The purpose of this website is to provide an introduction to the PRAXIS Wisconsin project, the primary project underway at the Institute for Innovation in Undergraduate Research and Learning (IIURL).
Click here for information relating to the Summer Workshop September 7-8 at UW-La Crosse.
A recent article, co-written by Peg Finders, the Director of the School of Education at UW-La Crosse, provides a quick introduction to the project and includes an interview of one of the students involved in the project. This article is available for download by clicking here.
The above article also describes the key elements of each Digital Learning Object (LO). These LOs are designed to help students understand and recall key content that they will need as they take the PRAXIS exam (we are currently focused on math and science). At present, we are focused on the content covered by the PRAXIS middle school exam.
To view a short podcast relating to the LOs, click here. The podcast utilizes one of the key pieces of technology, a software package called Camtasia, that helps create one of the key elements of the LOs (the Chalk-Talks).
The Preliminary Results website (containing many LOs currently under construction) can be accessed by clicking here.
While the complete construction of each LO requires a substantial amount of high-tech software and hardware, the process of creating the content needed in the LOs by faculty-lead student teams requires very little technology. The teams primarily concentrate on the content of the LOs, creating storyboards as powerpoint presentations. The storyboards are then sent to a programmer to be converted to the proper format. Whenever possible, the programmer meets with the content team, but this is not required. An example storyboard powerpoint can be downloaded here.
Faculty interested in leading a team in the creation of a set of LOs are asked to submit a one-page proposal that describes how their team would approach the project. A variety of models have been implemented, from small Undergraduate Research Teams, to semester-long class related content development projects that get presented in the class. For the in-class model, the best of the storyboards were then selected to be implemented as LOs. An example of the one-page proposal can be downloaded here.
A quick overview of the team project is discussed in a podcast that can be viewed by clicking here.
The development of the technology used in the LOs was completed by the Academic ADL Co-Lab in Madison. The website www.praxiswi.com contains a number of useful items, including a number of Forums that allow for group discussion of topics relating to the creation of the LOs. The site also contains a large number of detailed tutorials which help the student programmers convert the storyboards into the professional tutorials and sandboxes.
For more information, including a list of faculty currently involved in the project, visit http://www.uwlax.edu/mathematics/PRAXIS.
Funding:
The project is funded by UW-System's PK-16 Initiatives and Curricular Redesign funds.
Project Leaders:
- Robert Hoar, Director of the IIURL and Professor of Mathematics (UW-La Crosse)
- Sherrie Serros, Professor of Mathematics (UW-Eau Claire)
- Hal Schlais, Senior Consultant for Learning Technology Development, Office of Learning and Information Technology (UW System Administration)
Eligibility:
Any faculty or instructional academic staff member in mathematics, science, or education within the UW System are eligible. While some familiarity with webpage design and Flash programming would be useful, technical expertise is not required. The team leaders are expected to provide content knowledge and pedagogical expertise and are to lead a team that works with technical experts to achieve the project goals.
More information:
If you are interested in becoming a team leader, or in using the LOs in any way, please contact the team leaders above or by sending email to iiurl@uwlax.edu.