E-Learning

Technology development, mainly for telecommunications and computer systems, was a key factor for the interactivity and, thus, for the expansion of e-learning. This book is divided into two parts, presenting some proposals to deal with e-learning challenges, opening up a way of learning about and discussing new methodologies to increase the interaction level of classes and implementing technical tools for helping students to make better use of e-learning resources. In the first part, the reader may find chapters mentioning the required infrastructure for e-learning models and processes, organizational practices, suggestions, implementation of methods for assessing results, and case studies focused on pedagogical aspects that can be applied generically in different environments. The second part is related to tools that can be adopted by users such as graphical tools for engineering, mobile phone networks, and techniques to build robots, among others. Moreover, part two includes some chapters dedicated specifically to e-learning areas like engineering and architecture

Interrogating the Generalizability of Portfolio Assessments of Beginning Teachers: A Qualitative Study

This qualitative study is intended to illuminate factors that affect the generalizability of portfolio assessments of beginning teachers. By generalizability, we refer here to the extent to which the portfolio assessment supports generalizations from the particular evidence reflected in the portfolio to the conception of competent teaching reflected in the standards on which the assessment is based. Or, more practically, “The key question is, ‘How likely is it that this finding would be reversed or substantially altered if a second, independent assessment of the same kind were made?’” (Cronbach, Linn, Brennan, and Haertel, 1997, p. 1). In addressing this question, we draw on two kinds of evidence that are rarely available: comparisons of two different portfolios completed by the same teacher in the same year and comparisons between a portfolio and a multi-day case study (observation and interview completed shortly after portfolio submission) intended to parallel the evidence called for in the portfolio assessment. Our formative goal is to illuminate issues that assessment developers and users can take into account in designing assessment systems and appropriately limiting score interpretations

Camera-based estimation of student's attention in class

Two essential elements of classroom lecturing are the teacher and the students. This human core can easily be lost in the overwhelming list of technological supplements aimed at improving the teaching/learning experience. We start from the question of whether we can formulate a technological intervention around the human connection, and find indicators which would tell us when the teacher is not reaching the audience. Our approach is based on principles of unobtrusive measurements and social signal processing. Our assumption is that students with different levels of attention will display different non-verbal behaviour during the lecture. Inspired by information theory, we formulated a theoretical background for our assumptions around the idea of synchronization between the sender and receiver, and between several receivers focused on the same sender. Based on this foundation we present a novel set of behaviour metrics as the main contribution. By using a camera-based system to observe lectures, we recorded an extensive dataset in order to verify our assumptions. In our first study on motion, we found that differences in attention are manifested on the level of audience movement synchronization. We formulated the measure of ``motion lag'' based on the idea that attentive students would have a common behaviour pattern. For our second set of metrics we explored ways to substitute intrusive eye-tracking equipment in order to record gaze information of the entire audience. To achieve this we conducted an experiment on the relationship between head orientation and gaze direction. Based on acquired results we formulated an improved model of gaze uncertainty than the ones currently used in similar studies. In combination with improvements on head detection and pose estimation, we extracted measures of audience head and gaze behaviour from our remote recording system. From the collected data we found that synchronization between student's head orientation and teacher's motion serves as a reliable indicator of the attentiveness of students. To illustrate the predictive power of our features, a supervised-learning model was trained achieving satisfactory results at predicting student's attention

Integrating Technology in an Elementary Classroom

The purpose of my research is to compare the use of technology in an elementary class to a class whose instruction is limited to traditional methods. Investigating the achievement of the students, the attention of the students and the comprehension of students will be a major part of my study. My purpose will be to see if students benefit from technology and if there is an improvement, to what degree. I will be reviewing peer-reviewed articles to see what is published about the use of technology and what the benefits of using technology in a classroom are. This review will be in a form of a literature review. From the information from my literature review and research, I will hopefully receive a solid conclusion about the integration of technology

Unit organization of two topics in senior high school speech

Thesis (M.A.)--Boston University, 1947. This item was digitized by the Internet Archive

1994 NASA-HU American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) Summer Faculty Fellowship Program

Since 1964, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has supported a program of summer faculty fellowships for engineering and science educators. In a series of collaborations between NASA research and development centers and nearby universities, engineering faculty members spend 10 weeks working with professional peers on research. The Summer Faculty Program Committee of the American Society for Engineering Education supervises the programs. Objectives: (1) To further the professional knowledge of qualified engineering and science faculty members; (2) To stimulate and exchange ideas between participants and NASA; (3) To enrich and refresh the research and teaching activities of participants' institutions; (4) To contribute to the research objectives of the NASA center

Professional competency of modern specialist: means of formation, development and improvement

The modern scientific and methodical approaches to the study and analysis of professional competence that are in line with the state requirements for reforming education and the tendencies of introducing a competent approach as one of the key factors of today's vocational education are analyzed. The emphasis is placed on the fact that implementation of the competence approach should include the use of professional training of real professional tasks with the orientation of future professionals to analyze the results of their own professional activities and decisions. The basic principles of professional training of future managers of economic security are determined. It has been established that the professional training of future managers of economic security should be carried out on a modular basis