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1. Measures of mathematics teachers’ behavior and affect: An examination of the assessment landscape

   Gallagher, M.; Bardelli, E.; Folger, T.; Neely, A.; Bostic, J.; Walkowiak, T.; Wilhelm, A.; Zelkowski, J. (April 2022, Annual meeting program American Educational Research Association)

   Although the paradigm wars between quantitative and qualitative research methods and the associated epistemologies may have settled down in recent years within the mathematics education research community, the high value placed on quantitative methods and randomized control trials remain as the gold standard at the policy-making level (USDOE, 2008). Although diverse methods are valued in the mathematics education community, if mathematics educators hope to influence policy to cultivate more equitable education systems, then we must engage in rigorous quantitative research. However, quantitative research is limited in what it can measure by the quantitative tools that exist. In mathematics education, it seems as though the development of quantitative tools and studying their associated validity and reliability evidence has lagged behind the important constructs that rich qualitative research has uncovered. The purpose of this study is to describe quantitative instruments related to mathematics teacher behavior and affect in order to better understand what currently exists in the field, what validity and reliability evidence has been published for such instruments, and what constructs each measure. 1. How many and what types of instruments of mathematics teacher behavior and affect exist? 2. What types of validity and reliability evidence are published for these instruments? 3. What constructs do these instruments measure? 4. To what extent have issues of equity been the focus of the instruments found? 

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2. Comparing study features is easy but identifying next steps is hard: Evaluating critical thinking through the Biology Lab Inventory of Critical Thinking in Ecology

   https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10071  

   Heim, Ashley B.; Esparza, David; Holmes, N. G.; Smith, Michelle K. (May 2023, Ecology and Evolution)

   Abstract Critical thinking, which can be defined as the evidence‐based ways in which people decide what to trust and what to do, is an important competency included in many undergraduate science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) courses. To help instructors effectively measure critical thinking, we developed the Biology Lab Inventory of Critical Thinking in Ecology (Eco‐BLIC), a freely available, closed‐response assessment of undergraduate students' critical thinking in ecology. The Eco‐BLIC includes ecology‐based experimental scenarios followed by questions that measure how students decide on what to trust and what to do next. Here, we present the development of the Eco‐BLIC using tests of validity and reliability. Using student responses to questions and think‐aloud interviews, we demonstrate the effectiveness of the Eco‐BLIC at measuring students' critical thinking skills. We find that while students generally think like experts while evaluating what to trust, students' responses are less expert‐like when deciding on what to do next. 

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3. DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.21689.11369

   https://doi.org/DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.21689.11369  

   Yi, Sherry; Lane, H.C. (October 2019, Proceedings of the 2019 Connected Learning Summit Conference)

   The goal of What-if Hypothetical Implementations in Minecraft (WHIMC) is to develop computer simulations that engage, excite, and generate interest in science. WHIMC leverages Minecraft as a learning environment for learners to interactively explore the scientific consequences of alternative versions of Earth via “what if?” questions, such as “What if the earth had no moon?” or “What if the earth were twice its current size?” Learners using our mods are invited to make observations and propose scientific explanations for what they see as different. Given ongoing discoveries of potentially habitable worlds throughout the Galaxy, such questions have high relevance to public discourse around space exploration, conditions necessary for life, and the long-term future of the human race. Studies in our project are occurring across three informal learning settings: museum exhibits, after school programs, and summer camps. Our research is driven by the following research questions: 1. What technology-based triggers of interest have the strongest influence on interest? 2. Which contextual factors are most important for supporting long-term interest development? 3. And, what kinds of technology-based triggers are most effective for learners from audiences who are underrepresented in STEM? 

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4. Computer Science Curriculum Trends

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3626253.3635501  

   Mackay, Sean; Decker, Adrienne (March 2024, SIGCSE)

   Since the 1960s, the ACM has provided routinely updated guidelines for what concepts constitute a computer science curriculum, with the latest version currently in development in 2023. These guidelines have traditionally provided a model curriculum from which universities can choose to adopt or modify for their own purposes. What is unclear, however, is to what degree schools follow the curriculum recommendations that the ACM provides. While most faculty and students likely have knowledge of their own institution's curriculum, as well as what courses are offered at a small selection of other schools, the goal of the work presented in this poster is to distill a cohesive view of what computer science curriculums in their second and third years look like across a broad range of universities across a range of institutions. Our goal with this work was to answer the following question: What do computer science course requirements look like at a wide range of different institutions? We believe the work will help those who are trying to develop curriculum changes within their own institutions and aims to provide a more cohesive view of what trends and patterns exist in course offerings and degree requirements for computer science in the second and third years across a wide range of universities. 

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5. Mapping the Landscape of COVID-19 Crisis Visualizations

   https://doi.org/10.1145/3411764.3445381  

   Zhang, Yixuan; Sun, Yifan; Padilla, Lace; Barua, Sumit; Bertini, Enrico; Parker, Andrea G (May 2021, Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems)

   null (Ed.)

   In response to COVID-19, a vast number of visualizations have been created to communicate information to the public. Information exposure in a public health crisis can impact people’s attitudes towards and responses to the crisis and risks, and ultimately the trajectory of a pandemic. As such, there is a need for work that documents, organizes, and investigates what COVID-19 visualizations have been presented to the public. We address this gap through an analysis of 668 COVID-19 visualizations. We present our findings through a conceptual framework derived from our analysis, that examines who, (uses) what data, (to communicate) what messages, in what form, under what circumstances in the context of COVID-19 crisis visualizations. We provide a set of factors to be considered within each component of the framework. We conclude with directions for future crisis visualization research. 

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