Project Lighthouse
trace analysis
early results
Alan Dix
18/3/2016
Talis and University of Birmingham
http://alandix.com/academic/papers/LS2016/

2014/15
essential reading
55 students
two phases
teaching period
revision period
2015/2016
supplementary reading
3 students !
one document …

2015 run of course

Trace 1 – triage only
~ 50 secs
page 14 only
half-way through
document

Trace 2 – skim read and top-and-tail
~ 5 mins
4 minute gap
brief return
to text
top-and-tail
reads from start,
appears to get bored,
reads backwards
from end

Trace 3 – start at end
starts at end
but student is
not returning
first view of
document – odd
~ 10 mins
page with
nice diagrams
first
examples

2014 run – revision
revision
period

Trace 4 – full skim
assume browser
window left open
~ 2 mins
reads right
to end, but too
fast for proper
reading

Trace 5 – skim and pause
stops half-way
through document
~ 4 mins

Trace 6 – top-and-tail
~ 45 secs

Trace 7 – skim + pause
~ 7 mins
two and half mins
on this page including
short recap
pause on
pages with
diagrams,
but skip
the maths!

2014 run - teaching
teaching
period

Trace 8
~ 25 mins
~ 3 mins recap
plus skim to end
~ 10 mins initial
read to page 20
~ 10 mins on page 20
browser open
but not reading?

Trace 9
~ 3 ½ mins
skim to
page 21
1 min skim
to page 14
50 secs on
pages 14&15
25 secs on
page 21
skim
to end

Trace 10
~ 30 mins
another skim
forward then
gives up
20 mins on first three pages
working hard,
but finding it tough
quick peek
forward and skip
spends 8/9 mins
on pages 8 to 12
(state diagrams)

Trace 11 – repeated skims
7 hours
each consists of
two 1 or 2 min skims
30 mins apart
two 30 min sessions
about 7 hours apart
~ 30 mins
~ 30 mins

growing understanding

… and very messy
lots of work still to do!