Measuring the World¶
Over the course of a 2.5-day seminar, we gained an understanding of how data can be captured using today’s technologies. This can be done by using sensors to measure changes in the physical world or through accessing, connecting to, and modifying structured data sets according to our needs.
I found the seminar insightful not only for the technical aspects of identifying, collecting, storing, processing, and visualizing data but also for developing a critical perspective on the generation and utilization of data in modern data economies and infrastructures.
In our group, we chose the objective of providing IAAC with schedule optimization insights for MDEF. Through an interesting reverse auction dynamic (each group argued which technology other groups should use without mentioning what they want to use. every group gets a chance to respond to the comments of other groups. After each group speaks, the) , we ended up creating a physical intervention to achieve this objective.
We came up with the idea that looking at the instructors while listening to them would be a good enough proxy for understanding the engagement of the class, acknowledging that this has its biases and would not be a perfect measure of engagement as we cannot read everyone’s thoughts.
While brainstorming ideas for the intervention, I reflected on the difficulty of measuring concepts like engagement in the physical world compared to the digital realm. It may explain why many digital tools are obsessed with measuring engagement, becoming skilled at it and exploiting this capability to get more of our attention through engagement optimization. (I’m looking at you, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and the rest!)
Our search for available data sources showed a similar pattern. While there are plenty of data sources and studies on engagement in online learning, we could not come across any meaningful datasets for classroom engagement in a context similar to ours. Personally, I found this beautiful because it required us to study this in our local context, considering our local dynamics. Analyzing this collectively during presentations without solely relying on data but also considering personal insights from community members and sharing ideas on how to improve engagement was beautiful.
We documented our findings on our hacked note, which can be accessed here: https://hackmd.io/V5oxTmRXTGC1IJY0ac_oAw
