Developing and Evaluating a Classroom Orchestration Toolkit for Visualization Education

该项目旨在通过开发一种软件工具来帮助学生学习数据可视化理论和设计原则，从而为国家利益服务。数据的使用已成为现代决策过程的重要组成部分。学生们必须学会如何分析和推理数据。可视化已经成为分析和理解数据的重要方法。教育工作者目前缺乏有效地教学生如何可视化数据的工具。这个项目的目标是开发一个软件工具，VisSymphony，它将允许教师创建和调节与可视化相关的课堂活动。为了促进主动学习，教师将能够向学生提供实时反馈，系统将对学生提交的内容提供即时反馈。项目团队计划与合作讲师一起设计工具，并收集和分析数据，以了解工具的有效性。该项目旨在解决可视化教育中的两个重要问题：(1)需要软件工具来帮助学生学习可视化设计理论和原则；(2)缺乏对课堂编排如何改善可视化教育和为学生准备工作的理解。通过评估VisSymphony如何影响教育体验，研究人员希望了解如何将课堂编排操作化，以有效地教授和学习可视化。研究小组将使用双周期编码技术。在编码的第一个周期中，项目团队将使用开放/初始编码方法，在第二个周期中使用模式编码方法。然后，该团队将对编码数据进行统计测试，以了解VisSymphony如何影响可视化教育体验。VisSymphony的开发和改进将遵循参与式设计方法，利用社区反馈来创建一个灵活的教育工具。NSF IUSE: EHR计划支持研究和开发项目，以提高所有学生STEM教育的有效性。通过参与学生学习轨道，该计划支持有前途的实践和工具的创建，探索和实施。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to serve the national interest by developing a software tool that will help students to learn data visualization theories and design principles. The use of data has become an essential part of the modern decision-making process. It is imperative that students learn how to analyze and reason about data. Visualization has become an essential method for analyzing and understanding data. Educators currently lack the tools that allow them to effectively teach students how to visualize data. The goal of this project is to develop a software tool, VisSymphony, that will allow instructors to create and moderate visualization-related classroom activities. To promote active learning, instructors will be able to provide real-time feedback to students, and the system will provide immediate feedback on student submissions. The project team plans to work together with partnering instructors to design the tool and to collect and analyze data to understand the effectiveness of the tool. This project intends to address two significant issues in visualization education: (1) The need for software tools that help students learn visualization design theories and principles, and (2) The lack of understanding of how classroom orchestration can improve visualization education and prepare students for the workforce. By evaluating how VisSymphony impacts the educational experience, the investigators hope to learn about how classroom orchestration can be operationalized to effectively teach and learn about visualization. The research team will use a two-cycle coding technique. In the first cycle of coding, the project team will use an open/initial coding method and in the second cycle use a pattern coding method. The team will then apply statistical tests to the coded data to understand how VisSymphony affects the visualization education experience. VisSymphony’s development and refinement will follow a participatory design approach utilizing community feedback to create a flexible tool for education. The NSF IUSE: EHR Program supports research and development projects to improve the effectiveness of STEM education for all students. Through the Engaged Student Learning track, the program supports the creation, exploration, and implementation of promising practices and tools.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.