THE APPLICATION OF EMBODIED CONVERSATIONAL AGENTS FOR MENTORING AFRICAN AMERICAN STEM DOCTORAL STUDENTS

This dissertation presents the design, development and short-term evaluation of an embodied conversational agent designed to mentor human users. An embodied conversational agent (ECA) was created and programmed to mentor African American computer science majors on their decision to pursue graduate study in computing. Before constructing the ECA, previous research in the fields of embodied conversational agents, relational agents, mentorship, telementorship and successful mentoring programs and practices for African American graduate students were reviewed. A survey used to find areas of interest of the sample population. Experts were then interviewed to collect information on those areas of interest and a dialogue for the ECA was constructed based on the interview\u27s transcripts. A between-group, mixed method experiment was conducted with 37 African American male undergraduate computer science majors where one group used the ECA mentor while the other group pursued mentoring advice from a human mentor. Results showed no significant difference between the ECA and human mentor when dealing with career mentoring functions. However, the human mentor was significantly better than the ECA mentor when addressing psychosocial mentoring functions

A case study on exploring the motivation and engagement of the less academically inclined students in a Specialised School in Singapore

Background: The case study school (CS School) a specialised secondary school that has small class sizes of 20 students, selected teaching staff and a curriculum with 40% devoted to character education and 60% to literacy-numeracy and vocational subjects. Aim: To what extent are cognitive behavioural changes used to negotiate environmental demands for academic engagement after three to four years of CS School schooling. Samples: 152 enrolled freshmen (at entry-point) and 134 graduating students (at exit-point); 11 class teachers from each student cohort (n=22). Method: Using a predominantly quantitative approach, students answered the MES-HS instrument that measured the motivation and engagement factors, and Academic Buoyancy questionnaire that measured daily academic coping. Class teachers answered the Teachers’ perceptions of student motivation and engagement and Teachers’ enjoyment of teaching questionnaires. Data from students’ and teachers’ surveys were correlated with graduating students’ Youth EQi: YV™ scale scores (exit-point & entry-point data). Results: No significant difference between freshmen versus graduating students on motivation and engagement factors and academic coping scale. Class teachers indicated that their graduating students were significantly more self-efficacious than class teachers of freshmen. The boys coped significantly better than girls. Students with repeated failure at a high-stakes examination were significantly more stressed and scored significantly lower on EQi adaptability and general mood scales than students who failed the examination once. EQi scale item of stress management was correlated positively to mastery orientation at learning and negatively to uncertainty control, self-handicapping and disengagement; intrapersonal scale was reciprocally correlated to uncertainty control; adaptability, general mood and interpersonal scales were positively correlated to self-belief, valuing school, mastery orientation and time/task management. Students’ mastery orientation at learning, persistence and avoiding failure scores were correlated with teachers’ enjoyment of teaching. Subtle layers of differentiated motivation and engagement scores contextualised by the different ethnic groups were noted. Conclusion: Students’ success at controlling stress correlated with EQi adaptability, general mood and interpersonal scales that were associated with self-efficacy, valuing school, mastery orientation in learning focus and time management. A model of motivating the less academically inclined students to being engaged with schooling following a temporal learning process of sustained stress control and classroom engagement is proposed.

Quality Services, Better Outcomes: A Quality Framework for Achieving Outcomes.

The Childhood Development Initiative (CDI) is an innovative, community based response to a comprehensive consultation process undertaken in Tallaght West. Working with a wide range of locally established service providers, CDI is delivering services to children and families which meet identified needs. Etch of these is being rigorously evaluated, and considerable attention is being given to quality assurance, promotion of reflective practice, and professional training and support. The insights gained, and techniques developed during this process are central to delivering high quality services with the view to improving our understanding of what enables children to meet their potential, gain their developmental milestones within appropriate timeframes and become healthy and active citizens. This Workbook describes key processes relating to practice, organisational culture and systems change which support the implementation of evidence-based and evidence-informed programmes and practices. From CDI's experience, implementing evidence-based programmes not only requires specific structures and processes in place to support programme implementation and fidelity (e.g. training, coaching, and supervision) but also necessities a focus on the more generic aspects of delivering quality services (e.g. engaging in reflective practice in order to promote and maintain fidelity to a programme). The Workbook also addresses some fundamental areas in relation to monitoring and evaluation as a way of determining whether an intervention was effective or not. In effect, this Workbook hopes to explain the 'what', 'why', 'how' and 'did we?' of evidence-based practice. The Workbook is intended to provide readers with a comprehensive introduction to both the shared language and concepts underpinning the science and practice of implementation. It complements the 'What Works Process' guide published by the Centre for Effective Services (CES, 2011) which supports services in assessing how effective they are in improving outcomes for children and helps them to think about what works

Floating Entourage: Reframing Adult-Adolescent Computer-Mediated Communication towards Communal Adoption

As social media becomes the normal life experience of contemporary adolescents, faith communities are increasingly exploring ministry implications of this form of social interaction. The intent of this doctoral project is to reframe adult-adolescent computer mediated communication (hereafter, CMC) from systemic abandonment towards communal adoption. It is argued that by adaptively utilizing the concept of floating entourage,1 the foundational actions for the development of an adoptive multi-networked web of adult-adolescent relationships can be developed. Through psychosocial, theological, and missional examination, research identifies communicative community as a core reality of God’s desire for a cultural telos of communal adoption. The project consists of seminars offered between March and December of 2012 primarily targeting youth workers and secondarily parents represented from Fuller Theological Seminary’s Sacramento student body. The sessions encompassed theological, psychosocial, and ecological social media issues grounded in practical theology, measuring effectiveness according to the following desired outcomes: 1) an understanding of how each stage of adolescence affects social media usage; 2) integration of a CMC culture of adoption among existing offline-relationships; 3) understanding of how to develop opportunities for spiritual growth that invite adolescents to trust Jesus with social media issues; 4) an ability to counsel parents and other youth workers in contextualized CMC usage that perpetuates an adoption culture. To measure this, pre- and post-seminar surveys were given and results triangulated with online participant feedback of adult-adolescent CMC experiences. This study concludes that reframing adult perspectives increases psychosocial awareness of adolescent CMC usage. Concrete actions hospitable to communicative community became increasingly normative. The desire for corporate engagement with adolescents remained unchanged. Participants reported increased experiences of positive adult-adolescent social media interactions. Theological Mentor: Kurt Fredrickson, PhD Footnotes 1 Floating Entourage is a term developed to describe an adolescent’s ability through smart phone technology to digitally stay connected with their network of friends despite time and space limitations. Any adolescent, no matter where they may be, if equipped with a smart phone has this digital network of friends ‘hovering’ around with them

An examination of the e-Competence requirements of potential information systems graduate employers in the Western Cape and the information systems curriculum at University X

Magister Commercii (Information Management) - MCom(IM)Knowledge, skills and competences (KSC) are regarded as the new global currency of the 21st century, without which a country’s investments in other resources will collapse. These strategic skills and competences, which are related to specific requirements of the knowledge-driven economy and information society, are referred to as electronic skills (e-skills) and electronic competences (e-competences). Possessing e-skills and e-competencies allows for a more effective and inclusive participation within a global knowledge-driven economy and broader society. However, with a history of inequity, South Africa has been adversely impacted by globalisation and rapidly progressing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), resulting in the country lagging behind in global competitiveness and e-readiness. Since e-skills and e-competencies are considered a pre-requisite for securing professional employment in most of the world, there is a need for Higher Education Institutions to determine firstly, which e-competencies are required in today’s society and then to ensure that these e-competencies are sufficiently provided to their students. This statement is premised on the understanding that quality, relevant and adequate e-skills and e-competences are required for a more effective and inclusive participation within a global knowledge-driven economy and broader society. In the context of a regressing youth unemployment crisis in South Africa and with the backdrop of the global mismatch between demand and supply of e-skills and e-competences, this study investigated the alignment between demand and supply of e-competences in South Africa. Thus, the overarching aim of this study was to determine how well the Information Systems curriculum at a South African university (supply) matched the e-competence requirements of potential employers of Information Systems graduates in South Africa, specifically in the Western Cape Province (demand). This was achieved through two specific objectives which were firstly, to develop a conceptual framework that could be used to assess if there was a mismatch between demand and supply and then 2) to use the conceptual framework to make recommendations towards alignment of demand and supply. By achieving these objectives, this study makes a significant contribution to the current e-skills dialogue and existing body of knowledge by positing a conceptual framework ofe-Competences for Information Systems graduates in the South African context, which was developed after an extensive examination of the literature related to the demand and supply of e-competences; and eleven existing e-skills and e-competence frameworks. A holistic perspective of e-competences is illustrated in this e-Competence framework, which suggests a vertical and horizontal view of the knowledge, skill and attitude (KSA) components in the e-competence definition. By using three vertical layers, the framework categorises the combination of fifty specific e-competencies expected of undergraduate and postgraduate Information Systems graduates. The first layer indicates the core competence categories, which are Cognitive Competence, Functional Competence, ICT Competence, Personal Competence (which includes Career Management, Ethical and Emotional Intelligence Competences), Global Competence (which includes Behavioural, Intercultural and Social Intelligence Competences) and lastly Meta-competences, which underscore all the other competences. The second and third layers of the framework allocated fifty specific e-competencies to these core competence categories. The study was positioned within a qualitative, interpretive research paradigm and used a case study design. The research sites were twenty two IS graduate employers in the Western Cape Province who participate in the annual internship programme at the IS department of University X. Convenient sampling was used to collect data over a period of five years, from 2010 until 2014. The study used two data collection instruments, which were performance evaluation forms and follow up interviews. These two instruments provided rich data in both qualitative and quantitative forms and the variety of data allowed for the reliability and validity to be ensured with the qualitative data being triangulated with the quantitative data. Content analysis was used to analyse the data through a three-stage open coding process. Nine findings were identified, which indicate that there was a mismatch between the demand and supply of e-competences in the selected case study. The mismatches were found to be either in the knowledge, skill or attitude component of e-competence. It was noted that twenty one of the fifty e-competencies in the conceptual framework were taught at University X, eleven were assumed to be embedded within the IS curriculum and eighteen e-competencies are not taught at University X. Significantly, most employers regarded attitudes as a more important requirement for e-competence than knowledge and skills

Explicit Feedback Within Game-based Training: Examining The Influence Of Source Modality Effects On Interaction

This research aims to enhance Simulation-Based Training (SBT) applications to support training events in the absence of live instruction. The overarching purpose is to explore available tools for integrating intelligent tutoring communications in game-based learning platforms and to examine theory-based techniques for delivering explicit feedback in such environments. The primary tool influencing the design of this research was the Generalized Intelligent Framework for Tutoring (GIFT), a modular domain-independent architecture that provides the tools and methods to author, deliver, and evaluate intelligent tutoring technologies within any training platform. Influenced by research surrounding Social Cognitive Theory and Cognitive Load Theory, the resulting experiment tested varying approaches for utilizing an Embodied Pedagogical Agent (EPA) to function as a tutor during interaction in a game-based environment. Conditions were authored to assess the tradeoffs between embedding an EPA directly in a game, embedding an EPA in GIFT’s browser-based Tutor-User Interface (TUI), or using audio prompts alone with no social grounding. The resulting data supports the application of using an EPA embedded in GIFT’s TUI to provide explicit feedback during a game-based learning event. Analyses revealed conditions with an EPA situated in the TUI to be as effective as embedding the agent directly in the game environment. This inference is based on evidence showing reliable differences across conditions on the metrics of performance and self-reported mental demand and feedback usefulness items. This research provides source modality tradeoffs linked to tactics for relaying training relevant explicit information to a user based on real-time performance in a game

Training Strategies to Improve Salesperson Confidence and Production

Many sales leaders need strategies to improve the productivity and confidence of their sales personnel. Ineffective sales training programs cost organizations billions of dollars in annual revenue and profits. Grounded in adaptive leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative mini-ethnographic multiple-case study was to explore successful strategies used by sales leaders that combine and balance virtual and online resources with traditional face-to-face training methods to increase the productivity and confidence of sales personnel. Data were collected by interviewing eight salespeople and two sales managers spanning two Texas insurance companies and reviewing company documents. Data were analyzed using Yin’s five-step process and thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: traditional training for learning interpersonal and sales skills, virtual training for learning technical or product information, and hybrid training to maximize the benefits of virtual and traditional training methods. A key recommendation is for sales leaders to choose training methods by the type of information in the course and to allow for flexibility depending on the preferences and needs of the participating salespeople. The implications for positive social change include the potential to enhance employment opportunities in the local communities, which could provide additional financial stability for families and increase tax revenues to support infrastructure improvements and social assistance programs

Oral Culture and Digital Natives: What the American Church Can Learn from the Mission Field

Digital Natives (those who have grown up with technology) are not just a new generation, they are a new culture which learns in a different way than the literate culture of preceding generations, but with significant similarities to oral cultures. Because of this, storytelling training models effectively working within oral culture can be utilized with Digital Natives for the successful training of emerging leaders within the Church. Section 1 describes the problem: Digital Natives differ greatly from the generations before them, including the way they learn. This creates a challenge to the Church in developing new generations of Christian leaders. Section 2 examines a variety of methods that the Church is using to train Digital Natives for leadership, and asks whether or not they are fully connecting with this new culture. Section 3 examines primary oral cultures, and how they differ from literate culture, then makes the case that digital culture and oral cultures have much in common, and therefore what is being learned about effective training in oral cultures in the developing world can be utilized with Digital Natives. Sections 4 and 5 lay out the non-fiction book proposal that arises from this thesis: a series of workbooks, plus additional online companion material, for training Digital Native leaders using biblical storytelling. Section 6 lists out the many possibilities for future research in this area. The artifact is the first three workbooks in a series called The Story Leadership Initiative, plus the online companion material

Training Strategies to Improve Salesperson Confidence and Production

Many sales leaders need strategies to improve the productivity and confidence of their sales personnel. Ineffective sales training programs cost organizations billions of dollars in annual revenue and profits. Grounded in adaptive leadership theory, the purpose of this qualitative mini-ethnographic multiple-case study was to explore successful strategies used by sales leaders that combine and balance virtual and online resources with traditional face-to-face training methods to increase the productivity and confidence of sales personnel. Data were collected by interviewing eight salespeople and two sales managers spanning two Texas insurance companies and reviewing company documents. Data were analyzed using Yin’s five-step process and thematic analysis. Three themes emerged: traditional training for learning interpersonal and sales skills, virtual training for learning technical or product information, and hybrid training to maximize the benefits of virtual and traditional training methods. A key recommendation is for sales leaders to choose training methods by the type of information in the course and to allow for flexibility depending on the preferences and needs of the participating salespeople. The implications for positive social change include the potential to enhance employment opportunities in the local communities, which could provide additional financial stability for families and increase tax revenues to support infrastructure improvements and social assistance programs

A Quality Framework For Achieving Outcomes

Quality Services, Better Outcomes provides a practical resource for front-line staff, service managers and organisationsthat are currently implementing or intend to implement evidence-informed programmes and services for children,families and communities. It offers a practical and user-friendly support to those committed to drawing on research,best practice and Irish experience to maximise their potential for supporting better outcomes.This second edition of Quality Services, Better Outcomes includes additional chapters that have been developed basedon our experiences in Tallaght West, Limerick, Dublin's inner city and many other communities. Everything in thisWorkbook has been informed by our work with schools, communities and a range of organisations that have a singlecommon denominator: all wanting to help children and families do better. Contexts change and new issues emerge,and so we need to be responsive, agile and flexible. We hope that you will use, adapt, learn from and add to thisdocument. It remains a work in progress