College of Information Studies
Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/1631
The collections in this community comprise faculty research works, as well as graduate theses and dissertations.
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Item UNDERSTANDING LEARNING AND SKETCHING EXPERIENCES OF CHILDREN INVOLVED IN STEM DESIGN(2023) Shokeen, Ekta; Williams-Pierce, Caro Dr.; Library & Information Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)Sketching is considered a helpful activity in STEM design and education. Scholars have argued for including children in designing technology as it has been found to improve product design and leads to social and cognitive benefits for children. However, little is known about children’s learning and sketching experiences when participating in design activities. How do children sketch during design activities? How do children learn about sketching in design activities? What information do they share via their sketches? What information do they use for sketching? How do they use sketching in the overall design process? How do learning and sketching relate to STEM design? This three-paper dissertation uses empirical and theoretical approaches to address these questions. The first paper uses an ethnographic case study approach to qualitatively examine information-sharing practices and learning opportunities from children’s engagement in interest-driven sketching. Findings suggest that sketching can provide multiple learning opportunities to children. Also, it can be helpful to gather information about the broader contexts of children’s lives which can help identify their needs and improve the future design of technologies for children. The second paper presents a theoretical framework, Radical Constructivist Cooperative Inquiry (RCCI), for understanding children’s learning in design activities. Based on the theoretical synthesis of the cooperative inquiry design approach and the radical constructivist perspective of learning, RCCI establishes six pillars of learning in design. Finally, the paper discusses how these six pillars can be utilized in design activities to support children’s learning. The third paper is a secondary analysis of video data of children’s learning and sketching experiences in engineering design in their home environments. It focuses on examining the relationship between children’s sketching and learning following the RCCI framework with the thematic analysis method. Results suggest that sketching can engage children in learning about STEM skill sets. These three papers collectively contribute empirically and theoretically to building knowledge about improving and sustaining design cycles by children in STEM learning contexts.Item Design for Just-In-Time: Resource Design for Self-Teaching Computer Science and Online Learning(2020) Lindeman, Carrie Lucille; Weintrop, David; Library & Information Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)The goal of this study is to investigate how just-in-time resources may support self-teaching for adult computer science learners who are new to coding. For people learning computer science on their own, just-in-time resources can be essential for solving problems. A popular online resource that computer scientists of all experience levels rely on is Stack Overflow, a forum that has a question and answer format. Resources like Stack Overflow can help new programmers problem-solve their code without consulting a teacher or professor. However, these resources may be creating barriers in the learning experience that should prepare them for future computer science education. By observing learners using just-in-time resources and interviewing learners about their habits, this thesis provides guidance on potential design suggestions for better supporting users’ future learning. Understanding how just-in-time materials currently support self-teaching for adult novice computer science learners will provide the foundation for these designs.Item A HOUSE OF BRICK: USING THE ACRL FRAMEWORK TO [RE]BUILD A STRONGER, MORE SUSTAINABLE DEMOCRACY THROUGH A STAND-ALONE, INFORMATION LITERACY COURSE(2017) Douglass, Courtney Lawrence; Jaeger, Paul; Library & Information Services; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md.)This thesis explores the relationship with and value of information literacy to a successful, democratic society. It analyzes societal needs and presents historical and philosophical relevance for the value of understanding how to acquire, use and create accurate, timely and relevant information pieces and products. Finally, this thesis presents a model for teaching information literacy as an independent social or information science course, and how a college at a major research university has moved to implement such a course for the benefit of the University at large.