Projects

DILL is currently engaged in several projects. Students meet as one large group to share their ongoing research. There are also seperate working groups participating in specific projects.

Calculus Studies

Explaining Student Success in One PDP Calculus Section: This study seeks to explain one succesful model for supporting underrepresented students' transitions through freshmen calculus in the Professional Devlopment Program (PDP) Intensive Discussion Section at UC Berkeley. In Fall 2006, the group collected a large corpus of data that followed on intensive discussion section through an entire semester. Analysis of a series of student surveys, videotapes from each class meeting, and both GSI and student interviews contributed to preliminary findings. To support these findings, we are currently:

  1. collecting survey information from additional PDP GSIs to examine the generalizability of the preliminary findings which were based on one GSI that we observed.
  2. collecting follow-up survey information from the students in the Fall 2006 section.
  3. analyzing the change in demand of mathematical tasks as presented on workshets versus as discussed in groups.
  4. exploring the establishment of groupworking norms in the first two weeks of section.

Current Participants: Randi A. Engle, Aditya Adiredja, Danielle Champney, Pegah Ghaneian, and Kim Seashore

Past Participants and Contributors: Heather Bergmann, Cheryl Chu, Mark Howison, Amy Huang, Niral Shah, Danae Towne

Questions about the study can be directed to Aditya Adiredja at aditya "at" berkeley "dot" edu.

Contextual Influences on the Transfer of Learning

Tutoring Experiments: This study is finishing data collection on a tutoring experiment to test some new hypotheses developed by Randi A. Engle about how teaching and learning interactions can be framed so students will be more likely to use what they have learned (see Engle, 2006). The group involved is quickly analyzing its pre/post-assessment data for a conference paper due this fall, and then it will be expanding that paper into a publication. Later in the year, planning may occur for further data collection efforts.