Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection
Barrett, The Honors College at Arizona State University proudly showcases the work of undergraduate honors students by sharing this collection exclusively with the ASU community.
Barrett accepts high performing, academically engaged undergraduate students and works with them in collaboration with all of the other academic units at Arizona State University. All Barrett students complete a thesis or creative project which is an opportunity to explore an intellectual interest and produce an original piece of scholarly research. The thesis or creative project is supervised and defended in front of a faculty committee. Students are able to engage with professors who are nationally recognized in their fields and committed to working with honors students. Completing a Barrett thesis or creative project is an opportunity for undergraduate honors students to contribute to the ASU academic community in a meaningful way.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3
Description
Construction is a defining characteristic of geometry classes. In a traditional classroom, teachers and students use physical tools (i.e. a compass and straight-edge) in their constructions. However, with modern technology, construction is possible through the use of digital applications such as GeoGebra and Geometer’s SketchPad.
Many other studies have researched the benefits of digital manipulatives and digital environments through student completion of tasks and testing. This study intends to research students’ use of the digital tools and manipulatives, along with the students’ interactions with the digital environment. To this end, I conducted exploratory teaching experiments with two calculus I students.
In the exploratory teaching experiments, students were introduced to a GeoGebra application developed by Fischer (2019), which includes instructional videos and corresponding quizzes, as well as exercises and interactive notepads, where students could use digital tools to construct line segments and circles (corresponding to the physical straight-edge and compass). The application built up the students’ foundational knowledge, culminating in the construction and verbal proof of Euclid’s Elements, Proposition 1 (Euclid, 1733).
The central findings of this thesis are the students’ interactions with the digital environment, with observed changes in their conceptions of radii and circles, and in their use of tools. The students were observed to have conceptions of radii as a process, a geometric shape, and a geometric object. I observed the students’ conceptions of a circle change from a geometric shape to a geometric object, and with that change, observed the students’ use of tools change from a measuring focus to a property focus.
I report a summary of the students’ work and classify their reasoning and actions into the above categories, and an analysis of how the digital environment impacts the students’ conceptions. I also briefly discuss the impact of the findings on pedagogy and future research.
Many other studies have researched the benefits of digital manipulatives and digital environments through student completion of tasks and testing. This study intends to research students’ use of the digital tools and manipulatives, along with the students’ interactions with the digital environment. To this end, I conducted exploratory teaching experiments with two calculus I students.
In the exploratory teaching experiments, students were introduced to a GeoGebra application developed by Fischer (2019), which includes instructional videos and corresponding quizzes, as well as exercises and interactive notepads, where students could use digital tools to construct line segments and circles (corresponding to the physical straight-edge and compass). The application built up the students’ foundational knowledge, culminating in the construction and verbal proof of Euclid’s Elements, Proposition 1 (Euclid, 1733).
The central findings of this thesis are the students’ interactions with the digital environment, with observed changes in their conceptions of radii and circles, and in their use of tools. The students were observed to have conceptions of radii as a process, a geometric shape, and a geometric object. I observed the students’ conceptions of a circle change from a geometric shape to a geometric object, and with that change, observed the students’ use of tools change from a measuring focus to a property focus.
I report a summary of the students’ work and classify their reasoning and actions into the above categories, and an analysis of how the digital environment impacts the students’ conceptions. I also briefly discuss the impact of the findings on pedagogy and future research.
ContributorsSakauye, Noelle Marie (Author) / Roh, Kyeong Hah (Thesis director) / Zandieh, Michelle (Committee member) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05
Description
Today, there is a gap between the effectiveness of learning online and learning in person. Online educational videos such as ones found on Youtube mimic more of a lecture style of learning, which is easy ignore without a teacher nearby to engage the viewer. Furthermore, there is a lack of educational videos on the topic of Euclid’s Elements geometry proofs. This project remedies both accounts by offering a new approach on interactive online learning videos and exercises for the topic of Euclid’s Elements Book One, Propositions One and Two. This is accomplished by combining interactive videos, exercises, questions, and sketchpads into one online worksheet. The interactive videos are made using traditional methods of audio and visual elements, with an emphasis on having more dynamic visuals to engage with the viewer. The exercises are made using a program called Geogebra, and consist in having a question to solve, and diagram the use can manipulate to help solve the question. The questions consist in ensuring the viewer understands the material, as well as potential questions to gauge general understanding before and after using the worksheet. The sketchpads consist in stating the proposition being proved, and giving the user all the tools they need to construct or prove the Euclidean proposition in the online interactive environment offered by Geogebra. All of these components are then ordered into the worksheet to make an interactive online learning experience for the viewer. This way the viewer may both watch and actively use the material being presented to promote learning through engagement in a teacher-less environment.
ContributorsFischer, Quinn (Co-author, Co-author) / Roh, Kyeong Hah (Thesis director) / Zandieh, Michelle (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / School of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-12
Description
While most of the media attention given to video games focuses on those geared towards the entertainment industry, a less covered topic is the role of serious games. Also known as “educational” games, serious games are designed with the intent to teach the player a particular skill or topic. These games have gradually been working their way into our educational environments. Children are often taught to type, perform simple math, and correctly spell through a variety of games that have been widely adopted by teachers. However, teaching multiplication is one thing; teaching college-level advanced mathematics is another beast altogether. Can video games actually be used as an educational tool in higher education?
This is a difficult question for a variety of reasons. A major issue to consider is whether the students who play this game are actually learning the material, or simply improving at the game itself. If the game is not designed correctly, one could potentially learn to exploit game mechanics without applying knowledge of the material. While this person’s efficiency at completing the game quickly would suggest mastery of the topic, they may not actually be prepared to take a test on the subject. As such, it is important to thoroughly study the effectiveness of serious games before they are deployed to actual classrooms. This study will do just that with the game Vector Unknown, which was designed to help college students learn linear algebra.
This is a difficult question for a variety of reasons. A major issue to consider is whether the students who play this game are actually learning the material, or simply improving at the game itself. If the game is not designed correctly, one could potentially learn to exploit game mechanics without applying knowledge of the material. While this person’s efficiency at completing the game quickly would suggest mastery of the topic, they may not actually be prepared to take a test on the subject. As such, it is important to thoroughly study the effectiveness of serious games before they are deployed to actual classrooms. This study will do just that with the game Vector Unknown, which was designed to help college students learn linear algebra.
ContributorsBayles, Brandon Conner (Co-author) / Bayles, Brandon (Co-author) / Amresh, Ashish (Thesis director) / Zandieh, Michelle (Committee member) / Computer Science and Engineering Program (Contributor, Contributor) / Computing and Informatics Program (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2020-05