ICS Materials. Towards a re-Interpretation of material qualities through interactive, connected, and smart materials.

The domain of materials for design is changing under the influence of an increased technological advancement, miniaturization and democratization. Materials are becoming connected, augmented, computational, interactive, active, responsive, and dynamic. These are ICS Materials, an acronym that stands for Interactive, Connected and Smart. While labs around the world are experimenting with these new materials, there is the need to reflect on their potentials and impact on design. This paper is a first step in this direction: to interpret and describe the qualities of ICS materials, considering their experiential pattern, their expressive sensorial dimension, and their aesthetic of interaction. Through case studies, we analyse and classify these emerging ICS Materials and identified common characteristics, and challenges, e.g. the ability to change over time or their programmability by the designers and users. On that basis, we argue there is the need to reframe and redesign existing models to describe ICS materials, making their qualities emerge

An investigation of grade 9 English language teachers' awareness and practices of continuous assessment in reading classes: the cases of Abdi Bori and Gore High Schools

The central intention of this research was to investigate grade 9 English language teachers' practice of continuous assessment (CA) in reading classes of two secondary schools which are found in Ilubabor Zone, namely, Abdi Bori and Gore High Schools. To attain this objective, a descriptive survey research method was employed. The sample consisted of 7 grade 9 English language teachers and 366 students drawn from i -I6i grade 9 students of the respective schools. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the target schools while comprehensive and simple random sampling techniques were employed to select the sample teachers and students respectively. To gather the necessary data, questionnaire, interviews, document analysis, and observations were employed. in analyzing the data, percentage and mean were used. The results of the study indicated that teachers' understanding of the principles and purposes of CA were insufficient. Besides, there was a gap in the implementation of CA in their reading classes properly. From the results of the study, teachers had experience in supplying feedback for the ir students based on the effect of the assessment but the provision was below expected. Even though there are various assessment devices in assessing reading skills, a few of them were only implemented in the reading classes, namely tests and quizzes, group assignment and think aloud predominantly. Furthermore, the finding of the study indicated that large class size and high leaching loads were identified as the main impeding factors of the implementation of CA in their reading classes. Thus, based on the findings of the study, recommendations are forwarded to alleviate the aforementioned problems in the schools under study. Key terms: Continuous Assessment, Practice, Feedback, implementationJimma Universit

Handheld technologies and their role in supporting distance-learning study

Distance education institutions have always employed a variety of technological media, and developing technologies are incorporated into the learning blend as their advantages are identified. Modern distance learning has, therefore, become linked implicitly with the latest media and handheld communication technologies are now being used to communicate with members of the educational community, share information and resources, and enable investigation, discussion and learning.The use of similar mobile technologies for the purposes of student support is under-represented in the literature. This action research study explored the limitations and benefits of handheld technologies for supporting distance learning students, and the drivers and barriers that might affect their use by students. The literature review helped to identify the attributes and limitations of m-learning and handheld technologies, and the aspects of student support that might be enabled through mobile options. The research design included a questionnaire, a year-long study in which associate lecturers developed mobile-accessible resources to use with their students, and interviews with study support experts. The research data was collected in a UK distance education institution.The study showed that handheld technologies can be used to support students for a number of different purposes: to provide an additional informal means of communication with staff and other students; to prompt participation oraction; to suggest resources or personalise the support for students; to enable access to advice and guidance; to offer factual information for study and administrative purposes; to encourage revision and review of learning.The research also suggested that students felt that increased group cohesion was promoted within the learning community through using their personal mobile technologies within the student support framework.A model of this potential method of support is presented, giving examples of the types of communications, resources and services that could be implemented within a distance education institution

Establishing Physics Concept Inventories Using Free-Response Questions

Concepts are important building blocks for understanding complicated topics and entire disciplines such as physics. The idea of an inventory of concepts has been proposed as the basis for investigating the readiness of students to develop their understanding. Hestenes et al. introduced concept inventories in physics using the multiple-choice question format. There is interest in using a less-constrained free-response format with computer-automated marking to enable more efficient use of concept inventories. The adaptation of Hestenes’ Force Concept Inventory (FCI) for use with free-response, computer-marked format is the subject of this thesis. This study establishes the Alternative Mechanics Survey (AMS), a free-response computer-marked version of the FCI and validates it for use as an alternative to the multiple-choice FCI. The AMS was subject to validity testing with a pilot group through usability tests followed by semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed using Thematic Analysis. This established that the AMS structure involving the free-response format was viable. Classical Test Theory (CTT) was used to test for reliability of the AMS questions. Data from 335 completed attempts were analyzed to generate Kuder-Richardson reliability and Ferguson’s delta statistics which showed the questions to be acceptable. The AMS marking rules were also tested for reliability by calculating Inter-Rater Reliability (IRR) statistics for 8091 question responses. The calculated values of the Cohen’s kappa statistic showed that the marking rules were acceptable. This work has demonstrated validity of the AMS with the free-response format, and the reliability of the specific question set posed together with the reliability of the associated marking rules. To demonstrate the applicability of the approach in another domain, the General Relativity Concept Inventory (GRCI), a new free-response concept inventory covering basic General Relativity concepts has been developed and tested. It is concluded that physics concept inventories can be established using free-response questions

Evaluation for Teachers and Students in Higher Education

It is time to undertake changes in the evaluation methods we use, especially in higher education. These changes in the actors responsible for evaluation would combine hegemonic traditional evaluating processes with other, more democratic modalities, which would turn the predominantly institutional rating purposes of evaluation into a learning experience, and develop a competence in evaluation in students. Only in this way can coherence be achieved within the context of the student’s initiative and the construction of their learning, mainly because of their real empowerment in the didactic process, either individually or in groups. A virtual platform has been developed to avoid increasing the teaching load and it is exposed in this work. The platform has been built and validated by potential users following the design-based research model. Its description, as well as its results, are explained. Regarding the description, two interfaces are mentioned—one for teachers and another for students. Concerning its validation, the results of this quantitative and qualitative study confirm its functionality as a valid tool for evaluation. It is predicted that the utilization and impact of this tool will not only be beneficial for the evaluation dimension, but also for the overall improvement of the teaching experience

Proceedings of the tenth international conference Models in developing mathematics education: September 11 - 17, 2009, Dresden, Saxony, Germany

This volume contains the papers presented at the International Conference on “Models in Developing Mathematics Education” held from September 11-17, 2009 at The University of Applied Sciences, Dresden, Germany. The Conference was organized jointly by The University of Applied Sciences and The Mathematics Education into the 21st Century Project - a non-commercial international educational project founded in 1986. The Mathematics Education into the 21st Century Project is dedicated to the improvement of mathematics education world-wide through the publication and dissemination of innovative ideas. Many prominent mathematics educators have supported and contributed to the project, including the late Hans Freudental, Andrejs Dunkels and Hilary Shuard, as well as Bruce Meserve and Marilyn Suydam, Alan Osborne and Margaret Kasten, Mogens Niss, Tibor Nemetz, Ubi D’Ambrosio, Brian Wilson, Tatsuro Miwa, Henry Pollack, Werner Blum, Roberto Baldino, Waclaw Zawadowski, and many others throughout the world. Information on our project and its future work can be found on Our Project Home Page http://math.unipa.it/~grim/21project.htm It has been our pleasure to edit all of the papers for these Proceedings. Not all papers are about research in mathematics education, a number of them report on innovative experiences in the classroom and on new technology. We believe that “mathematics education” is fundamentally a “practicum” and in order to be “successful” all new materials, new ideas and new research must be tested and implemented in the classroom, the real “chalk face” of our discipline, and of our profession as mathematics educators. These Proceedings begin with a Plenary Paper and then the contributions of the Principal Authors in alphabetical name order. We sincerely thank all of the contributors for their time and creative effort. It is clear from the variety and quality of the papers that the conference has attracted many innovative mathematics educators from around the world. These Proceedings will therefore be useful in reviewing past work and looking ahead to the future

National Assessment Program: ICT Literacy 2022: Public report

This public report documents the findings of the sixth National Assessment Program ICT Literacy (NAP–ICT Literacy) assessment cycle. In reporting national key performance measures (KPMs) of Australian students’ ICT literacy, the NAP–ICT Literacy assessment provides a way to monitor progress towards the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Goals for Young Australians. Goal 2 of the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration is that “all young Australians become confident and creative individuals, successful lifelong learners, and active and informed members of the community” (Education Council 2019, p. 6). The elaboration of this goal highlights the importance of young Australians’ digital and ICT literacy in a rapidly evolving technological landscape and establishes the context and rationale for reporting on student achievement and progress in this area. For NAP–ICT Literacy 2022, ICT literacy is defined as “the ability to use ICT appropriately and safely to access, manage and evaluate information; develop new understandings; apply computational, design and systems thinking to create solutions; communicate and collaborate with others; and engage productively with emerging and future technologies” (ACARA 2020, p. 13). The NAP–ICT Literacy assessment instrument requires students to apply their ICT knowledge within real-world contexts that represent the 4 strands and integrated aspects outlined in the NAP–ICT Literacy Assessment Framework. These are: understanding ICT and digital systems, investigating and planning solutions with ICT, implementing and evaluating digital solutions, and applying safe and ethical protocols and practices when using ICT