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arXiv · 2208.05069

Experimenting with Experimentation: Rethinking The Role of Experimentation in Educational Design

Mohi Reza·Akmar Chowdhury·Aidan Li·Mahathi Gandhamaneni·Joseph Jay Williams
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Abstract

What if we take a broader view of what it means to run an education experiment? In this paper, we explore opportunities that arise when we think beyond the commonly-held notion that the purpose of an experiment is to either accept or reject a pre-defined hypothesis and instead, reconsider experimentation as a means to explore the complex design space of creating and improving instructional content. This is an approach we call experiment-inspired design. Then, to operationalize these ideas in a real-world experimentation venue, we investigate the implications of running a sequence of interventions teaching first-year students "meta-skills": transferable skills applicable to multiple areas of their lives, such as planning, and managing stress. Finally, using two examples as case studies for meta-skills interventions (stress-reappraisal and mental contrasting with implementation intentions), we reflect on our experiences with experiment-inspired design and share six preliminary lessons on how to use experimentation for design.

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Mohi Reza, Akmar Chowdhury, Aidan Li, Mahathi Gandhamaneni, Joseph Jay Williams. 2022-08-09. Experimenting with Experimentation: Rethinking The Role of Experimentation in Educational Design. https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.05069

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