Projects - VaNTH Observation System Training

On May 16-17, 2002 members of Dr. Petrosino's research team attended a training workshop on the VaNTH Observation System (VOS) presented by Dr. Alene H. Harris of Peabody College at Vanderbilt University. The VOS is a system for coding classroom events that looks at teacher-student interactions and student engagement to describe global indicators of effective teaching. Though originally designed as an observation tool for undergraduate and graduate Biomedical Engineering instruction as part of the VaNTH ERC program, the VOS has had great use in evaluating middle and secondary schools as well. One of the more unique features of this classroom observation system is the use of PDAs as recording instruments. The portability and versatility of these devices provides VOS observers the opportunity to record data with greater frequency and greater consistency between observers.

The workshop was attended by research assistants Cherie McCollough, Marta Puyana, Marsha Ricks, Jane Ries, and Richard Vath of the UT Mathematics and Science Education Department. Assisting Dr. Harris with the workshop were research assistants Jessica Bell, Monica Cox, and Chad Washington of Vanderbilt. The workshop addressed the different components of the VOS, collecting data using a handheld, and practice coding exercises. 
 
 

There are four components of the VOS: Classroom Interaction Observation (CIO), which utilizes a unique alphanumeric coding system to describe the nature of interactions between teachers and students; Student Engagement Observation (SEO), which provides a snapshot measure of student engagement during a class; Narrative Notes (NN), which allows the observer to fill in additional and relevant information about the classroom that may not have been captured by the previous two components; and Global Ratings (GR), which allows the observer to provide a more complete picture of the classroom environment. All four components are recorded using the VOS software for a Palm Os handheld.

Future plans to incorporate the VOS in research include its use in assessing the implementation of Biomedical Engineering modules at UT as part of the VaNTH ERC program (Petrosino, McCollough, Ricks, and Vath) as well as its use in evaluating the use of technology by teachers in the classroom as part of the INSITE (Inventing New Strategies for Integrating Technology into Teacher Education) program (Petrosino, Puyana, Ries).