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The
CPR Process
As mentioned on our Home
page, in response to the
challenge of working with students who have inadequate problem solving skills,
we devised CPR-casting, a three-step program that
exhibited a positive impact on General Chemistry I students' ability to master
course content and experience improvement in problem
solving skills. Anecdotal
information received from instructor and student participants in the beta test
indicated that the process
showed significant
inroads toward correcting each of the five (5) problems cited in on that
page that are associated with inadequate problem solving skills.
The CPR-casting process permits practitioners to quantify results by
creating a controlled “incubator” environment for this process, a
problem-solving course based on core course concepts aligned with ACS test
criteria, accompanied by appropriate documentation of learning impacts at
pre-determined intervals.
The framework of approximately seventy (70) core course concepts form the
foundation of problem solving techniques for each discipline.
We invite other faculty to share their core
course concepts and rubrics. Write to us at: info@cprcasting.com
and share your findings. We will gladly publish them here, under
"contributing Universities, and we'll also add your biography and project
name in the areas provided.
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Components
CPR-casting utilizes
the technologies of Smart boards, wireless projectors & tablet PC's to
simulate a "going to the board" experience.
The Triple A process is utilized to direct the dynamics of classroom
participation and homework assignments. The
convergence of these two (2) elements, properly administered and monitored,
produce a number of benefits that directly and positively impact students’
performance.
The CPR-casting
process combines three (3) different technologies to reinforce learning with an
instructor facilitated, strictly followed “Triple A” doctrine:
Technologies:
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Smart
boards
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Wireless
projectors
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Tablet
PC technology
“Triple A” doctrine’s three (3) components:
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Articulation
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Analysis
& Assessment
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Ascertain
Solution
2. CPR-casting
basics: Core Concepts and Rubrics
The foundation of the Triple A’s is course content that encompasses core
course concepts aligned with national standardized tests.
This sets the stage for discussion, homework, and examinations aimed at
not only learning course basics, but continually preparing students for
performing well on national standardized test instruments.
A set of ten (10) rubrics are applied to the problem solution process.
Rubrics outline what is expected at each touch point along the three-step
CPR-casting process, and instructors must monitor performance at each point. Rubrics
ensure consistency in measuring student performance throughout the process, as
well as consistency among instructors.
There are four degrees of proficiency with each rubric:
target, acceptable, marginal, and unacceptable. Points
are assigned for each degree of proficiency.
3.
Triple A’s: CPR-casting's
three (3) step problem-solving process
Step I:
ARTICULATE. Student
participants articulate the problem in their own words, with a clear
interpretation and understanding of the intended application of the problem. They must write something down to aid in the articulation process!
This may include equations (mathematical or chemical), and/or a creative
visual sketch of what is occurring in the problem.
Students must ensure that all pertinent information is appropriately
assigned in the sketch and is clearly articulated. They
must delineate all information that is given in the problem and what “unknown
entity” (measurement, structure, graph or data point) the problem is asking to
be determined during articulation.
Five
Rubrics that support Step I
Step II:
ANALYZE AND
ASSESS. Student participants
must familiarize
themselves with the “unknown entity” and identify all parameters that are
needed to solve for the “unknown entity”.
Students must do the following to perform at “target” level:
Gather all equations and concepts covered in class that are associated
with the “unknown entity”. They
must focus on the equation or concept that requires the kind of data presented
in the problem, and determine all parameters that are needed to solve for the
“unknown entity”.
The next step
is to verify how each desired parameter is obtained from the problem set data,
whether the parameter is obtained from direct, indirect (via equation, etc) or
implied information from the problem set data, or supplied from previous
knowledge.
Students
are advised to use their textbook for clarification when needed.
Four
Rubrics that Support Step II
Step III:
ASCERTAIN
SOLUTION. Solve for the “unknown
entity”.
After obtaining all desired parameters from the problem set data,
ascertain solution. This may require solving all mathematical or chemical
equations or, assessing and correlating data to derive a conclusion.
The rubric that
supports Step III
We invite other faculty to share their core
course concepts and rubrics. Write to us at: info@cprcasting.com
and share your findings. We will gladly publish them here, under
"contributing Universities, and we'll also add your biography and project
name in the areas provided.
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