Proposal - Oncourse - Indiana University

interview data, and analyze the quantitatively measured results of the performance of the system.
This opportunity will afford students the opportunity to not only gather and implement research,
but refine it on an ongoing basis; this is a significant benefit to students who frequently leave
projects behind as they progress through the curriculum.
Initially chemistry undergraduates will be summarizing past research in online learning, while
developing hypotheses as to fundamental aspects to be included in the KB. We believe that an
understanding of what makes an effective educational research article will help them design
sound research methods and recognize how tools can be used to solve the above problem. They
will be trained in the (educational) research process: clearly defining and identifying the specific
problem, developing and comparing hypotheses, carrying out the experiment, and evaluating
data gathered from available tools (standardized exams, semester exams, focus group analysis,
survey data, etc.). All undergraduates will have the opportunity to take a training course in
social and behavioral human subject research to help them gain an appreciation for the full scope
of educational research. As far as specific tasks, chemistry undergraduate researchers will be
involved in helping design and conceptualize KB content creation. They will also be involved in
creating assessment tools such as surveys and focus group questions. Finally, they will be
studying collected data from student use of the KB. Information technology students will work
with the chemistry undergraduates to create and execute surveys, analyze the results of
interviews and questionnaires, and demonstrate how to implement the results of this analysis into
functional software components.
In order to effectively communicate with the MURI team, the mentors will facilitate a bi-weekly
meeting to encourage active study of literature, research presentation skills, and a focused
approach toward solving a problem in a group setting. The research group also plans to set up an
Oncourse/SharePoint project site to facilitate communication and information transfer between
all group members. This will be a centralized hub for sharing relevant literature and providing
progress reports.
We anticipate that several measurable outcomes will result from this research: 1) a KB will be
developed and enhanced for use as a learning tool in the organic lecture class, 2) student
performance and perception data will allow analysis of research progress and success, 3) students
involved will experience the research process with opportunities to present findings in
educational publications, conferences, and meetings, 4) aspiring educators will be trained in the
objective study of teaching and learning, 5) and students will have hands-on experience working
to resolve a significant concern in the C&CB department.
Research Timeline
Summer 2011 – Full scale pilot of KB (approx. 120 students) in Summer I organic lecture,
results will help direct further content and technology innovations. Analysis of existing software
solutions and development of surveys will begin.
MURI Mentor’s Project Proposal Form, Updated: 1-25-2011 6