Evaluation Tools and Instruments Most evaluations require the use of a data collection tool—a survey or other data collection instrument. Evaluators either need to adopt or adapt tools “off the shelf” or create new ones. Either method can pose challenges: Tools that have been developed for one evaluation may not prove suitable for another, at least not without careful modification. At the same time, creating new tools requires expertise in measurement and instrument design. How do you know if an off-the-shelf instrument is appropriate for your needs? Good question! What is the instrument measuring? We’ve gathered a collection of tools and instruments that can be used for evaluating outcomes of informal STEM education projects or that can serve as starting points for modification. Research and Evaluation Instruments on InformalScience.org: This section of InformalScience.org allows users to search a collection of evaluation reports, articles, and other resources that include evaluation instruments and tools.
8 Readability Web Tools to Test Your Writing Quality Readability is the quality of writing that makes it easy (or difficult) to read and understand. Ever since the web started stringing together HTML pages, readability acquired a different sort of importance. You can click on a URL and reach a webpage that’s designed for a 10 year old. Information is useful only if we can make sense out of it. As Wikipedia says, readability of a particular text is measured using certain formulas. A tool that’s close by for readability analysis is in MS Word itself. The Wikipedia article on readability has another little tidbit of information – nearly all of today’s blockbuster writers write at the 7th-grade level, including John Grisham, Stephen King, J. Where does your writing measure up against this piece of fact? The Readability Test Tool There are three flexible options to carry out the tests ““ using an URL, by directly pasting the text, or by adding a referral link to the source page. Juicy Studio’s Readability Test Online-utility.org Readability.info
APA Style: Learning APA Style The Basics of APA Style: Tutorial Free | This free tutorial is designed for those who have no previous knowledge of APA Style. It shows users how to structure and format their work, recommends ways to reduce bias in language, identifies how to avoid charges of plagiarism, shows how to cite references in text, and provides selected reference examples. Basics of APA Style: In-Depth Online Course $80 ($60 for APA members) | Learn to apply the basic rules of APA Style in writing term papers, research reports, and journal articles. What’s New in the Sixth Edition: Tutorial Free | This 14-minute tutorial provides an overview of key changes in the sixth edition of the Publication Manual, beginning with three overarching goals that guided the revision and ending with a detailed chapter-by-chapter list of new and expanded content.
Typofile Magazine - The best faces for the Screen First, he suggests considering sans serif faces for body text. "When printed, the serifs on typefaces are only a tiny percentage of the typeface's design. But on-screen, in order to display the serifs using the limited number of available pixels, they take up a much bigger proportion of the information than they do on a printed page. Serifs should be small things--but on screen they become big--no longer visual cues but noise--distracting chunks of interference." While some traditional serif faces don't translate well to the screen, others are excellent on-screen, and a serif's more familiar shape makes it more comfortable and familiar for most people. Bigelow also stresses that the hinting of individual fonts can be as important as the typeface design itself. "At small sizes on-screen, the look of the face can depend more on the hinting than the original design." TrueType, as a technology, has stronger hinting possibilities than Type1, but it all depends on the foundry.
Online Etymology Dictionary SMOG Readability Calculator by G Harry McLaughlin By G. Harry McLaughlin My readability formula SMOG estimates the years of education needed to understand a piece of writing. SMOG is widely used, particularly for checking health messages. But ATOS for Text has been much better validated than any other readability formula. If you still want to use SMOG use click here for a free online tool which calculates it and three other readability measures. SMOG was published in 1969 BC [Before Computers] so I made calculating a text’s readability easy by offering an approximate formula — count the words of 3 or more syllables in 3 10-sentence samples, estimate the count’s square root, and add 3. The precise formula for SMOG yields an outstandingly high 0.985 correlation with the grades of readers who had 100% comprehension of test materials. You may have seen SMOG conversion tables compiled by one Harold C. A sketch of how SMOG came to be devised was published in a Plain Language at Work Newsletter. Copyright (c) 2008 G.
How to Structure An Essay: Avoiding Six Weaknesses In Papers - TIP Sheet - Butte College TIP SheetHOW TO STRUCTURE AN ESSAY: AVOIDING SIX MAJOR WEAKNESSES IN PAPERS Writing a paper is a lot like painting your house: the bulk of the work is in the preparation–scraping, sanding, cleaning, applying primer. If you fail in the prep work, the finished product will be less than excellent. It is a common mistake for students to want to start editing their papers before they have substantially revised them. Identifying six major weaknessesSix major weaknesses can doom your paper to mediocrity or worse: A too-broad thesis statementA poorly formulated thesisInadequate or unfocused topic sentencesWriting off-subjectFailing to anticipate objectionsAn inadequate conclusion The checklist below can help you discover whether your paper suffers from any of these errors. If any of these statements are not true, read ahead to find explanations and suggestions that may help. 1. In American schools, there are many kinds of acceptable dress codes and classroom behaviors. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Rewriting or Revising | Online Writing Center | SUNY Empire State College The writing process is never done--it is only finished when you need to hand something in or voluntarily discontinue working. If you were to pick up a piece of writing that you completed two years ago, you undoubtedly would see ways that you could improve it. Two years later, you could do the same thing. What exactly is revision? It is easier here to start with what revision is not. So, you are asking yourself, what is revision? The first thing that you need to do is to make sure that you distance yourself from your work. Revision is a very difficult concept to teach to people. How do writers revise? Revision, as I already stated, is a complex process which must take place at a number of different levels. Ok, now that I know what to do, how do I do it? Now that you have an indication of what you can do to revise something, you need to think about where to look at your paper. Your paper revision should move in much the same way, although the steps are somewhat shorter.
Building the Essay Draft | Online Writing Center | SUNY Empire State College Tip: After you have completed the body of your paper, you can decide what you want to say in your introduction and in your conclusion. Explanation Once you know what you want to talk about and you have written your thesis statement, you are ready to build the body of your essay. The thesis statement will usually be followed by: the body of the paperthe paragraphs that develop the thesis by explaining your ideas by backing them up examples or evidence Tip: The "examples or evidence" stage is the most important part of the paper, because you are giving your reader a clear idea of what you think and why you think it. Development Options For each reason you have to support your thesis, remember to state your point clearly and explain it. Tip: Read your thesis sentence over and ask yourself what questions a reader might ask about it. Compare and contrast: Show how one thing is similar to another, and then how the two are different, emphasizing the side that seems more important to you. 2. 3.
What Is a Scholarly Source? | Synonym College professors often require students to write papers using scholarly sources. These sources are academic writings by educators and researchers who specialize in specific subject areas. The writers pepper the documents with specialized language and include graphs or charts to illustrate their findings. Scholarly sources are geared toward specialized audiences. Types of Scholarly Sources Other than professional and academic journals, scholarly sources include primary sources (statistical data and lab reports), secondary sources (literary reviews, analysis of literary, visual or performing arts and informed commentary) and tertiary sources (textbooks and reference works, such as dictionaries and encyclopedias). Peer-Reviewed Sources Peer-reviewed sources lend authority to college-level research papers by providing credible information to back up a student writer's arguments. Examples of Scholarly Journals Authority, Structure, Content and Timeliness About the Author
What is a Scholarly Source? When I use the term "scholarly source", I mean a source that is peer reviewed or published in a recognized scholarly source, like a journal or a university publisher. How do you tell the difference between a scholarly source and other sources? Well, the library has a chart that might help, at least in telling the difference between scholarly journals and popular magazines. Here are a few other tips: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. The key in looking for a scholarly source is to identify the mechanisms used to ensure that the article is of a high standard. Are internet sources scholarly? Now, what about sources from the internet? Sometimes you will find papers on the web that are not published. Now, how about articles in zines? How about reference works like Wikipedia or Encyclopedia Britannica? You should be quite suspicious of other works on the web. Many students are tempted to do all their work with web-based sources. Here are some other resources on scholarly sources:
Bloomin' Apps This page gathers all of the Bloomin' Apps projects in one place.Each image has clickable hotspots and includes suggestions for iPad, Android, Google and online tools and applications to support each of the levels of Bloom's Revised Taxonomy.I have created a page to allow you to share your favorite online tool, iOS, or Android app with others. Cogs of the Cognitive Processes I began to think about the triangular shape of Bloom's Taxonomy and realized I thought of it a bit differently.Since the cognitive processes are meant to be used when necessary, and any learner goes in and out of the each level as they acquire new content and turn it into knowledge, I created a different type of image that showcased my thoughts about Bloom's more meaningfully.Here is my visual which showcases the interlocking nature of the cognitive processes or, simply, the "Cogs of the Cognitive Processes". IPAD APPS TO SUPPORT BLOOM'S REVISED TAXONOMYassembled by Kathy Schrock Bloom's and SAMR: My thoughts
6 of The Best Web Tools for Organizing and Managing Citations, References and Bibliographies April 1, 2015 One of the onerous parts in essay and academic writing is the bibliography section. Managing, organizing and citing references can sometimes be a real challenge especially if you don't keep track of what and who you cite. The last thing you would want after a strenuous writing task is a messy bibliography with one reference missing page numbers the other needs publication date or, worse of all, having to go back to your sources to check for the source of that quotation you included in your conclusion. 1- Zotero "Zotero collects all your research in a single, searchable interface. RefWorks -- an online research management, writing and collaboration tool -- is designed to help researchers easily gather, manage, store and share all types of information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies.3- Mendeley EndNote gives you the tools you need for searching, organizing and sharing your research. 5- EasyBib