Conjectures of research question
Mood:  bright
Now Playing: don't have a clue what the name of the song is!
Topic: Research questions
I found out today that my first comments on this blog was made on January 26! Guess what ... it was somebody from the OU - which makes it a bit too close to home.

Anyway, created a list of research questions for James and Doug about 2 weeks ago, and it seems as if we are going with the original research question. But they asked me to unpack what I mean by computational and learning tool - oh that has got me stumped. James like the idea a bit better now - I think - at least got that impression from our meeting, because I was able to make conjectures about the different disciplines. Now these conjectures are based on my experience of teaching LP, so I figured that

1. Mathematics students: most likely would not use any of the LP software, since it is all into the mechanistics of mathematics. But I think I am more likely to find learning LP software here ... if any.

2. Business and Management students: I think most likely they would use the computational software, simply, because they need to apply the answer to make a managerial decision, and they are not into the understanding of heavy maths.

3. Engineering students: I feel these can use either ... if I group the OR students here, I think they will use the learning tools, and if it is the engineering management students it will be computational tools.

So, that's my conjectures. Still haven't gotten around to unpacking the ideas of computational and learning tools ... not certain what is meant by unpacking so stuck there. I think what Doug meant is to find the components that make up these words. Possibly, why they decided we should have a demonstration of the software. Well, so far, I've gotten two software (WinQBS and Lindo), got the Solver Add-in, I think there is another add-in but I can't remember the name, its something like XLP - got to find it and install it and I have some java applet programmes. Only problem, one of the better one, claims I have to update my java applets, I think I have to install a JRE - that will take ages to download! Oh well, I guess I can demonstrate how those are use, and probably between my supervisors and I we can figure what relates to computational and learning tools.

I wanted to relate it to about 6 different aspects in LP problems itself, these are:

1. Formulating the problem

2. Inputting the problem into the computer

3. Understanding of the simplex algorithm (or other method)

4. Interpretation of the results

5. Interpretation of the sensitivity analysis

6. Application of results to problems

Anyway, still not sure where I stand ... wonder if I have said so far even makes sense! Well, promised my supervisors a draft outline of a proposal by today!!! Wondering if I can make that deadline I've imposed on myself ...

Anyway, I'm going back to work on my ethnography - got a TMA due Tuesday coming.

Exemplified by Examples
Mood:  not sure
Now Playing: Mere Makhna Meri Soniye (Baghban)
Topic: Seminars

Went to a seminar by Prof. John Mason yesterday. It was quite interesting ... he was talking about examples and trying to find in my own words ... a 'perfect example' ... one that inspires the theory or concepts being illustrated. He also mention something brilliant to me ... something called an 'example space' ... basically everyone has an example space, and it is your duty as a teacher to increase that example space ... or fill it up ... but I am guessing it is distended like the universe. But he says, that as you increase the example space the student is able to increase their creativity more.

I guess this is where the bidirectional learning occurs through inductive or deductive methods. But one of his theories (or was it one of his colleagues) says that learning is actually about discernment. Now this is interesting (I actually had a talk afterwards) and we were talking about what is actually learning and how we can measure it ... and I raised the question of these LSI and ASI ... can't remember his response ... but I think it is a philosophical debate on the approach to take to measure the 'learning' or discernment of a student from linear programming software (yup told him my research too - and said it was still being fleshed out).

In his speech, he said the best way to determine if examples are useful or students are discerning are by using research probes, because you want to know if students are not just regurgitating the last examples they learnt but able to create ones for themselves and draw their knowledge to the real world. So these research probes go like this by asking students:

1. What is a good example of .....?

2. What examples do you recall off .....?

3. What is a misleading/ poor example ....?

Anyway, he said to contact him a few weeks and we can discuss this stuff .... love this place for that being able to discuss stuff with people and get input! So, got to flesh out the problem more and see what happens. Plus, got to get some research questions for James and Doug for my meeting tomorrow. I hate having our meetings on Mondays, since I got to send the Agenda out on Thursday ... that leaves three days bwt the meeting, in which I could have done something!

Coffee Meeting with James
Mood:  down
Now Playing: Aankhen khuli ho ya ho band (Mohabbatein)
Topic: Meetings

Just had an impromptu meeting with James. He came by to drop a paper for me, and I reminded him we were suppose to be having a coffee this week ... and then has asked me if I was free right now ... and I said yes ... but ... it was a disastrous meeting ... because I had no clue what to speak about ... so, pretty much we were sitting just mumbling stuff ... absolutely nothing constructive.

I have to do something to redeem myself ... but I don't know what!!! But I hate thinking about redeeming myself ... because I do that with Pun, and that does not get me anywhere ... so probably I should forget it and move on, and do the best I can with my work - because I will just get bogged down. I have to start timetabling my work again ... but I have a feeling I have a procrastination attitude again which I have to get rid off ... if I expect to make this year productive! Oh I making myself feel depressed and frustrated.

Anyway, the paper seems ok ... since it has linear programming in its title ... and it looks to be an experiment ... but its the formulation of LP problems ... so at least I would learn some methodology. James also said he uses the ISI Web of Knowledge ... I have to check that out in future ... it might prove to be more useful than checking each database individually - at least I think it search more than the average database. He says I should check conference proceedings since they are also more up-to-date. Supposingly, they have a link to conference proceedings so need to check that out. Also, said I should check out ERIC ... will have to do that.

I told James ... I might feel better if I get a research question ... and I believe that ... so have to think about that this week ... seriously!! Anyway, I'm going back to my statistics.

Meeting with Linda
Mood:  lazy
Now Playing: I swear
Topic: Learning and Study Styles

So, I had my meeting with Linda this morning. She's quite nice. She obviously does not like learning styles, and she has worked with it. She said that when she used about three different types that she were not able to find any distinctive different between groups - I gather this means that she were not able to to find factors (it seems that is what they are always doing in those inventory questionnaires). I am not quite sure if she used Kolb LSI.

She seems well pleased with approaches to study inventory (ASI), and have used it, and was able to find differences between groups. I had quickly read some stuff about it this morning from John's book ... at least I knew what RASI (Revised ASI) was ... that was good. As it turns out there is no standardised RASI, but Linda says that John knows the guy who develop it quite well a Noel Entwhistle, so he usually contacts him to see what is the latest version.

Its a good thing that Doug gave me John's book to read ... John seems well pleased that I have it in my collection of readings (Linda and I went over to his office for a couple of minutes). Linda was planning to give it to me ... so, Doug beat them to the punch. As it turns out Linda was also being considered as one of my supervisors, but she was not familiar with linear programming so I get the impression that she is glad that I was able to consult her. Well, got to thank John for that. Anyway, her husband works in the computer dept. and she is going to ask them if there is anyone working with software on LP, that should be good! Or at least CAS.

There was also something new that Linda , something called the course experience questionnaire (CEQ). Some guys called Ramsden developed it in Australia. I think he also helped developed the RASI. Anyway, I got a copy of the CEQ from John plus his latest RASI (got the feeling he was bit reluctant to part with it). Anyway, the RASI questionnaire he has, is one that he used recently for a research he is conducting. Only problem, I have no clue which questions go which heading! Linda and I tried to see if we could have wrangled that from him, instead he compromised and gave me the paper he had recently publish on that research and promise to provide me with the SPSS syntax file for grouping the questions, when the time comes ... hopefully from that could determine the questions grouping. Also, was able to also extract a copy of Coffield two reviews on learning style inventories .. with Linda coercion! Nevertheless, I've requested those two books via its website Should we be using learning styles? - What research has to say to practice and Learning styles and pedagogy in post-16 learning . Its free! And should expect it in a couple of days time according to John. Plus I have to return John's book in a couple days time also

It seems that Rebecca is doing some stuff on ASI for DTZY 840, so probably could discuss some stuff with her. Oh yeah, Linda gave me one of her article to read too from Educational Psychology, so got to get reading that.

Linda seems keen on ASI and CEQ she thinks those two work. Plus, she thinks LSI has too many controversies. She says that the learning styles philosophy is that these traits are inherent to a person whilst the ASI philosophy is that depending on the environment, the course and its expectations, the type of studying i.e. deep, surface or strategic may change. She has used both, and thinks ASI is superior!

She already feels that intermediate LP steps software will be better for learning than computational LP software. She has done something similar with three screens, in which, the first screen had students inputting the data, the second a visualization of what is happening, and the third screen the final output. She did this some years ago, and she said that the students found the visualization very helpful. When she said that my confidence started to ebb a bit ... I was wondering if I was doing useless research ... but I realize it is not as simple as that, since I still have to discover how people teach the LP courses! Because quite very well the simplex algorithm (I know big assumption that everyone uses the simplex algorithm) ... is taught so thoroughly through pen and paper that there is no need to even do it on the software, and students perfectly understand what is going on ... on the other hand probably they don't! Got to investigate that ... but that sounds like Ph.D stuff before that I have to get to my M.Sc!

She cautioned I should not use the grades or scores as these are dependent on the marking strategy. Plus, this may be a reflection of surface learning where people just study to get a tiny piece of the work correct, rather than get a good overview of the actual learning. She thinks using the CEQ will help understand how the course is to the student's point of view ... my only problem with that is that LP is not taught exclusively in a course but as a component ... so not sure how I can use the CEQ for that piece as yet ... probably might have to extract it!

Append: I think its called the course performance questionnaire (CPQ) rather than the CEQ!

My first entry
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Research questions

So, this is the first entry of my research journal, and I have tried to procrastinate this moment for the longest while, but the time has come. Now, I am blank as what to write. Probably, first up I should write what the tasks I have to do. Well, first up there is the finding the research question. I had one which was:

"Are linear programming software perceived as computational vs learning tools by differing university discipline lecturers in operations research based courses?"

However, James and Doug pointed out some problems in trying to conduct that survey such as trying to get a good response rate and contacting these lecturers. My initial idea was that I can send packages to universities and let them distribute it to the course lecturer and let them reply and send it back to me. Gary however (in my DTZY840 proposal) asked why I couldn't do it through email. That seems a legitimate question, and I guess I can do that still.

A problem however, I sense that James wants the research grounded in some literature, and I am not quite sure how grounded I can get this research in the literature since there are so few articles on LP software. As such, James as suggested that I look at the challenges of teaching LP. I am also having the problem of seeing where Kolb LSI and the Approaches to Studying Inventory (ASI) is going to fit into the Masters, although I have a better view of it in the Ph.D or quite possibly thinking that I can stick it somewhere into the Ph.D. I will have to see what insights I gain from Linda when I meet her on Thursday.

My problem is that I want the master's to be a survey based research since I am sure I can cope with that. However, I need to link the masters to the Ph.D, I want it to be the basis of my Ph.D. I however, want to study intermediate steps in software, I have made the assumption that only if the software is being used for a teaching purpose that intermediate steps will be used and as such want to see if there are any people even using the software for teaching. Doug has suggested that I find a few enthusiasts and see what they think about the software - not sure exactly what I am suppose to ask them.

As such, I am floundering trying to find a research question, about 1-2 months ago I was confident I had my research question, but now I am not so sure. I hate feeling this uncertainty. Anyway, probably with more reading, I can figure out some solution.