title: Providing computer-assisted, two-way feedback in formative assessment: an innovation supporting best educational practice

authors: Gaukrodger, Howard Malcolm

subjects: computer-assisted assessment

abstract: This thesis presents the design and development of an educational ICT innovation called the Quality Assessment System (QAS), intended to: increase the speed of providing useful, legible and consistent feedback, enhance student engagement in the analysis and improvement of their own work, and provide an easily-accessible, cumulative history of completed tasks and feedback. 

The QAS has been developed to a proof-of-concept stage as a Microsoft Word add-in, which can be used on digital or handwritten work, and has functions to administer resubmissions.
The prototype system was evaluated at a tertiary institution in the field of English for Speakers of Other Languages. I used observations, interview methods, and a Wizard-of-Oz experiment to simulate full use of the software. 
The research found that: 
-	the QAS could foster the rapid provision of consistent, clear feedback;
-	the facility to provide digital feedback on handwritten work safeguarded the desire of some students to continue writing their tasks by hand;
-	the handling of resubmitted tasks and the comparison of feedback on the first and second submissions (or any other pair of user-selected tasks) was considered very useful; 
-	some students were emotional attached to handwritten feedback and believed that feedback mediated by computer showed a lack of teacher care for the students;
-	administrators believed the QAS would be useful for resolving student-teacher disputes, and as a tool to enhance the robustness of the quality self-assessment system the faculty adhered to.
While I acknowledge the need for caution in interpreting the fieldwork results of small samples, this research places systemisation tools such as the QAS firmly on the agenda for closer investigation.

text: Providing computer-assisted, two-way feedback in formative assessment: an innovation supporting best educational practice This thesis presents the design and development of an educational ICT innovation called the Quality Assessment System (QAS), intended to: increase the speed of providing useful, legible and consistent feedback, enhance student engagement in the analysis and improvement of their own work, and provide an easily-accessible, cumulative history of completed tasks and feedback. 

The QAS has been developed to a proof-of-concept stage as a Microsoft Word add-in, which can be used on digital or handwritten work, and has functions to administer resubmissions.
The prototype system was evaluated at a tertiary institution in the field of English for Speakers of Other Languages. I used observations, interview methods, and a Wizard-of-Oz experiment to simulate full use of the software. 
The research found that: 
-	the QAS could foster the rapid provision of consistent, clear feedback;
-	the facility to provide digital feedback on handwritten work safeguarded the desire of some students to continue writing their tasks by hand;
-	the handling of resubmitted tasks and the comparison of feedback on the first and second submissions (or any other pair of user-selected tasks) was considered very useful; 
-	some students were emotional attached to handwritten feedback and believed that feedback mediated by computer showed a lack of teacher care for the students;
-	administrators believed the QAS would be useful for resolving student-teacher disputes, and as a tool to enhance the robustness of the quality self-assessment system the faculty adhered to.
While I acknowledge the need for caution in interpreting the fieldwork results of small samples, this research places systemisation tools such as the QAS firmly on the agenda for closer investigation.

year: 2012

title: Extracting text from PostScript

authors: Nevill-Manning, Craig G.

subjects: computer science

abstract: We show how to extract plain text from PostScript files. A textual scan is inadequate because PostScript interpreters can generate characters on the page that do not appear in the source file. Furthermore, word and line breaks are implicit in the graphical rendition, and must be inferred from the positioning of word fragments. We present a robust technique for extracting text and recognizing words and paragraphs. The method uses a standard PostScript interpreter but redefines several PostScript operators, and simple heuristics are employed to locate word and line breaks. The scheme has been used to create a full-text index, and plain-text versions, of 40,000 technical reports (34 Gbyte of PostScript). Other text-extraction systems are reviewed: none offer the same combination of robustness and simplicity.

text: Extracting text from PostScript We show how to extract plain text from PostScript files. A textual scan is inadequate because PostScript interpreters can generate characters on the page that do not appear in the source file. Furthermore, word and line breaks are implicit in the graphical rendition, and must be inferred from the positioning of word fragments. We present a robust technique for extracting text and recognizing words and paragraphs. The method uses a standard PostScript interpreter but redefines several PostScript operators, and simple heuristics are employed to locate word and line breaks. The scheme has been used to create a full-text index, and plain-text versions, of 40,000 technical reports (34 Gbyte of PostScript). Other text-extraction systems are reviewed: none offer the same combination of robustness and simplicity.

year: 1997-04

title: Ngā maihi o Te Whare Hukahuka, ngā maihi o Te Whare o Ruamano: Te whare kōrero o ngā maihi o Tuteao

authors: Hona, Hakahaka Charlie Barlow

subjects: Tuteao

abstract: Ko Pūtauaki te maunga
Ko Rangitāiki te awa
Ko Hekerangi te papa whenua
Ko Tuteao te marae
Ko Ngā Maihi te hapū
Ko Ngāti Awa te iwi
Ko Mataatua te waka
Tihe mauri-ora
Ko tōku kāwai rangatira tēnei. E mōhio ai te tangata ko wai ahau; nō hea ahau, nā wai hoki ahau. Ā, nā whai anō taku urupounamu, ko wai a Ngā Maihi o Tuteao? E mea ana ngā pākeke, he iwi tawhito a Ngā Maihi i heke mai i ngā tātai whakapapa o Tangaroa, o Pōtiki, o Mahutapoanui, o Toroa, o Tuteao. Hēoi, kua kore e rangona ōna kōrero i runga marae ātea. Kua kore e wānangahia i roto i te poho o te whare o Tuteao. Kua ngū ngā poupou o te whare kōrero. Ka mutu, i roto i ngā tau tata nei kua riro tītapu ngā puna o te kī, ngā whītiki o te kupu, o te hapū; kua kore e rangona ngā kōrero o Ngā Maihi i runga marae ātea. Ko te haumate o te reo i runga o Tuteao tētahi take i pēnei ai. Nō reira, kai te imu te ruhi, kai te imu te ngēngē. E noho pōhara ana a Ngā Maihi ki ngā tāonga o tōna whare kōrero. Hei te tau 2027, ka whakanuia te rautau o te whare tīpuna a Tuteao, ā i tēnei tau tonu 2022, e whai whakaaro ana te hapū ki taua kaupapa otirā ki te hanga whare tīpuna hou; he whare kaitā e uru ai te tokomaha. Nō reira, e whakaaro ana hoki ki ngā kōrero ka whakairohia ki ngā pakitara o te whare. I tēnei tau hoki kua mana te whakaako i ngā kōrero hītori o te Māori i roto i ngā kura, nō reira he aha rā ngā kōrero e wātea ana ki ngā tamariki o ngā kura e pā ana ki a Ngā Maihi? He maramara, he kongakonga, he putunga kōrero e noho marara ana i ngā wāhi tūmatanui. He uaua te kitea o ētahi atu, kei ngā wāhi tūmataiti, pēnei i te Kōti Whenua Māori, i ngā tuhinga ā-whānau, kei ngā pukapuka wānanga o te marae. Nō reira, he uaua te kite atu i tōna whānuitanga, i tōna hohonutanga. Tīmata ake i ngā kohinga kōrero o te hapū tonu o Ngā Maihi, i ōna kaumātua, i ōna wānanga, i ōna whānau. I tua atu i wā te whare pukapuka, kei ngā wāhi tūmataiti ētahi putunga kōrero hei ō mo te whare kōrero o Ngā Maihi o Tuteao. Ka mutu, kei ngā waiata, ngā haka, ngā mōteatea. Kai ngā kōrero hoki o iwi kē, e pā ana ki wō mātou tīpuna. I reira i tōtō mai i te kōrero.

text: Ngā maihi o Te Whare Hukahuka, ngā maihi o Te Whare o Ruamano: Te whare kōrero o ngā maihi o Tuteao Ko Pūtauaki te maunga
Ko Rangitāiki te awa
Ko Hekerangi te papa whenua
Ko Tuteao te marae
Ko Ngā Maihi te hapū
Ko Ngāti Awa te iwi
Ko Mataatua te waka
Tihe mauri-ora
Ko tōku kāwai rangatira tēnei. E mōhio ai te tangata ko wai ahau; nō hea ahau, nā wai hoki ahau. Ā, nā whai anō taku urupounamu, ko wai a Ngā Maihi o Tuteao? E mea ana ngā pākeke, he iwi tawhito a Ngā Maihi i heke mai i ngā tātai whakapapa o Tangaroa, o Pōtiki, o Mahutapoanui, o Toroa, o Tuteao. Hēoi, kua kore e rangona ōna kōrero i runga marae ātea. Kua kore e wānangahia i roto i te poho o te whare o Tuteao. Kua ngū ngā poupou o te whare kōrero. Ka mutu, i roto i ngā tau tata nei kua riro tītapu ngā puna o te kī, ngā whītiki o te kupu, o te hapū; kua kore e rangona ngā kōrero o Ngā Maihi i runga marae ātea. Ko te haumate o te reo i runga o Tuteao tētahi take i pēnei ai. Nō reira, kai te imu te ruhi, kai te imu te ngēngē. E noho pōhara ana a Ngā Maihi ki ngā tāonga o tōna whare kōrero. Hei te tau 2027, ka whakanuia te rautau o te whare tīpuna a Tuteao, ā i tēnei tau tonu 2022, e whai whakaaro ana te hapū ki taua kaupapa otirā ki te hanga whare tīpuna hou; he whare kaitā e uru ai te tokomaha. Nō reira, e whakaaro ana hoki ki ngā kōrero ka whakairohia ki ngā pakitara o te whare. I tēnei tau hoki kua mana te whakaako i ngā kōrero hītori o te Māori i roto i ngā kura, nō reira he aha rā ngā kōrero e wātea ana ki ngā tamariki o ngā kura e pā ana ki a Ngā Maihi? He maramara, he kongakonga, he putunga kōrero e noho marara ana i ngā wāhi tūmatanui. He uaua te kitea o ētahi atu, kei ngā wāhi tūmataiti, pēnei i te Kōti Whenua Māori, i ngā tuhinga ā-whānau, kei ngā pukapuka wānanga o te marae. Nō reira, he uaua te kite atu i tōna whānuitanga, i tōna hohonutanga. Tīmata ake i ngā kohinga kōrero o te hapū tonu o Ngā Maihi, i ōna kaumātua, i ōna wānanga, i ōna whānau. I tua atu i wā te whare pukapuka, kei ngā wāhi tūmataiti ētahi putunga kōrero hei ō mo te whare kōrero o Ngā Maihi o Tuteao. Ka mutu, kei ngā waiata, ngā haka, ngā mōteatea. Kai ngā kōrero hoki o iwi kē, e pā ana ki wō mātou tīpuna. I reira i tōtō mai i te kōrero.

year: 2022