Role - Online Tutoring System - 一個基於社群網站的線上課輔系統

2 Backgrounds

3.1 Online Tutoring System

3.1.2 Role

In our online tutoring system, we have four roles. One is tutor; others are student, class teacher and system administrator. Figure 3-2 shows the roles of online tutoring system.

Figure 3-2 the roles of Online Tutoring System

 Tutor

We hire undergraduate or postgraduate students to be tutor. Require them to prepare course materials for student. Our tutors have positive attitude and like to help student to solve problems. Tutors help students figure out the answer on their own and use the tools of the classroom to share resources, explain complicated diagrams and review papers together. We also hope tutors could improve students’ learning attitude. Make them know that learning is a best thing.

 Student

Usually choose junior high school or elementary school students who need to tutored.

Teachers in school pick up some students to be online tutoring object. Some of them maybe have learning backwardness problems, or volunteer to take online tutoring courses.

 Class teacher

School teacher as a priority to served. There should have one class teacher in tutor’s portion or student’s portion. Class teacher most know what the students think and their behavior.

Class teachers deal with situations which have suddenly happened. Such as today courses were suspended, they need to contact students and notify them. Or students always cannot attention to learning, class teacher should to correct students.

 System administrator

Maintain the system data and features. If need that the system administrator will improve or add system feature. We also construct a feature which will contact to system administrator in our online tutoring system, if users have troubles, they could fill out the form in contact us page, and then system administrator will solve the problems.

3.1.3 System Architecture

Figure 3-3 System Architecture of Online Tutoring System

Figure3-3 is system architecture of our online tutoring system. We construct a system and design some features that tutors and students could use. And their course materials, discuss content, member information will recorded into our database.

Figure3-4 is our online tutoring system interface. Table 3-1 is a list of system functions in our online tutoring system. Tutor’s usage rights is different to student’s usage rights.

Figure 3-4 interface of Online Tutoring System

We construct a user-friendly interface. The major features are set in the navigation bar. Minor features set in separate pages. Each page we have operate instructions, let users could easy to use in our system.

Table 3-1 online tutoring system features

Features Illustration

3.2 Integrate Hangout experience in Online Tutoring System

Google+ Hangouts API enables users to develop apps and run in Google+ App. We can download the open source code. Before we can use the Google+ Hangouts API, we need to create a project in the Google APIs console. We could create a new project or open the sample project.

Then scroll down to the Google+ Hangouts API, click ON and accept the terms of service. After we've written our Hangout app, we must publish our Gadget XML file to a publicly accessible URL and register our app in the Google APIs console. We can start a hangout in the developer sandbox with our app running in it. We still are writing our Hangout applications now.

We use Google+ hangouts to online tutoring. When they are beginning to tutoring, we provided a button which consists of Hangout link, they click the button, and they will connect to Hangout page.

3.3 Implementation Tools

In this program, we use a number of open source tools and libraries for developing the online tutoring system as shown Table3-2.

Table 3-2 Implementation Tools

Name Usage Version License

PHP Programming 5.2.6 PHP License

Apache HTTP Server Web server 2.2.8 Apache License 2.0

MySQL Database 5.0.21b GNU GPL

phpMyAdmin Database Manager 2.10.3 GNU GPL

We use PHP programs to construct our online tutoring system, design the web pages and system features. The majority of web servers on the Internet are using the Apache HTTP Server. Using MySQL to store data, such as member’s information, course materials and news, discuss content and so on. PhpMyAdmin is intended to handle the administration of MySQL with the use of a Web browser, and it supports a wide range of operations with MySQL. Through phpMyAdmin, we can manage data which stored in MySQL and execute SQL statements

4 System Demonstration

4.1 Online Tutoring Flow Scenarios

Figure 4-1 Online Tutoring Flow Diagram

The scenario of the online tutoring flow diagram is shown in Figure 4-1. In this diagram, we illustrate step by step, initially, tutor and student both log in the online tutoring system, turn to the online tutoring page,(1) click the start tutoring button to start tutoring. (2) Tutor’s page will open the hangout window automatically. Student’s page directed to the google+ homepage. (3) Tutor need to invite student to join the hangout. So tutor click Invite at the hangout window and type student’s name or student’s mail to invite student. Then, click start hangout button at the hangout

window, the hangout is started. (4)When tutor already invited student to join the hangout, google will notice student that someone invited you to join the hangout automatically. (5)Student joins the hangout. (6) When both already join the hangout, then start tutoring. Before tutoring, both of them need to make sure their microphone and camera are working correctly.

After finished today course and exited the hangout, tutor needs to write teaching journal which recorded the progress of teaching and tutoring situation. Figure 4-2 showed that the teaching journal form.

Figure 4-2 teaching journal

4.2 Online tutoring in Google+ Hangout

4.2.1 Google+ Hangout interface

Figure 4-2 shows the screenshot of Hangout interface. Tutor and student can see each other’s page at (1). Participants can use “Notes”, “Sketch”, “Add a document” and “Group chat”

functions at the sidebar at (2). Also can use (3) “Screen share” function to share screen to other participant. (4)The settings page helps confirm that participant’s computer, microphone and webcam are set up and ready to use. If today course is finished, click the “exit” button to exit the hangout at (5).

Figure 4-3 Screenshot of Hangout interface

(2) (1)

(3) (4) (5)

4.2.2 Tutors and students’ interaction



Notes

To edit a note to the hangout, click the “Notes” at the top of the sidebar. Tutor can share notes with student. Both of them can take notes or edit collaboratively. If some words we want to search it, click Right-Click to choose “search”, it will appear a small window in the center of hangout that show the searching results. It do not need to switching windows. It can insert the link to the word which we searched directly.

Figure 4-4 search directly and the results were showed in the center of hangout



Sketchpad

To sketch something to the hangout, click the “Sketchpad” at the top of the sidebar. This will create a blank Sketchpad document which allows users to collaborate in real-time. Tutor can collaboratively draw diagrams with student. By using handwriting tablet, tutor could write questions, equations,concept diagramming or tutoring his/her student in math easily and conveniently.

Figure 4-5 Sketchpad

 Add a document

To add a document to the hangout, click the “add a document button” at the top of the sidebar.

Figure 4-5 showed that choose the documents you’d like to share and click “Select”. It can upload different types of documents, such as ppt, pdf, doc and etc. The video file also can be uploaded to the hangout. The document will show up in the left portion of the video screen. Tutor can share his/her course materials or a google document with his/her student. Figure 4-6 showed that the document which was added in the hangout could be annotated. The annotated document will save in their Google Doc.

Figure 4-6 Add a document

Figure 4-7 annotated notes

 Share screen

Click the “Share Screen” button at the top to share own screen with others. If you have multiple windows open, you will be asked to choose one to share. Select that window, then click share.

Tutor could use screen share to collaboratively browse the website with student.

Figure 4-8 Screen share

 Group Chat

This feature let tutor could chat with student. If student can’t hear what tutor said, student could type something to notify tutor. Tutor could type steps to solve student’s problems.

 Invite

In the hangout, still could invite someone to join the hangout. It can invite mobile users who installed google+ app. But in our online tutoring system, it is not allow tutor or student to invite other person to join this hangout when they are tutoring.

5 Experiment and System Evaluations

5.1 Experiment

We have an experiment with Jhongli commercial high school. The experimental subjects consist of 4 students and 4 tutors. The educational level of tutors is college student and master. The students are grade one students in senior high school. We provided one-to-one tutoring. The tutoring time is one hour per week. We asked the tutors come to the computer lab and do the online tutoring activity. Because this is the first experiment, we want to know the real situation about this experiment. And if something happened, we could help or adjust immediately. Before the online tutoring, we introduced our system and illustrated how to operate to tutors. In the students’ side, their class teacher had explained the operations of online tutoring system. Students

can stay in their home and do the online tutoring activity.

We observed that they do the online activities very fluently. Sometimes the student faced some problems and he did not know how to solve, the tutor will give the student some opinions and solve the problems. The student also asks the homework questions to the tutor actively. Their subject is math, and they found that they write something in sketchpad, the writings sometimes do not showed in the hangout. They had no other problem in the Hangout.

5.2 System Usability Test

When this system is completed, we invited some tutors and students to use it. Before they use the system, we illustrated this system how to use it. If they had any questions, we could help them instantly. After they had enough know about this system, we let them to fill out the questionnaire of system’s usability.

We adopt the questionnaire System Usability Scale (SUS) developed by John Brooke [33] to evaluate the users’ view of system’s usability. The SUS has ten items which is composed of five positive statements and five negative statements. Five-point scale ranges from 1 as strongly disagree to 5 as strongly agree was used for the measurement. The SUS scores have a range of 0 to 100.

To calculate the SUS score, first sum the score contributions from each item. Each item’s score contribution will range from 0 to 4. For odd items (1,3,5,7,and 9) the score contribution is the scale position minus 1. For even items (2,4,6,8 and 10) the score contribution is 5 minus the scale position. To obtain the overall value of SUS, need to multiply the sum of the scores by 2.5. Total score is 100.

Totally, we had 58 participants, 37 were students and 21 were tutors. Among the participants, the age of participants ranged from 19 to 30 years old; 25 were female, and 33 were male. Most of them had e-learning experience. We thought that they were very familiar with Internet, because they had above four years Internet experience. Their partial personal information was shown in Table 5-2 and Table 5-3.

Table 5-1 Personal Information of Participants

Role Participants Gender Age(years old) E-Learning

Experience(y/n)

Table 5-2 Personal Information of Participants Role Education level Internet experience

(Years)

Spend hours on the Internet per day(Hours)

All tutors’ questionnaires were valid questionnaires. In these 37 students’ questionnaires, 35 questionnaires were valid, 2 questionnaires was invalid. We divide the questionnaire results into two parts to explain.

5.2.1 Tutors’ SUS Questionnaire Result Analysis

The following is that we show the SUS score of tutors’ questionnaire results and explain some findings in the results.

Table 5-3: Descriptive Statistics of Tutors’ SUS Questionnaire

N Mean Median Min Max SD

Statistics 21 78.6 80 52.5 100 14.3

Listed in table 5-3 are the “SUS scores” of Tutors’ SUS Questionnaire. As summarized in table 5-4, the mean SUS score is 78.6, the maximum is 100 and the minimum is 52.5. Since the Mean and the Median are 78.6 and 80, respectively, these scores indicate that the Social Network based Online Tutoring system is usable.

Table 5-4: Tutors’ SUS Questionnaire and Statistics of Each Item

System Usability Scale Mean SD

1. I think that I would like to use this system frequently 4.3 0.6

2. I found the system unnecessarily complex 2 0.8

3. I thought the system was easy to use 4.2 0.7

4. I think that I would need the support of a technical person to be able to use this system

2.3 1.2

5. I found the various functions in this system were well integrated 4 0.7 6. I thought there was too much inconsistency in this system 1.9 0.7 7. I would imagine that most people would learn to use the system very quickly 4.1 0.7

8. I found the system very cumbersome to use 1.6 0.6

9. I felt very confident using the system 4.4 0.6

10. I needed to learn a lot of things before I could get going with this system 1.9 0.7

This survey in Table 5-4 revealed the following findings:

 The odd items gained the highest mean. It indicated that most tutors felt very confident while using the Social Network based Online Tutoring system. They showed that this system achieved good characteristics such as attractive to interact with, easy to use, and quick to learn.

 The standard deviation of 4^th item was relatively high. It indicated that some tutors were familiar with Online Tutoring system, but some were not. Some tutors still needed a technical person who illustrates how to use this online tutoring system. Therefore, some needed technical supports, but some could use the system totally by themselves

5.2.2 Students’ SUS Questionnaire Result Analysis

The following is that we show the SUS score of students’ questionnaire results and explain some findings in the results.

Table 5-5: Descriptive Statistics of Students’ SUS Questionnaire

N Mean Median Min Max SD

Statistics 35 71.8 70 50 92.5 13.1

Listed in table 5-5 are the “SUS scores” of Students’ SUS Questionnaire. As summarized in table

5-6, the mean SUS score is 71.8, the maximum is 92.5 and the minimum is 50. Since the Mean and the Median are 71.8 and 70, respectively, these scores indicate that the Social Network based Online Tutoring system is usable.

Table 5-6: Students’ SUS Questionnaire and Statistics of Each Item

System Usability Scale Mean SD

1. I think that I would like to use this system frequently 4.1 0.5

2. I found the system unnecessarily complex 2.3 0.9

3. I thought the system was easy to use 4.2 0.6

4. I think that I would need the support of a technical person to be able to use this system

2.5 1.1

5. I found the various functions in this system were well integrated 3.9 0.7 6. I thought there was too much inconsistency in this system 2.2 0.9 7. I would imagine that most people would learn to use the system very quickly 4 0.8

8. I found the system very cumbersome to use 1.8 0.7

9. I felt very confident using the system 4.1 0.7

10. I needed to learn a lot of things before I could get going with this system 2.6 1.1

This survey in table 5-6 revealed the following findings:

 The 3^rd items gained the highest mean. It indicated that most of students thought that this is an easy to use system.

 The next three with higher ranks were the 1^st, 7^th, and 9^th items. It indicated that most of students would like to frequent to use this system, and could imagine that other people who can quick to learn and they felt confident when they were using the system.

 The standard deviation of 4^th item and 10^th item were relatively high. It indicated that some students thought that they need support from technical person, and they need to learn a lot of

在文檔中一個基於社群網站的線上課輔系統 (頁 25-0)