Mining informal and short weekly student self-reflections for improving student learning experience

• Main Authors: GOTTIPATI Swapna, Rafael Jose BARROS BARRIOS, SHIM, Kyong Jin
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2021
• Subjects: self-reflections; informal and short text; text analysis; student suggestions; dashboard; Databases and Information Systems
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sis_research/6870; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sis_research/article/7873/viewcontent/Mining_Informal_and_Short_Weekly_Student_Self_Reflections_for_Improving_Student_Learning_Experience.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

Having students write short self-reflections at the end of each weekly session enables them to reflect on what they have learned in the session and what concepts they find challenging. Analyzing these selfreflections provides instructors with insights on how to address the missing conceptions and misconceptions of the students and appropriately plan and deliver the next session. In this paper, we study the impact of informal and short weekly self-reflections on students’ learning. Our methodology includes an approach to effective collection and mining of the textual reflections based on Google survey forms and TIBCO Spotfire. To evaluate our research questions, we apply the approach to a second-year computing course. We present both qualitative and quantitative analyzes of the findings. We also present the dashboard design useful for gaining insights with interactive visuals that aid in classroom interventions. The results in terms of student and faculty feedback on the process and a strong positive correlation between learning and grades show the effectiveness of this approach in improved learning experiences over weeks.