{"669032":{"#nid":"669032","#data":{"type":"news","title":"\u2018Not Afraid to Try Something New.\u2019 Papers Explore Impact of Teaching and Student Life At-Scale","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EThe College of Computing\u0026nbsp;made a significant impact\u0026nbsp;at the ACM\u2019s 10th\u0026nbsp;annual Learning at Scale conference in Copenhagen, Denmark\u0026nbsp;earlier this month.\u0026nbsp;Eight\u0026nbsp;accepted papers\u0026nbsp;from the College\u0026nbsp;showcased\u0026nbsp;research\u0026nbsp;and strategies for\u0026nbsp;teaching\u0026nbsp;large online classes.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECollege\u0026nbsp;of Computing\u2019s\u0026nbsp;David Joyner, Ana Rusch,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;Alex Duncan presented papers\u0026nbsp;about\u0026nbsp;the impact online education has on traditional instruction and ways to humanize the student experience in large-scale learning environments.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EHow teaching online\u0026nbsp;impacts\u0026nbsp;traditional\u0026nbsp;instruction\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThe team, in conjunction with\u0026nbsp;Computing students\u0026nbsp;Jolanta Wojcik\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;Diana Popescu,\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/10.1145\/3573051.3593389\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Esurveyed faculty members about their online teaching experiences\u003C\/a\u003E.\u0026nbsp;The general perspective from faculty is that teaching online and at scale\u2014in addition to offering its own benefits\u2014improved their in-person experience.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor example, once online materials are produced, they are available for the in-person or small-scale class. Instructors also remember the lessons learned through the process as they return to more traditional settings.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDavid Joyner, Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS)\u0026nbsp;executive\u0026nbsp;director,\u0026nbsp;explains that the study\u0026nbsp;provides\u0026nbsp;more systematic evidence for a phenomenon they have\u0026nbsp;observed\u0026nbsp;anecdotally for years.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cSince the beginning, we\u2019ve heard faculty say that teaching online really improved how they teach in person because it forced them to examine their course content and assessments along with an expert in instructional design,\u201d Joyner said. \u201cBut we never knew if that feeling was common or if it just came out in the people we talked to. Now we know those feelings are\u0026nbsp;pretty universal.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECreating community and\u0026nbsp;student life at scale\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAna\u0026nbsp;Rusch,\u0026nbsp;Online Master of Science in Computer Science (OMSCS) associate director of Diversity, Inclusion, Equity and Student Life,\u0026nbsp;Associate Director of Student Experience Alex Duncan,\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;Joyner\u0026nbsp;also\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/10.1145\/3573051.3596167\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Epresented about ways\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;they\u0026nbsp;have\u0026nbsp;made\u0026nbsp;the\u0026nbsp;large-scale online\u0026nbsp;program\u0026nbsp;more engaging and\u0026nbsp;community-oriented.\u0026nbsp;They discovered that students sign up for an online program because\u0026nbsp;it\u2019s\u0026nbsp;online and asynchronous, but\u0026nbsp;then\u0026nbsp;many\u0026nbsp;want a synchronous\u0026nbsp;component. Joyner\u0026nbsp;calls this the \u201csynchronicity paradox\u201d.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ERusch\u0026nbsp;presented on\u0026nbsp;10 student life initiatives\u0026nbsp;aimed at fostering community in\u0026nbsp;OMSCS. These include seminars, local meet-up groups,\u0026nbsp;online spaces for resources and communication, a newsletter, campus tour, coffee hours, and a program\u0026nbsp;conference\u0026nbsp;among others.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPeople are often shocked that the online program at Georgia Tech has\u0026nbsp;student life and that incorporating it is inexpensive, Rusch explained.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EStudents have been very receptive to the\u0026nbsp;initiatives.\u0026nbsp;For example, the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.cc.gatech.edu\/news\/inaugural-conference-bring-added-value-omscs-experience-network\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003Einaugural OMSCS conference\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;brought students from all over the world.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u201cFor anything that happens on campus,\u0026nbsp;I\u2019m a strong believer that we can do it online and we can do it even better because it\u2019s accessible, it\u2019s inclusive,\u0026nbsp;and it\u2019s flexible,\u201d Rusch said.\u0026nbsp;\u201cOne of the amazing things about\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech\u0026nbsp;and\u0026nbsp;OMSCS\u0026nbsp;is\u0026nbsp;that we\u2019re\u0026nbsp;not afraid\u0026nbsp;to try something new.\u201d\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EContributions of Georgia Tech Students\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn addition to papers by Georgia Tech faculty members, several students also contributed to the conference\u0027s proceedings.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGrace\u0026nbsp;Chrysilla\u0026nbsp;and Dilek\u0026nbsp;Manzak, both current OMSCS students, worked on projects as part of independent CS8903 special problems classes in fall 2022.\u0026nbsp;Manzak\u0027s\u0026nbsp;work focused on patterns of responses to a start-of-course survey and predicted students were more likely to withdraw from a class. She found, counter-intuitively, that students with greater prior educational attainment are more likely to withdraw than students whose highest prior education is a bachelor\u0027s degree. She also found that planning to spend fewer than 7 hours per week working\u0026nbsp;on\u0026nbsp;a class is a strong predictor that a student will\u0026nbsp;likely withdraw.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EChrysilla\u0027s\u0026nbsp;work looked at evaluating candidates for teaching assistant (TA) positions based on applicants\u0027 performance on TA-like duties while they are enrolled as students in the class. She found that by looking at students\u0027 engagement on course forums and in peer review activities, she could automatically\u0026nbsp;identify\u0026nbsp;good candidates for TA roles.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFinally, OMSCS alumni Saurabh Chatterjee and Rocko Graziano contributed to the paper \u003Cem\u003ECheating Detection in Online Take-Home Exams\u003C\/em\u003E, while OMSCS\u0026nbsp;alumnus\u0026nbsp;Andrew Hornback was the lead author on \u003Cem\u003EA Scalable Architecture for Conducting A\/B Experiments in Educational Settings\u003C\/em\u003E.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAll accepted papers from\u0026nbsp;College\u0026nbsp;of Computing faculty\u0026nbsp;include:\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETeaching at Scale and Back Again: The Impact of Instructors\u2019 Participation in At-Scale Education Initiatives on Traditional Instruction\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDavid Joyner, Ana Rusch, Alex Duncan, Jolanta Wojcik, Diana Popescu\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EStudent Life at Scale: Humanizing the Student Experience at Scale through Belonging, Engagement, and Community\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAna Rusch, Alex Duncan, David Joyner\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EUtilitizing\u0026nbsp;Neural Networks to Predict Students Aptitudes for Teaching Assistant Roles\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EGrace\u0026nbsp;Chrysilla, David Joyner\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPre-Semester Predictors of Course Retention in a Large Online Graduate CS Program\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EDilek\u0026nbsp;Manzak,\u0026nbsp;David Joyner\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThe\u0026nbsp;L@st\u0026nbsp;Eight Years: A Review of Papers and Authors at Learning @ Scale\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlex Duncan, Ana Rusch, Prerna Ravi, David Joyner\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EReady or Not, Here I Computer Science: Trends in Preparatory Work Pursued by Incoming Students in an Online Graduate Computer Science Program\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlex Duncan, David Joyner\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EManaging the Chaos: Approaches to Navigating Discussion Forums for Instructional Staff\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIndia Irish, Saurabh Chatterjee, Sheliza Jivani, Xiangyu Jia ,Jeonghyun\u0026nbsp;Lee, Rosa\u0026nbsp;Arriaga,\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;Thad\u0026nbsp;Starner\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cul\u003E\r\n\t\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EExaminator v3.0: Cheating Detection in Online Take-Home Exams\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/li\u003E\r\n\u003C\/ul\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIndia Irish, Saurabh Chatterjee, Sheliza Jivani, Xiangyu Jia ,Jeonghyun\u0026nbsp;Lee, Rosa Arriaga,\u0026nbsp;Thad Starner\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/dl.acm.org\/doi\/proceedings\/10.1145\/3573051#heading11\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022\u003EAccepted papers can be found here.\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":"","format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003ECollege of Computing faculty shared the latest strategies for teaching large online classes with their peers at the Learning at Scale conference in Copenhagen, presenting eight accepted papers that also included insights on the influence of online education on traditional instruction and methods to enhance the student experience in large-scale learning environments.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"College of Computing faculty shared the latest strategies for teaching large online classes with their peers at the Learning at Scale conference in Copenhagen."}],"uid":"32045","created_gmt":"2023-08-18 13:03:25","changed_gmt":"2023-08-18 13:12:04","author":"Ben Snedeker","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2023-08-18T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2023-08-18T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"671423":{"id":"671423","type":"image","title":"College of Computing researchers at the ACM\u2019s 10th annual Learning at Scale conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.","body":null,"created":"1692363814","gmt_created":"2023-08-18 13:03:34","changed":"1692363814","gmt_changed":"2023-08-18 13:03:34","alt":"College of Computing researchers at the ACM\u2019s 10th annual Learning at Scale conference in Copenhagen, Denmark.","file":{"fid":"254479","name":"las1copy.jpeg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/18\/las1copy.jpeg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/2023\/08\/18\/las1copy.jpeg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":87972,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/2023\/08\/18\/las1copy.jpeg?itok=qjhGA0GQ"}}},"media_ids":["671423"],"groups":[{"id":"47223","name":"College of Computing"},{"id":"431631","name":"OMS"}],"categories":[{"id":"42911","name":"Education"},{"id":"135","name":"Research"}],"keywords":[{"id":"10199","name":"Daily Digest"}],"core_research_areas":[{"id":"39501","name":"People and Technology"}],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EEmily Smith\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ECommunications Officer I\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003ESchool of Computing Instruction\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":["emily.smith@cc.gatech.edu"],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}