Machine Teachers for Beginning Students (Revisited)

[mmm4444bot]

… This tells me [the software requires] an exact answer, but it doesn't have to be simplified. I hope they state that somewhere, and don't just leave you to figure it out by guessing.

Hate to dash your hopes even a little, doc, but a lot of software to which beginning algebra students are subjected is still sloppy. That's my viewpoint, from the late '90s through the end of 2017 -- still sloppy. My impression is that much of the presentation isn't written by instructors (the underlying content may be, but the implementation is not).

During the past five years, I've seen increasing use of machine teachers at the community college level, where too many students without computer experience are nontheless enrolled in beginning math courses where homework, reading assignments, and projects must be completed with a machine. Beyond inconsistent instructions and formatting, students (and employees) regularly deal with logic errors, bugs, and other technical issues. Complaints generally concern people at our (lowly) level, yet concerns about "computer error" fall on deaf ears as they rise through the heirarchy. :|

This one came with no instructions, but the student was able to guess and figure out the sequence of mouse clicks and dragging. The machine teacher liked her vertex, but not the graph. She told me she had tried many times; she thought maybe the graph was just off a little. No way to proceed but start over; you get unlimited tries. (I had to use that interface with another student, and it was not easy to drag the wildly-fluctuating parabola into correct position; the buttons at the bottom need clicking twice to do it, in the right sequence. Frustrating for that student, too.)




Screen shots from trigonometry reading assignment. Huh? and LoL!

 

[Dr.Peterson]

Hate to dash your hopes even a little, doc, but a lot of software to which beginning algebra students are subjected is still sloppy. That's my viewpoint, from the late '90s through the end of 2017 -- still sloppy. My impression is that much of the presentation isn't written by instructors (the underlying content may be, but the implementation is not).

During the past five years, I've seen increasing use of machine teachers at the community college level, where too many students without computer experience are nontheless enrolled in beginning math courses where homework, reading assignments, and projects must be completed with a machine. Beyond inconsistent instructions and formatting, students (and employees) regularly deal with logic errors, bugs, and other technical issues. Complaints generally concern people at our (lowly) level, yet concerns about "computer error" fall on deaf ears as they rise through the heirarchy. :|

My comment was primarily meant to prod the student to read the instructions carefully, not to express mindless optimism. However, in my experience (maybe we work with a relatively good system), they usually do make very clear what kind of answer is required; usually the problem is that students fail to read.

Yes, there are problems with these systems; when I teach a class for which computer work is available, I make it optional, letting the student decide whether a computer or a book works better for them. Many of my students when I started doing this had no computer experience or access at home; that is probably less common now, but learning styles still differ.

The system we use also provides a way for students to interact with their instructor about a problem; I tell students to use that when they have trouble getting it to accept an answer, and if they are right, I will just override the system. There are ways to use computers without being captive to their flaws.

 

[mmm4444bot]

My comment was primarily meant to prod the student to read the instructions carefully, not to express mindless optimism … (maybe we work with a relatively good system) …

Having read the remainder of your post, I see why you took good instruction for granted; you've outlined solutions in place for the biggest issues. It could be that our situations differ like night and day.

I've worked in two districts; each has a very diverse student population. When I'm tutoring in the lab (two floors), over half the students seeking help come from foreign countries. I regularly see students struggling with computer basics. In the classroom, I work with adult students who were unable to finish high school. It's disheartening, when I realize how much student time continues to be wasted by good technology wrongly applied or bad technology ignored. Dealing with it is a challenge, although I note that more-experienced students handle the challenge better than beginning students (the ones I work with).

… There are ways to use computers without being captive to their flaws.

Tell that to a 72-year-old dressmaker from Ethiopia, heh. No, seriously, tell me how to convince administrations they need to ensure solutions like the ones you've outlined.

 

[mmm4444bot]

In case anybody missed a point (literally a point, heh), the vertex graded as correct is wrong. This is why the student spent 25 minutes fighting the machine, unknowingly trying to get it to accept an incorrect graph from using an "acceptable" incorrect vertex.

Btw, I regularly hear questions like "What can I study (or, where can I work) so I don't have to know (or, do) math?" I see very frustrated students turn away from considering fields that civilization needs right now -- those few who chatted me up later to say how much better things are as an English (or, Art) Major. For whatever part sloppy-tech issues play, I say: also disheartening. (Okay, then … until next year.)

What's up with the first trig lesson? Why are they comparing angles and sides, in some ratios? Is there a context for that?