Agent-based simulation of the learning dissemination on a Project-Based Learning context considering the human aspects

This work presents an agent-based simulation (ABS) of the active learning process in an Electrical Engineering course. In order to generate input data to the simulation, an active learning methodology developed especially for part-time degree courses, called Project-Based Learning Agile (PBLA), has been proposed and implemented at the Regional University of Blumenau (FURB), Brazil. Through the analysis of survey responses obtained over five consecutive semesters, using partial least squares path modeling (PLS-PM), it was possible to generate data parameters to use as an input in a hybrid kind of agent-based simulation known as PLS agent. The simulation of the scenario suggests that the learning occur faster when the student has higher levels of humanist's aspects as self-esteem, self-realization and cooperation.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures, minor correction

Student outcomes and learning environments at the tertiary level in New Zealand: the develpment of an assessment framework

This thesis reports the findings of a case study into the outcomes and learning environments of students studying for a Diploma of Technology at a New Zealand Tertiary Education Institution. The primary focus of the study was to develop an assessment framework that would facilitate simultaneous assessment of the local Institute achievement-based Diploma of Technology and the competency-based assessment of a National Diploma that the local diploma subsumed. From this primary focus on assessment, the study provided the opportunity to undertake a grounded theory study of literature that impacted on the learning environment, supported the necessity to rationalise the student learning outcomes from both an academic and work skill perspective, and presented a suitable situation in which to take a fresh look at the method of grading and marking students’ assessment material.The grounded theory study grew out of the need to condense the vast amount of literature that was gathered in the process of searching for background material to use in the building of a foundation on which to construct a dual assessment model. Although no literature was found that specifically dealt with the simultaneous dual assessment, a large amount of material was found that related to various aspects of the learning environment. Through the process of a grounded theory study, this material was condensed into categories of data that in turn were used to develop a theoretical model of an ‘ideal’ learning environment. Into this model was also added the results of a questionnaire based research study into the perceived need for diploma graduates to have a range of employability skills. This study involved a range of employers who considered themselves likely to employ a diploma graduate. Because the learning outcomes for the two diplomas covered essentially the same material yet the actual wording of the outcomes were substantially quite different, there was a need to rationalise the sets of learning outcomes for each diploma. This process led to a common set of outcomes that in turn were used as a focus for students’ learning and assessment.Once these common outcomes had been identified, a rubric based marking/scoring system was developed so that both students and teacher could quickly grade students’ assessment material and then convert that grade into a mark. The use of the grade facilitated the assessment of achievement against a unit standard and the resultant marks satisfied the need for an achievement mark. The results and findings from the various studies were then translated into a working model that was used for two courses over one semester. Various other research methodologies were then used in order to provide some evaluation of the working model.The thesis does present some of the difficulties facing tertiary teachers in an environment that is becoming more and more of a production line business rather than a service to provide learning opportunities for students. However it also presents solid evidence that teachers can take measures to prove themselves through study and initiative and provide those focussed learning environments where students can attain the outcomes necessary for a successful career in tomorrow’s world

Peer Assessment and Self-assessment: Effective Learning Tools in Higher Education.

When used appropriately, self- and peer-assessment are very effective learning tools. In the present work, instructor formative assessment and feedback, self-assessment (SA), and peer-assessment (PA) have been compared. During the first part of a semester, the students followed a continuous formative assessment. Subsequently, they were divided into two subgroups based on similar performances. One subgroup performed SAs, and the other followedPAduring the last part of the course. The performances of the two groups in solving problems were compared. Results suggest that PA is a more effective learning tool than SA, and both are more effective than instructor formative assessment. However, a survey that was conducted at the end of the experiment showed higher student confidence in instructor assessment than in PA. The students recognized the usefulness of acting as peer assessors, but believed that SA helped them more than PA

Variable frequency drive trainer kits for electronic control system subjects in vocational secondary schools

The objective of this study is to create a variable frequency drive (VFD) trainer kit, assess the practicality of the developed VFD educational tool, and evaluate its impact on the academic performance of industrial electronic engineering students, particularly in the area of electronic control systems. The study utilizes the ADDIE model and customized to meet the requirements and consists of the following phases: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. There were 130 respondents consisting of 122 vocational students, 1 industry expert/practitioner in the field of VFD, 1 vocational training center instructor, 4 vocational teachers, and 2 lecturers. Data were collected using questionnaires with 4 Likert scales from strongly agree to strongly disagree, feasibility assessment sheets from media experts and material experts, interviews, and electronic control system learning outcomes tests. The learning media receives a “highly feasible” and the job sheet obtains 67 “highly feasible”. Moreover, the level of effectiveness of the learning media receives a score of 0.724, indicating high effectiveness. Therefore, they have proven to be effective in enhancing student learning outcomes and developing their proficiency in controlling the speed of electric motors. This will help bridge the gap between the industry's skill requirements and the skills taught in schools

Automatic Pain Assessment by Learning from Multiple Biopotentials

Kivun täsmällinen arviointi on tärkeää kivunhallinnassa, erityisesti sairaan- hoitoa vaativille ipupotilaille. Kipu on subjektiivista, sillä se ei ole pelkästään aistituntemus, vaan siihen saattaa liittyä myös tunnekokemuksia. Tällöin itsearviointiin perustuvat kipuasteikot ovat tärkein työkalu, niin auan kun potilas pystyy kokemuksensa arvioimaan. Arviointi on kuitenkin haasteellista potilailla, jotka eivät itse pysty kertomaan kivustaan. Kliinisessä hoito- työssä kipua pyritään objektiivisesti arvioimaan esimerkiksi havainnoimalla fysiologisia muuttujia kuten sykettä ja käyttäytymistä esimerkiksi potilaan kasvonilmeiden perusteella. Tutkimuksen päätavoitteena on automatisoida arviointiprosessi hyödyntämällä koneoppimismenetelmiä yhdessä biosignaalien prosessointnin kanssa. Tavoitteen saavuttamiseksi mitattiin autonomista keskushermoston toimintaa kuvastavia biopotentiaaleja: sydänsähkökäyrää, galvaanista ihoreaktiota ja kasvolihasliikkeitä mittaavaa lihassähkökäyrää. Mittaukset tehtiin terveillä vapaaehtoisilla, joille aiheutettiin kokeellista kipuärsykettä. Järestelmän kehittämiseen tarvittavaa tietokantaa varten rakennettiin biopotentiaaleja keräävä Internet of Things -pohjainen tallennusjärjestelmä. Koostetun tietokannan avulla kehitettiin biosignaaleille prosessointimenetelmä jatku- vaan kivun arviointiin. Signaaleista eroteltiin piirteitä sekuntitasoon mukautetuilla aikaikkunoilla. Piirteet visualisoitiin ja tarkasteltiin eri luokittelijoilla kivun ja kiputason tunnistamiseksi. Parhailla luokittelumenetelmillä saavutettiin kivuntunnistukseen 90% herkkyyskyky (sensitivity) ja 84% erottelukyky (specificity) ja kivun voimakkuuden arviointiin 62,5% tarkkuus (accuracy). Tulokset vahvistavat kyseisen käsittelytavan käyttökelpoisuuden erityis- esti tunnistettaessa kipua yksittäisessä arviointi-ikkunassa. Tutkimus vahvistaa biopotentiaalien avulla kehitettävän automatisoidun kivun arvioinnin toteutettavuuden kokeellisella kivulla, rohkaisten etenemään todellisen kivun tutkimiseen samoilla menetelmillä. Menetelmää kehitettäessä suoritettiin lisäksi vertailua ja yhteenvetoa automaattiseen kivuntunnistukseen kehitettyjen eri tutkimusten välisistä samankaltaisuuksista ja eroista. Tarkastelussa löytyi signaalien eroavaisuuksien lisäksi tutkimusmuotojen aiheuttamaa eroa arviointitavoitteisiin, mikä hankaloitti tutkimusten vertailua. Lisäksi pohdit- tiin mitkä perinteisten prosessointitapojen osiot rajoittavat tai edistävät ennustekykyä ja miten, sekä tuoko optimointi läpimurtoa järjestelmän näkökulmasta.Accurate pain assessment plays an important role in proper pain management, especially among hospitalized people experience acute pain. Pain is subjective in nature which is not only a sensory feeling but could also combine affective factors. Therefore self-report pain scales are the main assessment tools as long as patients are able to self-report. However, it remains a challenge to assess the pain from the patients who cannot self-report. In clinical practice, physiological parameters like heart rate and pain behaviors including facial expressions are observed as empirical references to infer pain objectively. The main aim of this study is to automate such process by leveraging machine learning methods and biosignal processing. To achieve this goal, biopotentials reflecting autonomic nervous system activities including electrocardiogram and galvanic skin response, and facial expressions measured with facial electromyograms were recorded from healthy volunteers undergoing experimental pain stimulus. IoT-enabled biopotential acquisition systems were developed to build the database aiming at providing compact and wearable solutions. Using the database, a biosignal processing flow was developed for continuous pain estimation. Signal features were extracted with customized time window lengths and updated every second. The extracted features were visualized and fed into multiple classifiers trained to estimate the presence of pain and pain intensity separately. Among the tested classifiers, the best pain presence estimating sensitivity achieved was 90% (specificity 84%) and the best pain intensity estimation accuracy achieved was 62.5%. The results show the validity of the proposed processing flow, especially in pain presence estimation at window level. This study adds one more piece of evidence on the feasibility of developing an automatic pain assessment tool from biopotentials, thus providing the confidence to move forward to real pain cases. In addition to the method development, the similarities and differences between automatic pain assessment studies were compared and summarized. It was found that in addition to the diversity of signals, the estimation goals also differed as a result of different study designs which made cross dataset comparison challenging. We also tried to discuss which parts in the classical processing flow would limit or boost the prediction performance and whether optimization can bring a breakthrough from the system’s perspective

Strategic and Operational Management of Supplier Involvement in New Product Development: a Contingency Perspective

This paper examines how firms succeed to leverage supplier involvement in product development. The paper extends earlier work on managing supplier involvement by providing an integrated analysis of results, processes and conditions both at the level of individual development projects and the overall firm. Following a multiple-case study approach with theoretical sampling, the study is carried out by examining eight projects in which four manufacturers from different industries involve multiple suppliers. The findings suggest that successful supplier involvement is dependent on the coordinated design, execution and evaluation of strategic, long-term processes and operational, short-term management processes and the presence of enabling factors such as a cross-functional oriented organization. The required intensity of these processes and enablers depends on contingencies such as firm size and environmental uncertainty. In contrast with previous research, we find no indications that managing supplier involvement requires a different approach in highly innovative projects compared to less innovative projects.innovation;new product development;purchasing;supplier relations;R&D management

Learning to code in class with MOOCs: Process, factors and outcomes

Problem: Python became the most popular programming language in recent years, beating Java, the programming language still widely used as the main programming language in many undergraduate degrees on computer science related areas. Students from those degrees often do not get Python in their syllabus, but the job market is demanding it increasingly. Objective: To assess if learning a new programming language by following a MOOC is feasible in a fully dedicated mode and allows achieving a learning outcome comparable to the traditional in-class learning process. Proposal: Students from undergraduate degrees lacking Python skills followed a dedicated and intensive learning process on that language based on an in-class MOOC. The latter is suitable for students with some background in programming, as is the case, allowing a faster learning pace. Participants’ subjective perception of the corresponding workload was monitored. Validation: A programming contest, using an automatic judge, was used as a validation for this proposal. Two groups of students participated: those from three degrees lacking Python, which followed the proposed MOOC (experimental group), and those from the degree that includes Python programming, which had a traditional in-class learning process (control group). Conclusions: The experiment results were analysed and it was inferred that the proposed in-class MOOC learning approach is as effective as the traditional learning approach. Furthermore, it was identified that the students’ average grades obtained in the previous programming courses taken as part of their degree’s syllabus and the number of MOOC modules finished in the context of this experiment directly influence the number of points obtained in the contest.Problema: Nos últimos anos, Python tornou-se a linguagem de programação mais popular, ultrapassando o Java, que continua a sermuito usada como principal linguagem de programação em muitas licenciaturas relacionadas com informática. Estas licenciaturas acabam muitas vezes por não oferecer esta competência aos estudantes, no entanto o mercado de trabalho procura-a cada vez mais. Objectivo: Avaliar a possibilidade de aprender uma nova linguagem de programação através de um MOOC num regime de total dedicação. E por fim, perceber se este permite obter resultados comparáveis ao ensino tradicional. Proposta: Os estudantes com falta de conhecimentos de Python realizaram um processo de aprendizagem intensivo desta linguagem através de um MOOC em sala de aula. Este último é adequado a estudantes com alguns conhecimentos de programação, permitindo assim um ritmo mais rápido de aprendizagem. A perceção subjetiva dos participantes sobre a respetiva carga de trabalho foi monitorizada. Validação: Realização de um concurso de programação recorrendo a um juiz automático. Dois grupos de estudantes participaram neste concurso: estudantes das 3 licenciaturas sem conhecimentos de Python, que realizaram o MOOC (grupo experimental), e os estudantes da licenciatura que inclui Python e que teve uma aprendizagem tradicional (grupo de controlo). Conclusões: Os resultados deste experimento foram analisados e inferiu-se que a aprendizagem de um MOOC em sala de aula é tão eficaz quanto o ensino tradicional. Para além disso, foi também verificado que a média de notas dos estudantes obtida nas unidades curriculares de programação que já frequentaram no seu curso e o número de módulos feitos no MOOC no contexto desta experiência influenciam diretamente os pontos obtidos no concurso de programação

Predicting Academic Performance: A Systematic Literature Review

The ability to predict student performance in a course or program creates opportunities to improve educational outcomes. With effective performance prediction approaches, instructors can allocate resources and instruction more accurately. Research in this area seeks to identify features that can be used to make predictions, to identify algorithms that can improve predictions, and to quantify aspects of student performance. Moreover, research in predicting student performance seeks to determine interrelated features and to identify the underlying reasons why certain features work better than others. This working group report presents a systematic literature review of work in the area of predicting student performance. Our analysis shows a clearly increasing amount of research in this area, as well as an increasing variety of techniques used. At the same time, the review uncovered a number of issues with research quality that drives a need for the community to provide more detailed reporting of methods and results and to increase efforts to validate and replicate work.Peer reviewe

Achieving Competence-Based Curriculum In Engineering Education In Spain

5 tables, 5 figures, 26 pagesThe fact of placing competences and outcomes learning at the heart of the academic activity means overhauling the curricular architecture of higher education in Europe. Some universities have undergone important transformations moving toward a competence-based learning environment, while others maintain traditional curriculum packaged formats. In the realm of the European Higher Education Area, this paper examines the use of competence-based initiatives in curricular development for engineering degrees with special focus to the Spanish case. Although the concept of competence and competence-based learning have a long history in education and training research, these terms are still very diffuse and demand a clear conceptualization. In the first part of this paper, we provide a conceptual overview and a critical reflection of competences as implemented in a wide range of settings, including its origins, key concepts and definitions. Next, we discuss the purposes, principles, pitfalls, and processes that enable to define a map of competences within Engineering Education. Finally, we present a pilot project involving curriculum development and faculty enhancement within a competence-based learning initiative in Electronic Engineering