Making in-class skills training more effective: the scope for interactive videos to complement the delivery of practical pedestrian training

Skills and awareness of young pedestrians can be improved with on-street practical pedestrian training, often delivered in schools in the United Kingdom by local authorities with the intention of improving road safety. This training is often supplemented by in-class paper based worksheet activities which are seen to be less effective than practical training in that they focus on knowledge acquisition rather than directly improving the correct application of safe pedestrian skills at the roadside. Previous research indicates that interactive video tools have the potential to develop procedural skills whilst offering an engaging road safety educational experience, which could positively impact on road crossing behaviour.In this paper, the design and development of a hazard-identification interactive road safety training video targeting child road crossing skills is presented. The interactive video was shown to be an engaging training resource for 6-7 year old children. The tool’s scope for improving pedestrians’ roadside skills is considered along with the wider implications for interactive video to aid safety training in other areas

In God’s Land: Cinematic Affect, Animation and the Perceptual Dilemmas of Slow Violence

In this paper, I argue that Indian independent filmmaker Pankaj Rishi Kumar\u27s documentary In God’s Land (2012) blends animation and live-action to illuminate the destructive nuances of postcolonial literary scholar, Rob Nixon\u27s notion of slow violence. In turning to cinema, I also suggest that In God’s Land’s “aesthetic strategies” further eco-film scholarship’s recent interests in animation, which have tended to highlight the mode\u27s feel good affect. I draw attention to In God\u27s Land\u27s hybrid of dark, discordant animation spectacle interspliced in the documentary live-action to articulate the potential of eco-animation outside of this affect. Ultimately, the film not only draws attention to animation’s non-playful affect—its potentials and dilemmas, but I also suggest that reading such a film adds postcolonial understandings of cinema beyond the Western/Japanese center on with eco-animation scholars have so far focused

Spartan Daily, October 9, 2018

Volume 151, Issue 21https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartan_daily_2018/1063/thumbnail.jp

10 simple rules to create a serious game, illustrated with examples from structural biology

Serious scientific games are games whose purpose is not only fun. In the field of science, the serious goals include crucial activities for scientists: outreach, teaching and research. The number of serious games is increasing rapidly, in particular citizen science games, games that allow people to produce and/or analyze scientific data. Interestingly, it is possible to build a set of rules providing a guideline to create or improve serious games. We present arguments gathered from our own experience ( Phylo , DocMolecules , HiRE-RNA contest and Pangu) as well as examples from the growing literature on scientific serious games

Consumer Perception of Online Advertising - The Effects of Animation, Ad Characteristics, Repetition and Task Relevancy on Attention and Memory

Prior advertising research on advertising perception models has mainly focused on effects that occur after consumers have been exposed to advertising stimuli. Little research has examined how consumers are exposed to advertising and the quality of visual attention during advertising exposure. This doctoral dissertation examines how consumers allocate their visual attention to online ads and how consumers memorize ads in different viewing conditions. More precisely, the dissertation focuses on how ad format and location, animation, repetition, abrupt onsets, and task relevancy affect attention to ads and memory performance. The thesis employs theories of cognitive psychology, visual marketing and consumer behavior, advertising persuasion models and computer science and applies experimental methodologies such as eye tracking besides consumers' self-reported measures. The thesis consists of four essays. Essay 1 introduces a review of relevant theory and eye tracking methodology for online advertising research. The next three essays present experimental studies. Essay 2 investigates the effects of ad format and animation on attention and memory. Essay 3 examines the effects of repetition of ads on memory. Essay 4 investigates how animation, ad format and abrupt onsets of ads affect reading performance, and how online ads are perceived during free browsing compared to an instructed reading task. Our findings indicate that attention and memory for ads were significantly affected by consumers' intentions, ad characteristics and web page contents. Consumers are more likely to be attracted by ads when browsing web sites freely without a special task. Ad characteristics, such as animation and ad format interact and influence differently on attention and memory performance for ads depending on the ad's location on a page and the surrounding page content. The thesis also tested the effects of repetition of ads as a potential strategy to improve memory for ads. A significant positive effect was found already at rather low levels of repetition. Moreover, we also tested consumers' attention to abrupt onsets of ads. We registered a significant increase of attention to abrupt onsets of ads as compared with permanent ads especially during free browsing of web pages. This thesis increases our knowledge of the role and type of ad exposure on consumers' attention by evaluating the effectiveness of advertising exposure in dynamic online environment. This research is also the first attempt to evaluate the applicability of the primary eye tracking measures for online advertising. For advertisers, media traders and graphic designers this research proposes new strategies about how to adjust ad format and placement, animation and repetition to break through advertising clutter and reduce consumers' ad avoidance to develop stronger brand awareness and preferences

TraceMatch:a computer vision technique for user input by tracing of animated controls

Recent works have explored the concept of movement correlation interfaces, in which moving objects can be selected by matching the movement of the input device to that of the desired object. Previous techniques relied on a single modality (e.g. gaze or mid-air gestures) and specific hardware to issue commands. TraceMatch is a computer vision technique that enables input by movement correlation while abstracting from any particular input modality. The technique relies only on a conventional webcam to enable users to produce matching gestures with any given body parts, even whilst holding objects. We describe an implementation of the technique for acquisition of orbiting targets, evaluate algorithm performance for different target sizes and frequencies, and demonstrate use of the technique for remote control of graphical as well as physical objects with different body parts

An Interactive Augmented Reality Alphabet 3-Dimensional Pop-up Book For learning and Recognizing the English Alphabet

This document describes the process developing an Augmented Reality (AR) alphabet book mobile application. Using only an android phone camera, the child could view the superimposed virtual alphabet 3 dimensional objects in a fun and interactive manner using the marker-less physical alphabet book as the interaction tool. The reason behind choosing alphabet teaching as the topic of the book is that the Alphabet knowledge is the core knowledge of any language. It is a jump-start for children to start reading and recognizing words and sentences, thus learning the alphabet is extremely important, for many researchers, emphasizing on how early, child’s education shapes the child’s successful future. Though there are, a great deal of technology based alphabet books; parents still prefer buying the old style physical books or some might use a virtual technology based book application. The problem is that though the physical book possesses many benefits, that our generation and the generations long before us, have experienced, yet from the current generation children’s point of view, they may in fact find it dull and boring. For, it is commonly recognized, that the current generation children are surrounded all around by technology and gadgets, that can make them board, easily distracted, and may refuse to willingly use a plain non-technology book to learn, and if using a virtual application, they will lose the benefits offered by a physical book. Knowing this, the use of Augmented Reality should solve such a problem. For Augmented Reality (AR) is considered the best of both worlds, where, real and virtual objects are combined in the real environment, that will allow the use of both technology based application and a traditional physical book, combining the benefits of both and meeting the child and the parent midway. Although AR technology is not new, its possible potential in education is just beginning to be investigated. The main aim of this research is to develop an interactive 3-Dimentional alphabet pop-up book, and using digital storytelling, to help teach children to learn and recognize the alphabets. The objectives of the study are to enhance the interactions of the alphabet book, by creating an android application that contains animated interactive 3-Dimentional models, interactive sounds, songs and music. Furthermore, to investigate the use of digital storytelling (music, sounds), interactions and animation effect in learning engagement, through using the augmented reality technology. The scope of this project and research is very wide, it includes the 3D modeling, texturing, rigging & animation, book design and content decision research, furthermore, Augmented Reality and Android applicatio

EXPLORING THE ABILITY TO EMPLOY VIRTUAL 3D ENTITIES OUTDOORS AT RANGES BEYOND 20 METERS

The Army is procuring the Integrated Visual Augmentation System (IVAS) system to enable enhanced night vision, planning, and training capability. One known limitation of the IVAS system is the limited ability to portray virtual entities at far ranges in the outdoors due to light wash out, accurate positioning, and dynamic occlusion. The primary goal of this research was to evaluate fixed three-dimensional (3D) visualizations to support outdoor training for fire teams through squads, requiring target visualizations for 3D non-player characters or vehicles at ranges up to 300 m. Tools employed to achieve outdoor visualizations included GPS locational data with virtual entity placement, and sensors to adjust device light levels. This study was conducted with 20 military test subjects in three scenarios at the Naval Postgraduate School using a HoloLens II. Outdoor location considerations included shadows, background clutter, cars blocking the field of view, and the sun’s positioning. Users provided feedback on identifying the type of object, and the difficulty in finding the object. The results indicate GPS only aided in identification for objects up to 100 m. Animation had a statistically insignificant effect on identification of objects. Employment of software to adjust the light levels of the virtual objects aided in identification of objects at 200 m. This research develops a clearer understanding of requirements to enable the employment of mixed reality in outdoor training.Lieutenant Colonel, United States ArmyApproved for public release. Distribution is unlimited