The knowledge connections analyzer

We describe the development of an SQL-based formative assessment system, the Knowledge Connections Analzyer (KCA), which is designed to provide evidence on four general questions that students may have about their work in an asynchronous online discussion environment: (1) Are we collaborating? (2) Are we putting our knowledge together? (3) How do ideas develop over time? (4) What is happening to my stuff? These questions are inspired by Scardamalia’s knowledge-building principles. The KCA first converts a Knowledge Forum® tuplestore database to SQL format, and then executes queries relevant to these four questions. It Students and their teacher can employ it to self-assess their knowledge building. This paper elaborates upon a conceptual framework underlying the system design, describes the KCA, and reports the results of several rounds of usability testing involving teachers and students.

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