Wolfram Tech in Online Course Platforms like edX/Moodle/Coursera

Andrea Griffin, MIT
(virtual Kyle Keane, MIT)

ABSTRACT

This talk will introduce a publicly available course detailing a Wolfram Language package for embedding content in online course platforms such as edX, Moodle and Coursera. The package allows the Wolfram Cloud to inject grades directly into the course’s grade book after students submit their work. We will walkthrough how to embed a set of the simplest examples to demonstrate the package’s functionality. Then we will demonstrate several examples of how we have used the package and other Wolfram Language features at MIT to augment our online courses and run educational studies across various departments at MIT including physics, education, mathematics, and material science. The course is available for others to learn how to use the LTI package in their courses.

What brought me here?

GOAL:    To help learners learn (math)

Math teacher

(yes...this is the only evidence of me as a math teacher)

What brought me here?

GOAL:    To help learners learn and help teachers teach by building educational tools.

Masters in Computer Science

Pictures do not exist of this time

What brought me here?

GOAL:    To help learners learn and help teachers teach by building educational tools.

Wolfram Summer School

What brought me here?

GOAL:    To help learners learn and help teachers teach by building educational tools using the power of the Wolfram Language.

Wolfram Employee

What brought me here?

GOAL:    To help learners learn and help teachers teach by building educational tools using the power of the Wolfram Language.

MIT Employee

Brief Pause for vocabulary

LMS - Learning Management System

Examples: Edx, Coursera, Moodle, Blackboard, Canvas

Instruction, Discussion, Assessment

LTI - Learning Tools Interoperability

Identifying Users

Gradebook compatibility

GOAL:    To help learners learn and help teachers teach by building educational tools using the power of the Wolfram Language.

I NEEDED a Wolfram Language to LTI translator

...so we made one.

What brought me here?

GOAL:    To help learners learn and help teachers teach by building educational tools using the power of the Wolfram Language.

We did it! and I’m here to talk about it.

Wolfram Tech Conference 2018

Summary of WTC 2018

Projects

Artifact Generator

Gallery

Research Study**

Functions in the LTI package

Identify users (by ID, role, email address, etc.)

Identify course information (section, unit, course ID, etc.)

Sending Grades to LMS

Making a WL form LTI compliant

What’s new since WTC 2018?

wolfr.am/Hzhf4pqi

1. Documentation and guides

2. Tool Installer

3. New LTI package function (LaunchNB)

What else happened since WTC 2018?

Techology (and results) from Research study

Kyle talking about the study

Does adding computation instruction and interactive visual widgets improve learning outcomes?

Group 1: Regular Problem

Group 2: Interactive Widget + Coding instruction

Group 3: Non-visual Widget + Coding instruction

Group 4: Interactive Widget + Questions

Group 5: Non-visual Widget + Questions

RESULTS! (drum roll....)

Not enough participation for that many groups.

BUT the tech stack! (back to Kyle)

What’s next?

1. Results from Research Study 2019

Does adding interactive visual widgets improve student’s ability to interpret graphs and determine appropriate datums.

Group 1: Interactive Widget

Group 2: Static Image

Creating course content in the residential version to bring computational aspect back in 2020

2. New LTI package function (LTI`LaunchManipulate)

3. Computational Labs for Multivariable Calculus (LTI`LaunchNB)

4. Phase Diagram Explorer

Thank you! Questions?