ADVANCEMENT OF E-PORTFOLIO SYSTEM TO IMPROVE COMPETENCE LEVELS

Nowadays educational process is not imaginable without applications of information technologies. Their implementations in different technology enhanced learning programs, platforms and systems are becoming more and more popular in educational institutions all over the world. Appropriate usage of information systems has already gained significant place in curriculums and learning processes. However, due to rather high dropout rate and insufficient learning outcomes educational organisations are still seeking for new systems, tools and methods which would enhance learners’ competence development. This paper describes benefits of a new ePortfolio system created by Riga Technical University’s researchers group, its testing results in Living Lab environment in study year 2012/2013, and comparative analysis with initial version of the system implemented in previous year. Findings show that introduced new ePortfolio system has a great positive impact on learning outcomes and learners’ competence development

Frame Semantics Methodology for Teaching Terminology of Specialised Domains

CC BY-NC-ND 4.0The article attempts to show how the theory of Frame Semantics and the resources of the lexical database FrameNet can be used for teaching/learning terminology of specialised domains. The article discusses the principles of Frame Semantics and presents a use case of application of the frame-based methodology for developing classification of terminology of the selected financial subdomain for learning/teaching purposes. The use case focuses on terms denoting concepts that compose ‘CAUSE-RISK’ frame which was developed on the basis of several related frames in the FrameNet database. The stages of the use case and its outcomes are described in detail and the benefits of application of the methodology for learning/teaching specialised vocabulary are provided. Hopefully, the provided insights will give ideas to teachers of foreign languages for specific purposes and help to develop effective terminology teaching/learning techniques

Virtual learning process environment (VLPE): a BPM-based learning process management architecture

E-learning systems have significantly impacted the way that learning takes place within universities, particularly in providing self-learning support and flexibility of course delivery. Virtual Learning Environments help facilitate the management of educational courses for students, in particular by assisting course designers and thriving in the management of the learning itself. Current literature has shown that pedagogical modelling and learning process management facilitation are inadequate. In particular, quantitative information on the process of learning that is needed to perform real time or reflective monitoring and statistical analysis of students’ learning processes performance is deficient. Therefore, for a course designer, pedagogical evaluation and reform decisions can be difficult. This thesis presents an alternative e-learning systems architecture - Virtual Learning Process Environment (VLPE) - that uses the Business Process Management (BPM) conceptual framework to design an architecture that addresses the critical quantitative learning process information gaps associated with the conventional VLE frameworks. Within VLPE, course designers can model desired education pedagogies in the form of learning process workflows using an intuitive graphical flow diagram user-interface. Automated agents associated with BPM frameworks are employed to capture quantitative learning information from the learning process workflow. Consequently, course designers are able to monitor, analyse and re-evaluate in real time the effectiveness of their chosen pedagogy using live interactive learning process dashboards. Once a course delivery is complete the collated quantitative information can also be used to make major revisions to pedagogy design for the next iteration of the course. An additional contribution of this work is that this new architecture facilitates individual students in monitoring and analysing their own learning performances in comparison to their peers in a real time anonymous manner through a personal analytics learning process dashboard. A case scenario of the quantitative statistical analysis of a cohort of learners (10 participants in size) is presented. The analytical results of their learning processes, performances and progressions on a short Mathematics course over a five-week period are also presented in order to demonstrate that the proposed framework can significantly help to advance learning analytics and the visualisation of real time learning data

Online and Distance Learning during Lockdown Times

This book is a reprint of papers in the Special Issue published in Education Sciences under the title "Online and Distance Learning during Lockdown Times: COVID-19 Stories". It includes papers covering Higher Education (post-secondary) sector representing international experience of teaching and learning from the start of the first episode of lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic

Towards safety in minimally invasive surgery : patient safety, tissue handling and training aspects

In recent years a flow of media reports about unsafe situations in operating rooms have reached the general public. Awareness of the importance of patient safety also reached politicians. The report by the Dutch inspectorate of health care __Risico__s minimaal invasieve chirurgie onderschat__ (Risks minimally invasive surgery underestimated) stressed that patient safety is especially at risk in Minimally Invasive Surgery. Therefore patient safety became a focus of research and quality improvement, also in minimally invasive surgery. The current thesis aimes to give insight into patient safety risk factors in minimally invasive surgery. Of all examined risk factors minimally invasive surgical skills appeared to be directly related to patient safety. Therefore special focus for training of these skills is necessary. Previous research has shown that during simulation training objective assessment of economy of movements and time is possible. However, until recently there was no way to objectively assess one of the most important surgical skills: tissue handling. The development of a force sensor has made it possible to measure interaction forces with artificial tissue. In this thesis the clinical implications of a force sensor and the need of this new technology within training of minimally invasive surgical skills is examined.Financial support for the publication of this thesis was kindly provided by: Nederlandse Vereniging voor Endoscopische Chirurgie, Medical Dynamics, Olympus Nederland BV, ERBE Nederland BV, Skills Meducation, ChipSoft, Memidis Pharma b.v., Goodlife Healthcare bv, Covidien, Stöpler Instrumenten en Apparaten B.V.UBL - phd migration 201

Scénarisation pédagogique pour des EIAH ouverts (une approche dirigée par les modèles et spécifique au domaine métier)

Dans cette thèse, nous nous sommes intéressés à l ouverture des EIAH (EnvironnementsInformatiques pour l'Apprentissage Humain), pour répondre à leur faible déploiement dansles établissements de formation, en facilitant leur appropriation par des usagers. Notre travailde recherche s'inscrit dans le cadre du projet REDiM (Réingénierie des EIAH Dirigée par lesModèles) mené au LIUM (Laboratoire d'Informatique de l'Université du Maine), dont un desobjectifs est d intégrer les enseignants dans le processus de conception des scénariospédagogiques d un EIAH.Nous proposons une approche d ingénierie et de réingénierie pour rendre un EIAH ouvertà la conception et à l adaptation de ses scénarios pédagogiques par les enseignantsutilisateurs. Nous avons défini un processus de conception basé sur la modélisationde scénarios pédagogiques ouverts (SPO), qui permet l instrumentation des enseignantspour les aider dans la conception continue (i.e. qui se poursuit dans l usage) d une activitéd apprentissage. Nous faisons trois propositions scientifiques :- Un modèle de représentation des SPO, qui permet de les structurer en variantes enfonction des contextes d exécution. Nous qualifions ce modèle de rationnel puisqu il s appuieprincipalement sur l approche du Design Rationale que nous avons adaptée à notreproblématique.- Un processus itératif et incrémental d ingénierie et de réingénierie qui guide lesenseignants pour concevoir et adapter des SPO conformes au modèle que nous avonsdéfini.- Une méthode dirigée par les modèles et spécifique au domaine métier pour instrumenterle processus d ouverture des scénarios pédagogiques d un EIAH existant. Cette méthoded instrumentation, reposant sur l IDM (Ingénierie Dirigée par les Modèles) et le DSM(Domain-Specific Modeling), implique les enseignants utilisateurs de l EIAH, considérés icicomme des experts du domaine. Elle est structurée en plusieurs phases qui amènentprogressivement à définir, de façon spécifique à l EIAH considéré, un langage d expressiondes SPO (ADSGEML - Adaptive Domain-Specific Graphical Educational ModelingLanguage) et un éditeur associé permettant la conception et l adaptation des SPO dansl univers métier de l EIAH.Afin d évaluer et de raffiner nos propositions, nous les avons appliquées sur l EIAH Hop3x , préalablement conçu au LIUM dans le cadre d un autre projet pour pratiquer laprogrammation orientée objet. Nous avons donc élaboré un ADSGEML et un environnementd édition graphique pour permettre aux enseignants de concevoir et d adapterdynamiquement des sessions ouvertes de Hop3x, à un niveau élevé d abstraction.In this thesis, we are interested in opening TEL systems (Technology EnhancedLearning) up in order to respond to the problem of their low deployment in teachinginstitutions, we need to facilitate their adoption by users. Our research work is part ofthe REDiM (French abbreviation which means Model-Driven Re-engineering of TELsystems ) project led by the LIUM Computer Science Laboratory of Le MansUniversity in France. One of the main objectives of this project is to involve teachersin the design process of learning scenarios of a TEL system.We propose an engineering and re-engineering approach for opening TEL systemsin order to facilitate for teachers the design and adaptation of pedagogical scenarios.We defined a design process based on the modeling of Open Pedagogical Scenarios(OPS), which allows the building of supports helping teachers in the continuousdesign of a learning activity (i.e. design which continues in the use process). Wemake three scientific proposals:- A model of OPS representation which defines a structure based on variantsaccording to execution contexts. We consider this model to be rational because it isbased mainly on the Design Rationale approach that we have adapted for ourresearch problem.- An iterative and incremental engineering and re-engineering process that guidesteachers to design and adapt OPS according to the rational model that we define inthis work.- A model-driven and domain-specific method for supporting the process of openingpedagogical scenarios of a legacy TEL system. This method, based on the MDE(Model-Driven Engineering) and DSM (Domain-Specific Modelling), involves teachersusing the TEL system, as they are considered to be domain experts. Our method isdivided into several phases that lead progressively to define the TEL system sADSGEML (Adaptive Educational Graphical Domain-Specific Modelling Language)and an associate editor allowing the design and adaptation of OPS in the businessfield of the TEL system to open for teachers.To evaluate and refine our proposals, we have applied them on the TEL system"Hop3x" which was designed at LIUM under another project for practicing objectorientedprogramming. We therefore developed an ADSGEML and a graphicalediting environment to enable teachers to design and adapt dynamically the openHop3x s learning sessions at a high level of abstraction.LE MANS-BU Sciences (721812109) / SudocSudocFranceF

Expressões proverbiais do português - usos, variação formal e identificação automática

Os provérbios são uma expressão da cultura de uma sociedade e estão ligados às mais diversas áreas da experiência humana. Este tipo de expressões surge nos mais variados tipos de texto e desempenha diferentes funções retóricas no discurso, nele se integrando por meio de diferentes mecanismos, nem sempre fáceis de detetar formalmente. A interferência nos processos de coerência e de coesão discursivas, p. ex., a referência, e a sua variação formal, constituem sérios desafios ao processamento da linguagem natural (PLN), exigindo a sua identificação e delimitação precisas. Este projeto visa a identificação automática de provérbios portugueses (e as suas variantes) em textos, a fim de melhor caracterizar a sua utilização, tanto qualitativa como quantitativamente. Tal permitirá a definição de índices de frequência e, a partir destes, bem como de outros critérios, a determinação da disponibilidade lexical das unidades paremiológicas (o provérbio e as suas variantes). Estas informações são elementos relevantes a considerar, por exemplo, no desenvolvimento de instrumentos complementares de diagnóstico ou terapia de determinadas patologias da linguagem; ou mesmo para a construção de jogos didáticos para o ensino-aprendizagem de português, língua materna e língua não materna, eventualmente assistido por computador.Proverbs are an expression of the culture of a society and are connected to the most diverse areas of human experience. This type of expression occurs in the most diverse types of text and performs different rhetorical functions in the discourse, integrating it through several mechanisms, not always easy to detect formally. Interference in the processes of discursive coherence and cohesion, e.g. reference, and its formal variation, constitute serious challenges to Natural Language Processing (NLP), requiring its precise identification and delimitation. This project aims at the automatic identification of Portuguese proverbs (and their variants) in texts, to effectively characterize their use, both qualitatively and quantitatively. This will allow the definition of frequency indices and, from these, as well as other criteria, the determination of the lexical availability of the paremiological units (the proverb and its variants). This information is relevant elements to consider, for example, in the development of complementary diagnostic or therapeutic instruments for certain language pathologies; or even for the construction of didactic games for the teaching-learning of Portuguese, either as a Mother Tongue or as a Foreign Language, eventually assisted by computer

Effective Cooperation and Scalability in Multi-Robot Teams for Automatic Patrolling of Infrastructures

Tese de doutoramento em Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores, apresentada ao Departamento de Engenharia Electrotécnica e de Computadores da Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade de CoimbraIn the digital era that we live in, advances in technology have proliferated throughout our society, quickening the completion of tasks that were painful in the old days, improving solutions to the everyday problems that we face, and generally assisting human beings both in their professional and personal life. Robotics is a clear example of a broad technological field that evolves every day. In fact, scientists predict that in the upcoming few decades, robots will naturally interact and coexist alongside human beings. While it is true that robots already have a strong presence in industrial environments, e.g., robotic arms for manufacturing, the average person still looks upon robots with suspicion, since they are not acquainted by such type of technology. In this thesis, the author deploys teams of mobile robots in indoor scenarios to cooperatively perform patrolling missions, which represents an effort to bring robots closer to humans and assist them in monotonous or repetitive tasks, such as supervising and monitoring indoor infrastructures or simply cooperatively cleaning floors. In this context, the team of robots should be able to sense the environment, localize and navigate autonomously between way points while avoiding obstacles, incorporate any number of robots, communicate actions in a distributed way and being robust not only to agent failures but also communication failures, so as to effectively coordinate to achieve optimal collective performance. The referred capabilities are an evidence that such systems can only prove their reliability in real-world environments if robots are endowed with intelligence and autonomy. Thus, the author follows a line of research where patrolling units have the necessary tools for intelligent decision-making, according to the information of the mission, the environment and teammates' actions, using distributed coordination architectures. An incremental approach is followed. Firstly, the problem is presented and the literature is deeply studied in order to identify potential weaknesses and research opportunities, backing up the objectives and contributions proposed in this thesis. Then, problem fundamentals are described and benchmarking of multi-robot patrolling algorithms in realistic conditions is conducted. In these earlier stages, the role of different parameters of the problem, like environment connectivity, team size and strategy philosophy, will become evident through extensive empirical results and statistical analysis. In addition, scalability is deeply analyzed and tied with inter-robot interference and coordination, imposed by each patrolling strategy. After gaining sensibility to the problem, preliminary models for multi-robot patrol with special focus on real-world application are presented, using a Bayesian inspired formalism. Based on these, distributed strategies that lead to superior team performance are described. Interference between autonomous agents is explicitly dealt with, and the approaches are shown to scale to large teams of robots. Additionally, the robustness to agent and communication failures is demonstrated, as well as the flexibility of the model proposed. In fact, by later generalizing the model with learning agents and maintaining memory of past events, it is then shown that these capabilities can be inherited, while at the same time increasing team performance even further and fostering adaptability. This is verified in simulation experiments and real-world results in a large indoor scenario. Furthermore, since the issue of team scalability is highly in focus in this thesis, a method for estimating the optimal team size in a patrolling mission, according to the environment topology is proposed. Upper bounds for team performance prior to the mission start are provided, supporting the choice of the number of robots to be used so that temporal constraints can be satisfied. All methods developed in this thesis are tested and corroborated by experimental results, showing the usefulness of employing cooperative teams of robots in real-world environments and the potential for similar systems to emerge in our society.FCT - SFRH/BD/64426/200

Sustainable Living with Environmental Risks

Earth System Sciences; Environmental Management; Sustainable Development; Environmental Risk Management; Sustainable Society; Biodiversity and Environment; Interdisciplinary Science; Leadership Education; Sustainable Living with Environmental Risks (SLER