M-Apps: Designing Apps and Using iPads to TeachAddition of Fractions

Julie SchneiderChair & Faculty, Computer Technology& Multimedia DepartmentRed Rocks Community College

Dean BarchersProfessor of MathematicsRed Rocks Community College

M-Apps Road Map

• Part I (Dean)– Using Math Apps in MAT 060 to help students learn addition of fractions

• Part II (Julie) – Using feedback from MAT 060 students, help two RRCC students create a Math App.

M-Apps Road Map (Part I)

• Getting Started• Time Line• Learn about Game Based Learning• Find Apps for Addition of Fractions• Load Apps onto iPads• Give Pre Test & Survey to Students• Distribute iPads to Students• Give / Collect Post Test & Survey from Students • Analyze Data: Success?• Final Conclusions / What’s Next?

Getting Started

• Computer Science Department wanted to work with the Math Department to make a Mathematics Game Based iPad App (Application)

• Goals: (1) Use iPad game based Apps in MAT 060 to see if they help students learn addition of fractions better. (2) Have two RRCC students create an App with the assistance of Julie Schneider – Chair of the Computer Technology & Multimedia Department & One Math Faculty, Dean Barchers.

Time Line

• Fall 2012 – 1 FT math faculty checks out iPads to 1 section of MAT 060 on first day of addition of fractions.

• Fall 2012 – Meet with 2 RRCC students to design App.

• Spring 2013 – 3 PT + 1 FT faculty check out iPads (total of 4 sections MAT 060) first day of addition of fractions.

• Spring 2013 – 2 RRCC students take feedback from RRCC students and finish the App on Addition of fractions.

• Summer/Fall 2013 – Make conclusions about effectiveness of iPads and disseminate information.

Learn About Game Based Learning

• Read - Mathematics Education for a New Era: Video Games as a Medium for Learning Keith Devlin

• If Possible avoid Apps that are only “Skill and Drill”.

• Instead, find game based apps that teach how to understand addition fractions.

• Don’t underestimate “cool” and “fun”.

Learn About Game Based Learning

Many Math Apps are only “Skill and Drill”. Example:

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Students can learn the above procedure and get the right answer but have no idea what they are doing. If student don’t understand why they are doing something, they tend to struggle with the topic.

Learn About Game Based Learning

The next slide shows how with Math Apps on an iPad students can visualize the process of addition of fractions and understand exactly what they are doing and why they are doing it.

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Find Apps for Addition of Fractions

• I now know what to look for in a Math App.

• Challenge #1 – Looked through over 300 Math Apps, Screen shots only. Very few Math Apps taught students how to understand addition of fractions.

• Challenge #2 – “3rd Grade Math”

• Narrowed it down to 4 Math Apps (out of 300+)

Find Apps for Addition of Fractions

The Four Math Apps chosen were:

1. Fractions Smart Pirate

2. Fractions by Brainingcamp

3. Math Galaxy Fractions Fun

4. Fractions Explained

Load Apps onto iPads

• Challenge #3 – Indemnification issues

Give Pre Test & Survey to Students

Sample Question on Pre/Post Test: Add.

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Survey Questions asked students to tell us which Math Apps they liked and why they liked them.

Distribute iPads to Students

• Allow Students to check out iPads and keep them 24/7 for 3 to 6 weeks.

• What if they lose or damage iPads?

• RRCC Student User Agreement

• Challenge #4 - $700 Liability if lost or damaged

(Liability adjusted to $500 for Fall 2013)

Distribute iPads to Students

• 5 extra credit pts for checking out iPad & doing survey.

• Fall 2012 – About 70% of all students took an iPad in the Full Time Math Faculty’s MAT 060 course.

• Spring 2013 – About 20% of the students took the iPad for the Adjunct Faculty MAT 060 courses.

• Fall 2013 – About 70% of all students took an iPad in the Adjunct Faculty’s MAT 045 course.

Distribute iPads to Students

• Of the students who got the addition of fractions question correct on the Pre-Test, only about 40% of them checked out an iPad.

• About 80% of all students who missed the addition of fractions question on the Pre-Test checked out an iPad.

• → Conclusion: Struggling students more likely to take iPad and get help, that is exactly what we had hoped.

Give / Collect Post Test & Survey• Fall 2012

– Pre-Test on 1st day compared to high stakes Post-Test with same (similar) questions later in semester.

– 1 MAT 060 course with iPads

– 4 MAT 060 courses without iPads (control)

• Spring 2013– 4 MAT 060 courses with iPads

• Compare Pre-Test versus Post-Test results for iPads versus non iPad users. Give Survey results to Julie’s team.

Analyze Data: Success?Students Pre-Test Question Correct

• About 40% of all students got the Pre-Test addition of fractions question correct. A vast majority of those students (95%) also got it right on the Post Test.

• If a student already knows how to add fractions before using the iPad, we can’t give the iPad credit for them adding fractions correctly on the post test.

• → Conclusion: Focus analysis on students answered the Pre-Test addition of fractions question incorrectly.

Analyze Data: Success?Students Pre-Test Question Incorrect

• About 60% of all students got the Pre-Test addition of fractions question incorrect.

• Do an analysis on only the set of students who missed the Pre-Test addition of fractions question.

Analyze Data: Success?Students Pre-Test Question Incorrect

• If they did not use the iPad, 72% got the Post-Test Addition of Fractions Question correct.

• If they did use the iPad, about 85% got the Post-Test Addition of Fractions Question correct.

• This is a 13% improvement.

Part I - Final Conclusions

• The students who needed the most help adding fractions were primarily the ones who checked out the iPads. From a limited resources point of view, this is exactly what we wanted. We were concerned the opposite might happen.

• If a student already knows how to add fractions on the 1st day of MAT 060, they generally speaking don’t need any help and about 95% of them will successfully* add fractions without the assistance of an iPad.

Part I - Final Conclusions

If a student does not know how to add fractions on the first day and if they do not use iPads, about 72%will successfully* add fractions, but if they do use iPads, about 85% of them will successfully* add fractions. The iPad yielded a 13% improvement.

What’s Next?

• Target two new Dev. Ed. courses starting in Fall 2014.

• Eventually have a full line up of Game Based Learning Apps for all key topics of both Dev. Ed. courses on iPads.

• If prices get low enough, have iPads for all sections of Dev. Ed. for students to check out.

M-Apps Road Map (Part II)

• Goal of the Custom iPad App

• Challenge #1 –Student Interns

• Challenge #2 – Equipment & Licensing

• What’s Next

• Custom App Demo

Goal of the Custom iPap App

• Create a custom iPad Mobile App to use in MAT 060 courses that is geared toward college minded students teaching them how to add fractions.

• Provide two CIS students with a valuable internship opportunity.

• Assess the impact of game-based learning on student success and identify the most effective game-based learning tools – custom app or “off-the-shelf” gaming applications.

Challenge #1: Student Interns

• Find student interns with skill set needed to design and develop iPad App

• Designer Intern:

– Design the story line and create all the images of the custom app

• Developer Intern:

– Develop the app as an iOS Native iPad Mobile App for the Apple App Store

– Objective-C Programming Language on the Mac OS

Challenge #2: Equipment & Licensing• iOS Developer Program License

• Production licenses of software purchased

– Adobe Creative Suite CS-6

– MacBook with Xcode and iOS 6

• Equipment was configured for project

• RRCC Student User Agreement with exceptions signed

• Both student interns were checked out:

– RRCC laptops in order to design and develop the apps using production licenses.

– iPads for development and testing deployment

What’s Next?

• Complete the Custom App

• Deploy App to the Apple App Store for public consumption

• Utilize the app for teaching in the MAT 060 courses

Story Line• A traveler is traveling through the towns

and regions restoring their water supplies.

• Regions – a different region per mathematical function

• Towns – 9 towns per regions with problems increasing in difficulty as the player moves from town to town in the region. – With each successful problem the player earns coins.

• Troll Bridge – after the player has advanced

successfully through each town, they must pay

the troll to pass over the bridge and commence

to the next region.

Demo of the App

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Thank You & Questions

Julie.schneider@rrcc.edu

Dean.barchers@rrcc.edu