experiments in educational research & practice

Experiments in Educational Research & PracticeJoseph Jay Williams

josephjaywilliams@stanford.eduwww.josephjaywilliams.com

Lytics Lab, Office of the Vice Provost for Online Learning, Graduate School of Education, Stanford

Experiments in Educational Research & Practice• Kinds of Experiments

– Laboratory– Design experiment (Brown, 1992)– In vivo embedded experiments (Koedinger, Corbett & Perfetti, 2010)– Randomized Controlled Trial/Intervention

• Experiments & Internet, Online Education– Internet-facilitated Laboratory studies

• Mechanical Turk (tiny.cc/mechanicalturk )• Qualtrics/Rapid authoring tools (cognitivescience.co/qualtrics )• “A/B testing” more widespread

– Iterative Design & Improvement (Amy Collier, Stanford Office of Online Learning)– In vivo motivation experiment on Khan Academy (Williams et al, 2013, MOOCshop)– Conducting Randomized Trials over the Internet (Paunesku, Greene, Williams)– Bridging Studies (Williams et al, 2012; Williams & Poldsam, 2013)

• REPEAT Approach to Experimental Research on Online/Blended Resources• Identifying a Practical Online Context for your Research Question

– Partner with platform *early* in research– “Customer Development”: Engaging with Products/Teachers/Districts/Curricula Designers (Blank & Reese, 2010)– Examples of Blended Learning Resources & MOOCs– Examples of resources that support Randomized Trials

• Go to the source: Empirically test value of instructional prescriptions & professional development (University of Virginia,

– Interventions extended over time– Bridging studies

• Engaging with Practitioners– How to communicate value of experiments– Consulting

• Educational companies & publishers (marcy.baughman@pearson.com )• Corporate Training & E-Learning (E-learning guild, Devlearn, Bror Saxberg, Will Thalheimer)• Medical Education & Health Behavior (Medbiquitous, International Society for Internet Interventions, cognitivescience.co/behaviorchange)• Synthesize literature: PSLC Wiki, www.josephjaywilliams.com/education

– Grant funding (IES, NSF, Gates, Spencer, moocresearch.com)– Virtual collaboration on practical resources (www.learnnetwork.net )

• Experiments & …– Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (Rose)– Cognitive Tutors (Aleven, Ritter, Koedinger)– EDM & AIED (Stamper, Gordon, Pardos)

• Conducting Experiments (tiny.cc/conductingexperiments)

Kinds of Experiments

– Laboratory– Design experiment (Brown, 1992)– In vivo embedded experiments (Koedinger, Corbett & Perfetti, 2010)– Randomized Controlled Trial/Intervention

Experiments & Internet, Online Education

– Online Educational Resources– Internet-facilitated Laboratory studies

• Mechanical Turk (tiny.cc/mechanicalturk )• Qualtrics/Rapid authoring tools (cognitivescience.co/qualtrics )• “A/B testing” more widespread

– Iterative Design & Improvement (Amy Collier, Stanford Office of Online Learning)

– In vivo motivation experiment on Khan Academy (Williams et al, 2013, MOOCshop)

– Conducting Randomized Trials over the Internet (Paunesku, Greene, Williams)

– Bridging Studies (Williams et al, 2012; Williams & Poldsam, 2013)

Online Education

Send questions to tiny.cc/apsonlinelearning

A Novel Opportunity for Research

Integrate Research & Practice

• Real-world environment• Authentic activities• Practical Challenges

• Randomized assignment• Experimental Control• Rich data

• Generalizable theories• “in vivo” experiments• Diverse populations

• Practical improvements• Disseminate research• Generate Funding

Experiments & Internet, Online Education

– Internet-facilitated Laboratory studies• Mechanical Turk (tiny.cc/mechanicalturk )• Qualtrics/Rapid authoring tools (cognitivescience.co/qualtrics )• “A/B testing” more widespread

– Iterative Design & Improvement (Amy Collier, Stanford Office of Online Learning)

– In vivo motivation experiment on Khan Academy (Williams et al, 2013, MOOCshop)

– Conducting Randomized Trials over the Internet (Paunesku, Greene, Williams)

– Bridging Studies (Williams et al, 2012; Williams & Poldsam, 2013)

Jascha Sohl-Dickstein

In-vivo motivation experiment on Khan Academy

• Williams, Paunesku, Haley, & Sohl-Dickstein, MOOCshop, AIED

• Embed messages in online Khan Academy exercises• Effect of Growth Mindset beyond encouragement?

Implicit beliefs about Intelligence

• On a scale from 1 to 10, how much do you agree that?– Your intelligence is something very basic about you that you can’t

change very much.– No matter how much intelligence you have, you can always change it

quite a bit.

• Growth vs. Fixed Mindset (Dweck, 2007)

Experimentally manipulate added messagesPractice-as-usual

Some of these problems are hard. Do your best!Remember, the more you practice the smarter you become!

Growth Mindset Message

Positive Message

Design

• 50 000+ students per condition• Dependent measures:

– Number of problems completed– Number correct on first attempt– Accuracy

• Growth Mindset Message• "Remember, the more you practice the

smarter you become.”,• "Mistakes help you learn. Think hard to

learn from them.”

• Positive Message• "Some of these problems are hard. Just

do your best."• "This might be a tough problem, but we

know you can do it.”

Practice-as-usual

R.E.P.E.A.T. Framework for Online Education Research

• Realistic• Experimental• Product• Evaluated• Accessible• Theoretically motivated

• REPEAT – iteratively improve through revision & collaboration

13

Research & Practice in Online Education

• APS symposium: Williams, Saxberg, Means, Mitros. (2013). Online Learning and Psychological Science: Opportunities to integrate research and practice.

• Williams, J. J., Renkl, A., Koedinger, K., Stamper, J. (2013). Online Education: A Unique Opportunity for Cognitive Scientists to Integrate Research and Practice. In M. Knauff, M. Pauen, N. Sebanz, & I. Wachsmuth (Eds.), Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society.

Experiments in Educational Research & Practice• Kinds of Experiments

– Laboratory– Design experiment (Brown, 1992)– In vivo embedded experiments (Koedinger, Corbett & Perfetti, 2010)– Randomized Controlled Trial/Intervention

• Experiments & Internet, Online Education– Internet-facilitated Laboratory studies

• Mechanical Turk (tiny.cc/mechanicalturk )• Qualtrics/Rapid authoring tools (cognitivescience.co/qualtrics )• “A/B testing” more widespread

– Iterative Design & Improvement (Amy Collier, Stanford Office of Online Learning)– In vivo motivation experiment on Khan Academy (Williams et al, 2013, MOOCshop)– Conducting Randomized Trials over the Internet (Paunesku, Greene, Williams)– Bridging Studies (Williams et al, 2012; Williams & Poldsam, 2013)

• REPEAT Approach to Experimental Research on Online/Blended Resources• Identifying a Practical Online Context for your Research Question

– Partner with platform *early* in research– “Customer Development”: Engaging with Products/Teachers/Districts/Curricula Designers (Blank & Reese, 2010)– Examples of Blended Learning Resources & MOOCs– Examples of resources that support Randomized Trials

• Go to the source: Empirically test value of instructional prescriptions & professional development (University of Virginia,

– Interventions extended over time– Bridging studies

• Engaging with Practitioners– How to communicate value of experiments– Consulting

• Educational companies & publishers (marcy.baughman@pearson.com )• Corporate Training & E-Learning (E-learning guild, Devlearn, Bror Saxberg, Will Thalheimer)• Medical Education & Health Behavior (Medbiquitous, International Society for Internet Interventions, cognitivescience.co/behaviorchange)• Synthesize literature: PSLC Wiki, www.josephjaywilliams.com/education

– Grant funding (IES, NSF, Gates, Spencer, moocresearch.com)– Virtual collaboration on practical resources (www.learnnetwork.net )

• Experiments & …– Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (Rose)– Cognitive Tutors (Aleven, Ritter, Koedinger)– EDM & AIED (Stamper, Gordon, Pardos)

• Conducting Experiments (tiny.cc/conductingexperiments)

Identifying a Practical Online Context for your Research Question

– Partner with platform *early* in research– “Customer Development”: Engaging with

Products/Teachers/Districts/Curricula Designers (Blank & Reese, 2010)– Examples of Blended Learning Resources & MOOCs– Examples of resources that support Randomized Trials

• Go to the source: Empirically test value of instructional prescriptions & professional development (University of Virginia,

– Interventions extended over time– Bridging studies

Engaging with Practitioners

– How to communicate value of experiments– Consulting

• Educational companies & publishers (marcy.baughman@pearson.com )• Corporate Training & E-Learning (E-learning guild, Devlearn, Bror Saxberg, Will

Thalheimer)• Medical Education & Health Behavior (Medbiquitous, International Society for

Internet Interventions, cognitivescience.co/behaviorchange)• Synthesize literature: PSLC Wiki, www.josephjaywilliams.com/education

– Grant funding (IES, NSF, Gates, Spencer, moocresearch.com)– Virtual collaboration on practical resources (www.learnnetwork.net )

Experiments & …

– Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (Rose)– Cognitive Tutors (Aleven, Ritter, Koedinger)– EDM & AIED (Stamper, Gordon, Pardos)

Experiments in Educational Research & Practice• Kinds of Experiments

– Laboratory– Design experiment (Brown, 1992)– In vivo embedded experiments (Koedinger, Corbett & Perfetti, 2010)– Randomized Controlled Trial/Intervention

• Experiments & Internet, Online Education– Internet-facilitated Laboratory studies

• Mechanical Turk (tiny.cc/mechanicalturk )• Qualtrics/Rapid authoring tools (cognitivescience.co/qualtrics )• “A/B testing” more widespread

– Iterative Design & Improvement (Amy Collier, Stanford Office of Online Learning)– In vivo motivation experiment on Khan Academy (Williams et al, 2013, MOOCshop)– Conducting Randomized Trials over the Internet (Paunesku, Greene, Williams)– Bridging Studies (Williams et al, 2012; Williams & Poldsam, 2013)

• REPEAT Approach to Experimental Research on Online/Blended Resources• Identifying a Practical Online Context for your Research Question

– Partner with platform *early* in research– “Customer Development”: Engaging with Products/Teachers/Districts/Curricula Designers (Blank & Reese, 2010)– Examples of Blended Learning Resources & MOOCs– Examples of resources that support Randomized Trials

• Go to the source: Empirically test value of instructional prescriptions & professional development (University of Virginia,

– Interventions extended over time– Bridging studies

• Engaging with Practitioners– How to communicate value of experiments– Consulting

• Educational companies & publishers (marcy.baughman@pearson.com )• Corporate Training & E-Learning (E-learning guild, Devlearn, Bror Saxberg, Will Thalheimer)• Medical Education & Health Behavior (Medbiquitous, International Society for Internet Interventions, cognitivescience.co/behaviorchange)• Synthesize literature: PSLC Wiki, www.josephjaywilliams.com/education

– Grant funding (IES, NSF, Gates, Spencer, moocresearch.com)– Virtual collaboration on practical resources (www.learnnetwork.net )

• Experiments & …– Computer Supported Collaborative Learning (Rose)– Cognitive Tutors (Aleven, Ritter, Koedinger)– EDM & AIED (Stamper, Gordon, Pardos)

• Conducting Experiments (tiny.cc/conductingexperiments)