Recent research have been focusing on supporting teachers in the classroom. Such support has been shown to benefit from the development and employment of teacher-facing analytic dashboards to help them to make fast and effective decisions in regard to the in-class student learning activities. The evolving interest in this field has facilitated the emergence of the Teaching Analytics area of practice and research. However, current research efforts have indicated that the use of such dashboards usually adds another layer to the already dynamic and complex situation for teachers, which can divert their attention and can often be experienced as a disturbing factor in the class. Therefore, it is highly important to examine how such teacher-facing dashboards can be improved from the user experience perspective, in a way that would allow teachers to grasp student learning activities easily and with good perceived usability. The aim of this study is to understand how we can better design teacher-facing dashboards to more adequately support K-12 teachers in their decisions that would provide relevant in-time and student support. The study applies Nielsen's three-round iterative design approach to understand the existing usability problems and further develop the dashboard, originally designed by the company. In order to investigate users’ perceived attitude towards the redesigned dashboard, the final prototype has been evaluated through a Technology Acceptance Model questionnaire and semi-structured interviews with nine participants. As a result, the redesigned teacher-faced dashboard was proven to have a high potential to support teachers’ decisions. The efficiency of the Technology Acceptance Model was verified and put into general context on how tools for teachers should be designed for the usage in the classroom. Additionally, some major challenges for teachers with using external tools during class were discovered and are discussed in the context of a newly designed dashboard. / Befintlig forskning stödjer lärare i klassrummet genom att utveckla analytiska visualiseringsverktyg (a.k.a. dashboards) som lärare kan använda för att fatta snabba och effektiva beslut med avseende på elevernas läraktiviteter. Det växande intresset för detta område har lett till framväxten av Teaching Analytics-fältet inom praktik och forskning. Forskning har dock visat att användandet av dessa verktyg vanligtvis lägger till ytterligare ett lager till den redan dynamiska och komplexa situationen för lärare, vilket kan avleda deras uppmärksamhet och ofta fungera som en störande faktor i klassrummet. Därför är det mycket viktigt att undersöka hur sådana visualiseringsverktyg för lärare kan förbättras ur användarperspektiv, på ett sätt som skulle göra det möjligt för lärare att förstå elevernas läraktiviteter enkelt och med god upplevd användbarhet. Syftet med denna studie är att förbättra användargränssnittet för ett befintligt, så att det på ett mer adekvat sätt kan stödja lärare i sina beslut och erbjuda relevant stöd till eleverna. Studien tillämpar Nielsens tre-rundors iterativa designmetod för att förstå de befintliga användbarhetsproblemen och vidareutveckla en existerande dashboard, ursprungligen utvecklad av företaget. För att undersöka användarnas inställning till det omdesignade verktyget har den slutliga prototypen utvärderats genom ett frågeformulär och semistrukturerade intervjuer med nio deltagare. Resultat visar att det omdesignade de verktyget har en stor potential för att stödja lärarnas beslut i klassrummet. Effektiviteten för Teknik Acceptant Modellen (TAM) verifieras och sattes i allmän kontext för hur olika verktyg för lärare bör utformas för användning i klassrummet. Dessutom diskuteras lärarnas stora utmaningar med att använda externa verktyg under lektioner i samband med ny verktyget.

The use of data to drive or inform the decision making process is gaining traction in education. In response to the data driven decision making shift, an emerging group of scholars are beginning to discuss how the data movement in education may be viewed using a critical race theory (CRT) framework. With a focus on implications for racial equity, this study explores the ways and to what degree data are valued or practically applied in the decision making process in Manitoba. Participants for this qualitative research study include ten Manitoban school superintendents. Drawing attention to the ways in which data-driven practices like all other practice in education, are not neutral acts, this study looks to contribute to the growing research area on Canadian data-driven decision making and CRT. Findings from this study indicate that school divisions in the province of Manitoba are increasingly driven by data that privileges Western or colonial ways of knowing. Some recommendations for further research include, using achievement data to resist racial oppression, exploring the dangers of Gap Talk, and looking at whether data literacy includes notions of power and privilege. / February 2017

This study examines some aspects of student performance in the 21st century skills of Information and Communication (ICT) Literacy and collaboration. In this project, extant data from the Assessment and Teaching for 21st Century Skills project (ATC21S) will be examined. ATC21S is a collaborative effort among educational agencies in six countries, universities, educational research groups, high tech innovators and the multinational corporations Cisco, Intel and Microsoft. ATC21S demonstration tasks explore the use of digital literacy and collaborative problem solving constructs in educational assessment. My research investigates evidence from cognitive laboratories and pilots administered in one of the ATC21S demonstration scenarios, a collaborative mathematics/science task called "Global Collaboration Contest: Arctic Trek." Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, I analyze student work samples. Specifically, I (i) develop a rubric as a measurement tool to evaluate the student assessment artifact "Arctic Trek Notebook" for (a) generalized patterns and (b) trends that may indicate skill development in collaborative learning in a digital environment and (ii) conduct descriptive studies among the variables of student age and student notebook characteristics. Results are intended to inform instructional leaders on estimates of student ability in virtual collaboration and to make suggestions for instructional design and professional development for online collaborative learning assessment tasks in K-12 education.

International Polar Year 2007-2008 renewed interest in and funding for circumpolar research. One unique element of this International Polar Year was the focus on education and outreach initiatives. This study explores outreach stakeholders’ perspectives on conducting science outreach with northern Canadian schools. A total of sixty semi-structured interviews were conducted with northern researchers, residents and educators to determine culturally appropriate and pedagogically suitable methods for educational outreach initiatives in the Canadian north. I examined northern resident and educator experiences with integrating Indigenous and Western ways of knowing, identified factors supporting educational outreach initiatives, and provided recommendations on how to strengthen educational outreach partnerships. Results show that institutional barriers discourage researchers from participating in educational outreach. Northern residents and educators viewed integrative science as an effective method to engage students in Indigenous and Western science, and to encourage collaborative educational outreach partnerships amongst outreach stakeholders.

Serious inequities in our K-12 public education system, particularly in regard to the quality of education in predominately Black inner-city schools, are well-documented in the literature (Freeman, 1998; Ross, 1998). Moreover, there is general agreement that the most effective means of ameliorating that situation is through well-thought-out after-school programs and partnership initiatives (Beck, 1993; Gardner et al., 2001). The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the programmatic interventions of a youth enrichment program for inner-city Black youth currently in place at the Overtown Youth Center (OYC) in Miami, Florida, in order to: (a) discern those factors that support its claim that it is making a difference in students’ lives, (b) explore how any such factors are implemented, and (c) determine whether its interventions have served to equalize the playing field for these youth. Two primary methods of data collection were used for this study. The first was participant observation conducted over the course of two years through a partnership initiative established and led by this author. The second was through in-depth interviews of the Center’s founder, staff, and students. Secondary methods used were the recording of informal conversations and the analysis of written documents. Analysis of the data yielded four features of the Center that are indispensible to the students’ growth. The center provides the youth with (a) physical and psychological safety, (b) supportive relationships, (c) exposure to cultural and educational opportunities, and (d) assistance in building self-esteem. The most significant finding of the study was that OYC has been successful at making a difference in students’ lives and at increasing their aspirations to attend college. By addressing the full spectrum of their needs, the Center has given them many of the necessary tools with which to compete and thereby helped equalize their opportunities to succeed in school and in life. The study also noted a number of challenges for the Center to examine. The main issues that need to be addressed more seriously are staff turnover, staff indifference, nepotism, inconsistent student attendance, and insufficient focus on racial issues and African-American-centered education. Meeting those challenges would engender even greater positive outcomes.

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Within the field of education, computers and micro-controllers like Arduino are increasingly being used to teach students relevant skills, attitude and knowledge around technology. Education around these tools are often set in group contexts and collaboration is often considered an important part of the learning, however much of the currently available software is still designed around a laptop programming paradigm that which in itself tends to restrict collaboration and cementing rather than encouraging shifting of roles and activities among group members. This thesis explores how we could design tools that better invite collaborative interactions in these settings, in particular how mobile software tools could allow for sketching and iterating more fluidly. Based on interviews with experts, observations in the classroom setting, reflection with teachers and a workshop with Arduino Education this thesis sketches a future vision that re-designs the tools to be more collaborative and fluid, so that reflection, action and reaction cycles could be smaller and allow for more exploration and learning.

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