Title: Modelling the teachers' feedback process for the design of an electronic interactive science tool with automatic feedback

Authors: Denise Whitelock, Roser Pinto, Marcel.la Saez

Addresses: The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK. ' CRECIM (Centre de Recerca per a l'Educacio Cientifica i Matematica), de l'Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Campus de la (UAB), Facultat Ciencies de l'Educacio, Edifici GL-304, 08193 Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona, Spain; The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK. ' CRECIM (Centre de Recerca per a l'Educacio Cientifica i Matematica), de l'Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, Campus de la (UAB), Facultat Ciencies de l'Educacio, Edifici GL-304, 08193 Cerdanyola del Valles, Barcelona, Spain; The Open University, Walton Hall, Milton Keynes, MK7 6AA, UK

Abstract: This paper models the feedback teachers give to students who are using an interactive computer tutorial (Nefreduca) to help them understand key biological concepts related to the kidney. Nefreduca consists of a series of open source science inquiry based web learning materials targeted at children with chronic kidney disease. It utilises a scenario based approach drawing on the work of Lijnse (1995) and Buty et al. (2004). The hospital teachers who assisted the children with their use of Nefreduca reported learning gains with the system but there is no automatic feedback for autonomous learning with Nefreduca when children are unsupported by a teacher. An ethnographic approach was adopted to then understand how teachers provided feedback to the students in order to devise a model of supportive feedback to the chronically ill students, which can be implemented in the next version of Nefreduca.

Keywords: chronically ill students; chronic illness; biological concepts; automatic feedback; hospital teachers; interactive science tools; computer tutorials; Nefreduca; Catalonia; Spain; biology; kidney diseases; open source learning materials; inquiry based web learning; science education; world wide web; internet; online learning; e-learning; electronic learning; child health; scenario based learning; learning gains; health services; children; autonomous learning; ethnographic approaches; ethnography; supportive feedback; continuing education; life-long learning; electronic feedback; e-feedback.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCEELL.2010.036815

International Journal of Continuing Engineering Education and Life-Long Learning, 2010 Vol.20 No.2, pp.189 - 207

Published online: 09 Nov 2010 *

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