Article details
Title: Quality Control of Statistical Learning Environments and Prediction of Learning Outcomes through Reproducible Computing
Author(s):  Patrick Wessa;  
Keywords:  Reproducible Computing, Learning Environment, Quality Control, Statistics Education, Psychometrics



CITE THIS PAPER AS:
Wessa P., Quality Control of Statistical Learning Environments and Prediction of Learning Outcomes through Reproducible Computing , International Journal of Computers Communications & Control, ISSN 1841-9836, 4(2):185-197, 2009.
Abstract:  
This article introduces a new approach to statistics education thatallows us to accurately measure and control key aspects of thecomputations and communication processes that are involved innon-rote learning within the pedagogical paradigm of Constructivism.The solution that is presented relies on a newly developedtechnology (hosted at www.freestatistics.org) and computingframework (hosted at www.wessa.net) that supports reproducibilityand reusability of statistical research results that are presentedin a so-called Compendium. Reproducible computing leads toresponsible learning behaviour, and a stream of high-qualitycommunications that emerges when students are engaged in peer reviewactivities. More importantly, the proposed solution provides aseries of objective measurements of actual learning processes thatare otherwise unobservable. A comparison between actual and reporteddata, demonstrates that reported learning process measurements arehighly misleading in unexpected ways. However, reproduciblecomputing and objective measurements of actual learning behaviour,reveal important guidelines that allow us to improve theeffectiveness of learning and the e-learning system.
Introduction:  
Conclusions:  
References:  
[1] Arndt S., Turvey C., Andreasen N. (1999), Correlating and predicting psychiatric symptom ratings:Spearman’s r versus Kendall’s tau correlation, Journal of Psychiatric Research, 33, 97-104
[2] Arndt S., Magnotta V. (2001), Generating random series with known values of Kendall’s tau, Com-puter Methods and Programs in Biomedicine, 65, 17-23
[3] Attitudes to Thinking and Learning Survey, (n.d.), Retrieved December 22, 2004, fromwww.moodle.org[4] Benson J. (1989). Structural components of statistical test anxiety in adults: An exploratory study,Journal of Experimental Education, 57, 247-261.
[5] Buckheit J., and Donoho D. L. (1995), Wavelets and Statistics, Springer-Verlag, Editor: Antoniadis,A.
[6] Chambers J. M., Cleveland, W. S., Kleiner, B. and Tukey, P. A. (1983), Graphical Methods for DataAnalysis, Wadsworth & Brooks/Cole.
[7] Chen Z. (2008), Learning about Learners: System Learning in Virtual Learning Environment, Inter-national Journal of Computers, Communications & Control, Vol. III, No. 1, pp. 33-40
[8] Constructivist On-Line Learning Environment Survey, (n.d.), Retrieved December 22, 2004, fromwww.moodle.org
[9] de Leeuw J. (2001), Reproducible Research: the Bottom Line, Depart-ment of Statistics Papers, 2001031101, Department of Statistics, UCLA., URLhttp://repositories.cdlib.org/uclastat/papers/2001031101
[10] Donoho D. L., and Huo, X. (2005), BeamLab and Reproducible Research, International Journal ofWavelets, Multiresolution and Information Processing, 2(4), 391-414
[11] Eggen P., and Kauchak, D. (2001), Educational Psychology: Windows on Classrooms (5th ed.),Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
[12] Galotti K. M., Clinchy B. M., Ainsworth K., Lavin B. and Mansfield A. F. (1999), A new way ofassessing ways of knowing: the attitudes towards thinking and learning survey (ATTLS), Sex roles,40(9/10) p745-766
[13] Gentleman R. (2005), Applying Reproducible Research in Scientific Discovery, BioSilico, URLhttp://gentleman.fhcrc.org/Fld-talks/RGRepRes.pdf[14] Green P. J. (2003), Diversities of gifts, but the same spirit, The Statistician, 52(4), 423-438
[15] Hilton S., Schau C., Olsen J. (2004), Survey of Attitudes Toward Statistics: Factor Structure Invarianceby Gender and by Administration Time, Structural Equation Modeling, 11(1)
[16] Hollander M., andWolfe D. A. (1973), Nonparametric statistical inference, New York: JohnWiley& Sons., 185-194 (Kendall and Spearman tests).
[17] Kay R. H. (2008), Exploring the relationship between emotions and the acquisition of computerknowledge, Computers & Education, 50, 1269-1283
[18] Koenker R., and Zeileis A.(2007), A., Reproducible Econometric Research (A Critical Review ofthe State of the Art), Research Report Series, Department of Statistics and Mathematics WirtschaftsuniversitWien
[19] Leisch F. (2003), Sweave and beyond: Computations on text documents, Proceedings of the 3rdInternational Workshop on Distributed Statistical Computing
[20] Lewis J. R. (1993), IBM Computer Usability Satisfaction Questionnaires: Psychometric Evaluationand Instructions for Use, IBM Corporation, Technical Report 54.786
[21] Lucy D., Aykroyd R. G. and Pollard A. M.(2002), Non-parametric calibration for age estimation,Applied Statistics 51(2), 183-196
[22] Meelissen M. R. M., Drent M. (2008), Gender differences in computer attitudes: Does the schoolmatter?, Computers in Human Behavior, 24, 969-985
[23] Miller J. B., (n.d.), Examining the interplay between constructivism and different learning styles,Retrieved October 20, 2005 from http://www.stat.auckland.ac.nz/˜iase/publications/1/8a4_mill.pdf[24] Mvududu N. (2003), A Cross-Cultural Study of the Connection Between Students’ Attitudes TowardStatistics and the Use of Constructivist Strategies in the Course, Journal of Statistics Education,11(3)
[25] O’Dwyer L. M., Russell M., Bebell D., Seeley K. (2008), Examining the Relationship betweenStudents Mathematics Test Scores and Computer Use at Home and at School, Journal of Technology,Learning, and Assessment, 6 (5)
[26] Peng R. D., Dominici F., and Zeger S. L. (2006), Reproducible Epidemiologic Research, AmericanJournal of Epidemiology, 163(9), 783-789
[27] Poelmans S., Wessa P., Milis K., Bloemen E., and Doom C. (2008), Usability and Acceptance ofE-Learning in Statistics Education, based on the Compendium Platform, Proceedings of the Interna-tional Conference of Education, Research and Innovation, International Association of Technology,Education and Development
[28] Romero C., Ventura S., Garcia E. (2008), Data mining in course management systems: Moodlecase study and tutorial, Computers & Education, 51, 368-384
[29] Schwab M., Karrenbach N., and Claerbout J. (2000), Making scientific computations reproducible,Computing in Science & Engineering 2(6), 61-67
[30] Smith E. (1999), Social Constructivism, Individual Constructivism and the Role of Computers inMathematics Education, Journal of mathematical behavior, 17(4)
[31] Statistical Computations at FreeStatistics.org (2008a), Office for ResearchDevelopment and Education, Retrieved Mon, 30 Jun 2008, URLhttp://www.freestatistics.org/blog/date/2008/Jun/30/t1214840420q0fyankop4x9ebf.htm
[32] Statistical Computations at FreeStatistics.org (2008b), Office for ResearchDevelopment and Education, Retrieved Mon, 30 Jun 2008, URLhttp://www.freestatistics.org/blog/date/2008/Jun/30/t12148409608o0dnj2k4s04jil.htm
[33] Statistical Computations at FreeStatistics.org (2008c), Office for ResearchDevelopment and Education, Retrieved Mon, 30 Jun 2008, URLhttp://www.freestatistics.org/blog/date/2008/Jun/30/t1214841152sn6jlyhgseclgqm.htm
[34] Sun P., Tsai R. J., Finger G., Chen Y., Yeh D. (2008), What drives a successful e-Learning? An empiricalinvestigation of the critical factors influencing learner satisfaction, Computers & Education,50, 1183-1202
[35] Von Glasersfeld E. (1987), Learning as a Constructive Activity, Problems of Representation in theTeaching and Learning of Mathematics, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 3-17.
[36] Wessa P. (2008a), A framework for statistical software development, maintenance, and publishingwithin an open-access business model, Computational Statistics, www.springerlink.com (DOI10.1007/s00180-008-0107-y)
[37] Wessa P. (2008b), Learning Statistics based on the Compendium and Reproducible Computing,Proceedings of the International Conference on Education and Information Technology, Berkeley,San Francisco, USA
[38] Wessa P. (2008c), How Reproducible Research Leads to Non-Rote Learning Within a SociallyConstructivist E-Learning Environment, Proceedings of the 7th European Conference on e-Learning,Cyprus
[39] Wessa P. (2008d), Measurement and Control of Statistics Learning Processes based on ConstructivistFeedback and Reproducible Computing, Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference onVirtual Learning, Constanta, Romania
[40] Wessa P. (2009a), Discovering Computer-Assisted Learning Processes based on Objective ExamScore Transformations, Proceedings of the World Congress on Educational Sciences, Cyprus
File link :  To download full article text in PDF format click here