Teaching and Administration

Publications and other projects designed to improve teaching, learning, and university administration, as well as broader writings on the future of the social sciences.
Statistical Intuition Without Coding (or Teachers)
Natalie Ayers, Gary King, Zagreb Mukerjee, and Dominic Skinnion. Working Paper. “Statistical Intuition Without Coding (or Teachers)”.Abstract
Two features of quantitative political methodology make teaching and learning especially difficult: (1) Each new concept in probability, statistics, and inference builds on all previous (and sometimes all other relevant) concepts; and (2) motivating substantively oriented students, by teaching these abstract theories simultaneously with the practical details of a statistical programming language (such as R), makes learning each subject harder. We address both problems through a new type of automated teaching tool that helps students see the big theoretical picture and all its separate parts at the same time without having to simultaneously learn to program. This tool, which we make available via one click in a web browser, can be used in a traditional methods class, but is also designed to work without instructor supervision.
 
Education and Scholarship by Video
Gary King. 2021. “Education and Scholarship by Video”. [Direct link to paper]Abstract

When word processors were first introduced into the workplace, they turned scholars into typists. But they also improved our work: Turnaround time for new drafts dropped from days to seconds. Rewriting became easier and more common, and our papers, educational efforts, and research output improved. I discuss the advantages of and mechanisms for doing the same with do-it-yourself video recordings of research talks and class lectures, so that they may become a fully respected channel for scholarly output and education, alongside books and articles. I consider innovations in video design to optimize education and communication, along with technology to make this change possible.

Excerpts of this paper appeared in Political Science Today (Vol. 1, No. 3, August 2021: Pp.5-6, copy here) and in APSAEducate. See also my recorded videos here.

Instructional Support Platform for Interactive Learning Platforms (2nd)
Gary King, Eric Mazur, Kelly Miller, and Brian Lukoff. 6/23/2020. “Instructional Support Platform for Interactive Learning Platforms (2nd).” United States of America US 10,692,391 B2 (U.S Patent and Trademark Office).Abstract
In various embodiments, subject matter for improving discussions in connection with an educational resource is identified and summarized by analyzing annotations made by students assigned to a discussion group to identify high-quality annotations likely to generate responses and stimulate discussion threads, identifying clusters of high quality annotations relating to the same portion or related portions of the educational resource , extracting and summarizing text from the annotations, and combining , in an electronically represented document, the extracted and summarized text and (i) at least some of the annotations and the portion or portions of the educational resource or (ii) click able links thereto.
Instructional Support Platform for Interactive Learning Platforms
Gary King, Eric Mazur, Kelly Miller, and Brian Lukoff. 10/8/2019. “Instructional Support Platform for Interactive Learning Platforms.” United States of America US 10,438,498 B2 (U.S Patent and Trademark Office).Abstract
In various embodiments, subject matter for improving discussions in connection with an educational resource is identified and summarized by analyzing annotations made by students assigned to a discussion group to identify high-quality annotations likely to generate responses and stimulate discussion threads, identifying clusters of high quality annotations relating to the same portion or related portions of the educational resource , extracting and summarizing text from the annotations, and combining , in an electronically represented document, the extracted and summarized text and (i) at least some of the annotations and the portion or portions of the educational resource or (ii) click able links thereto.
The “Math Prefresher” and The Collective Future of Political Science Graduate Training
Gary King, Shiro Kuriwaki, and Yon Soo Park. 2020. “The “Math Prefresher” and The Collective Future of Political Science Graduate Training.” PS: Political Science and Politics, 53, 3, Pp. 537-541. Publisher's VersionAbstract

The political science math prefresher arose a quarter century ago and has now spread to many of our discipline’s Ph.D. programs. Incoming students arrive for graduate school a few weeks early for ungraded instruction in math, statistics, and computer science as they are useful for political science. The prefresher’s benefits, however, go beyond the technical material taught: it develops lasting camaraderie with their entering class, facilitates connections with senior graduate students, opens pathways to mastering methods necessary for research, and eases the transition to the increasingly collaborative nature of graduate work. The prefresher also shows how faculty across a highly diverse discipline can work together to train the next generation. We review this program, highlight its collaborative aspects, and try to take the idea to the next level by building infrastructure to share teaching materials across universities so separate programs can build on each other’s work and improve all our programs.

Participant Grouping for Enhanced Interactive Experience (3rd)
Gary King, Eric Mazur, and Brian Lukoff. 2/26/2019. “Participant Grouping for Enhanced Interactive Experience (3rd).” United States of America US 10,216,827 B2 (U.S Patent and Trademark Office).Abstract
Representative embodiments of a method for grouping participants in an activity include the steps of: (i) defining a grouping policy; (ii) storing, in a database, participant records that include a participant identifier, a characteristic associated with the participant, and/or an identifier for a participant's handheld device; (iii) defining groupings based on the policy and characteristics of the participants relating to the policy and to the activity; and (iv) communicating the groupings to the handheld devices to establish the groups.
Participant Grouping for Enhanced Interactive Experience (2nd)
Gary King, Eric Mazur, and Brian Lutkoff. 12/22/2015. “Participant Grouping for Enhanced Interactive Experience (2nd).” United States of America US 9,219,998 ( U.S Patent and Trademark Office).Abstract
Representative embodiments of a method for grouping participants in an activity include the steps of: (i) defining a grouping policy; (ii) storing, in a database, participant records that include a participant identifier, a characteristic associated with the participant, and/or an identifier for a participant's handheld device; (iii) defining groupings based on the policy and characteristics of the participants relating to the policy and to the activity; and (iv) communicating the groupings to the handheld devices to establish the groups.
Stimulating Online Discussion in Interactive Learning Environments
Gary King, Eric Mazur, Kelly Miller, and Brian Lukoff. 1/29/2019. “Stimulating Online Discussion in Interactive Learning Environments.” United States of America US 10,192,456 B2 (U.S Patent and Trademark Office).Abstract
In various embodiments, online discussions in connection with an eductional resource are improved by analyzing annotations made by students assigned to a discussion group to identify high-quality annotations likely to generate responses and stimulate discussion threads and by making the identified annotations visibile to students not assigned to the discussion group.
Management of Off-Task Time in a Participatory Environment
Gary King, Brian Lukoff, and Eric Mazur. 5/8/2018. “Management of Off-Task Time in a Participatory Environment .” United States of America US 9,965,972 B2 ( U.S Patent and Trademark Office).Abstract
Participatory activity carried out using electronic devices is enhanced by occupying the attention of participants who complete a task before a set completion time. For example, a request or question having an expected response time less than the remaining answer time may be provided to early-finishing participants. In another of the many embodiments, the post-response tasks are different for each participant, depending upon, for example, the rate at which the participant has successfully provided answers to previous questions. This ensures continuous engagement of all participants.
Use of a Social Annotation Platform for Pre-Class Reading Assignments in a Flipped Introductory Physics Class
Kelly Miller, Brian Lukoff, Gary King, and Eric Mazur. 3/2018. “Use of a Social Annotation Platform for Pre-Class Reading Assignments in a Flipped Introductory Physics Class.” Frontiers in Education, 3, 8, Pp. 1-12. Publisher's VersionAbstract

In this paper, we illustrate the successful implementation of pre-class reading assignments through a social learning platform that allows students to discuss the reading online with their classmates. We show how the platform can be used to understand how students are reading before class. We find that, with this platform, students spend an above average amount of time reading (compared to that reported in the literature) and that most students complete their reading assignments before class. We identify specific reading behaviors that are predictive of in-class exam performance. We also demonstrate ways that the platform promotes active reading strategies and produces high-quality learning interactions between students outside class. Finally, we compare the exam performance of two cohorts of students, where the only difference between them is the use of the platform; we show that students do significantly better on exams when using the platform.

Reprinted in Cassidy, R., Charles, E. S., Slotta, J. D., Lasry, N., eds. (2019). Active Learning: Theoretical Perspectives, Empirical Studies and Design Profiles. Lausanne: Frontiers Media. doi: 10.3389/978-2-88945-885-1

booc.io: An Education System with Hierarchical Concept Maps
Michail Schwab, Hendrik Strobelt, James Tompkin, Colin Fredericks, Connor Huff, Dana Higgins, Anton Strezhnev, Mayya Komisarchik, Gary King, and Hanspeter Pfister. 2017. “booc.io: An Education System with Hierarchical Concept Maps.” IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 23, 1, Pp. 571-580. Publisher's VersionAbstract

Information hierarchies are difficult to express when real-world space or time constraints force traversing the hierarchy in linear presentations, such as in educational books and classroom courses. We present booc.io, which allows linear and non-linear presentation and navigation of educational concepts and material. To support a breadth of material for each concept, booc.io is Web based, which allows adding material such as lecture slides, book chapters, videos, and LTIs. A visual interface assists the creation of the needed hierarchical structures. The goals of our system were formed in expert interviews, and we explain how our design meets these goals. We adapt a real-world course into booc.io, and perform introductory qualitative evaluation with students.

How Human Subjects Research Rules Mislead You and Your University, and What to Do About it
Gary King and Melissa Sands. 2016. “How Human Subjects Research Rules Mislead You and Your University, and What to Do About it”.Abstract

Universities require faculty and students planning research involving human subjects to pass formal certification tests and then submit research plans for prior approval. Those who diligently take the tests may better understand certain important legal requirements but, at the same time, are often misled into thinking they can apply these rules to their own work which, in fact, they are not permitted to do. They will also be missing many other legal requirements not mentioned in their training but which govern their behaviors. Finally, the training leaves them likely to completely misunderstand the essentially political situation they find themselves in. The resulting risks to their universities, collaborators, and careers may be catastrophic, in addition to contributing to the more common ordinary frustrations of researchers with the system. To avoid these problems, faculty and students conducting research about and for the public need to understand that they are public figures, to whom different rules apply, ones that political scientists have long studied. University administrators (and faculty in their part-time roles as administrators) need to reorient their perspectives as well. University research compliance bureaucracies have grown, in well-meaning but sometimes unproductive ways that are not required by federal laws or guidelines. We offer advice to faculty and students for how to deal with the system as it exists now, and suggestions for changes in university research compliance bureaucracies, that should benefit faculty, students, staff, university budgets, and our research subjects.

Participant Grouping for Enhanced Interactive Experience
Gary King, Brian Lukoff, and Eric Mazur. 2014. “Participant Grouping for Enhanced Interactive Experience.” United States of America US 8,914,373 B2 (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office).Abstract

Representative embodiments of a method for grouping participants in an activity include the steps of: (i) defining a grouping policy; (ii) storing, in a database, participant records that include a participant identifer, a characteristic associated With the participant, and/or an identifier for a participant’s handheld device; (iii) defining groupings based on the policy and characteristics of the participants relating to the policy and to the activity; and (iv) communicating the groupings to the handheld devices to establish the groups.

Restructuring the Social Sciences: Reflections from Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science
Gary King. 2014. “Restructuring the Social Sciences: Reflections from Harvard's Institute for Quantitative Social Science.” PS: Political Science and Politics, 47, 1, Pp. 165-172. Cambridge University Press versionAbstract

The social sciences are undergoing a dramatic transformation from studying problems to solving them; from making do with a small number of sparse data sets to analyzing increasing quantities of diverse, highly informative data; from isolated scholars toiling away on their own to larger scale, collaborative, interdisciplinary, lab-style research teams; and from a purely academic pursuit to having a major impact on the world. To facilitate these important developments, universities, funding agencies, and governments need to shore up and adapt the infrastructure that supports social science research. We discuss some of these developments here, as well as a new type of organization we created at Harvard to help encourage them -- the Institute for Quantitative Social Science.  An increasing number of universities are beginning efforts to respond with similar institutions. This paper provides some suggestions for how individual universities might respond and how we might work together to advance social science more generally.

The Troubled Future of Colleges and Universities (with comments from five scholar-administrators)
Gary King and Maya Sen. 2013. “The Troubled Future of Colleges and Universities (with comments from five scholar-administrators).” PS: Political Science and Politics, 46, 1, Pp. 81--113.Abstract

The American system of higher education is under attack by political, economic, and educational forces that threaten to undermine its business model, governmental support, and operating mission. The potential changes are considerably more dramatic and disruptive than what we've already experienced. Traditional colleges and universities urgently need a coherent, thought-out response. Their central role in ensuring the creation, preservation, and distribution of knowledge may be at risk and, as a consequence, so too may be the spectacular progress across fields we have come to expect as a result.

Symposium contributors include Henry E. Brady, John Mark Hansen, Gary King, Nannerl O. Keohane, Michael Laver, Virginia Sapiro, and Maya Sen.

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