Get Your Head into the Clouds Using Word Clouds f

Authors: Concetta A DePaolo Kelly Wilkinson

Publish Date: 2014/04/21

Volume: 58, Issue: 3, Pages: 38-44

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Abstract

Word clouds or tag clouds are popular fun ways to display text data in graphical form however we contend that they can also be useful tools in assessment Using word clouds instructors can quickly and easily produce graphical depictions of text representing student knowledge By investigating the patterns of words or phrases or lack thereof in textual student responses instructors can evaluate if students as a whole have grasped or missed key concepts or have made common mistakes Word clouds can be used to provide formative assessment feedback to students and to identify common themes in student reflection papers They can also be useful as a starting point or screening tool for large amounts of text data whether related to assessment or not

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