrollment. Almost 3.9 million students were taking at least one online course during the Fall 2007 term. This represents 21.9% of the total enrollment in Fall 2007, up from 9.9% in Fall 2002. Over 80% of the 3.9 million students are studying at the undergraduate level. Public institutions and community colleges have seen the highest rate of increase in online courses including the science disciplines with the exception of engineering. In order to reach all students taking undergraduate science courses, efforts need to focus on creating a variety of effective cyberlearning environments. Intellectual Merit: This project is producing and studying the tools and conditions required for enhanced cyberlearning through Peer-Led Team Learning (PLTL). The project investigates how technology can be used to enhance an educational strategy that already has proven beneficial in STEM courses. To accomplish this goal, the project is creating a cyber PLTL (cPLTL), an online collaborative environment for conducting PLTL Workshops; studying the effectiveness of a cPLTL environment in duplicating the proven benefits of the traditional, face-to-face PLTL method; examining the effectiveness of the existing PLTL materials in cPLTL Workshops; modifying the existing training course for the peer leaders to be effective facilitators in the cPLTL model; developing brief technology training for students learning chemistry in cPLTL workshops; and articulating the critical components vital to successful implementation of a cPLTL program. An evaluation is gathering data on the process of development and implementation of cPLTL. The evaluation also includes a quasi-experimental study of how cPLTL compares to traditional PLTL sections that are taught at the same time.Broader Impacts: cPLTL has the potential to increase participation and retention of underrepresented groups in the STEM fields by providing active learning and leadership opportunities to a more diverse group of students in a flexible time frame. Also, cPLTL has the potential to strengthen the ability of community colleges to recruit students, who typically leave the institution after the sophomore year, to serve as peer leaders. In addition, if successful, cPLTL implementation will encourage adoption by other chemistry courses, STEM disciplines, and institutions, especially those with large non-traditional and commuter student populations. While research on cPLTL is not within the scope of this project, other complementary projects are probing a number of research questions. The cPLTL environment allows data collection on student interactions by capturing chat sessions, written collaboration, voice recordings, and video. This captured and saved data allows for research on student interactions in cPLTL, which has not been possible at this level of detail in face-to-face PLTL Workshops.