Semantic annotation in ubiquitous healthcare skills-based learning environments

This paper describes initial work on developing a semantic annotation system for the augmentation of skills-based learning for Healthcare. Scenario driven skills-based learning takes place in an augmented hospital ward simulation involving a patient simulator known as SimMan. The semantic annotation software enables real-time annotations of these simulations for debriefing of the students, student self study and better analysis of the learning approaches of mentors. A description of the developed system is provided with initial findings and future directions for the work.<br/

A lightweight web video model with content and context descriptions for integration with linked data

The rapid increase of video data on the Web has warranted an urgent need for effective representation, management and retrieval of web videos. Recently, many studies have been carried out for ontological representation of videos, either using domain dependent or generic schemas such as MPEG-7, MPEG-4, and COMM. In spite of their extensive coverage and sound theoretical grounding, they are yet to be widely used by users. Two main possible reasons are the complexities involved and a lack of tool support. We propose a lightweight video content model for content-context description and integration. The uniqueness of the model is that it tries to model the emerging social context to describe and interpret the video. Our approach is grounded on exploiting easily extractable evolving contextual metadata and on the availability of existing data on the Web. This enables representational homogeneity and a firm basis for information integration among semantically-enabled data sources. The model uses many existing schemas to describe various ontology classes and shows the scope of interlinking with the Linked Data cloud

Information scraps: how and why information eludes our personal information management tools

In this paper we describe information scraps -- a class of personal information whose content is scribbled on Post-it notes, scrawled on corners of random sheets of paper, buried inside the bodies of e-mail messages sent to ourselves, or typed haphazardly into text files. Information scraps hold our great ideas, sketches, notes, reminders, driving directions, and even our poetry. We define information scraps to be the body of personal information that is held outside of its natural or We have much still to learn about these loose forms of information capture. Why are they so often held outside of our traditional PIM locations and instead on Post-its or in text files? Why must we sometimes go around our traditional PIM applications to hold on to our scraps, such as by e-mailing ourselves? What are information scraps' role in the larger space of personal information management, and what do they uniquely offer that we find so appealing? If these unorganized bits truly indicate the failure of our PIM tools, how might we begin to build better tools? We have pursued these questions by undertaking a study of 27 knowledge workers. In our findings we describe information scraps from several angles: their content, their location, and the factors that lead to their use, which we identify as ease of capture, flexibility of content and organization, and avilability at the time of need. We also consider the personal emotive responses around scrap management. We present a set of design considerations that we have derived from the analysis of our study results. We present our work on an application platform, jourknow, to test some of these design and usability findings

A Surgical Virtual Learning Environment

A computer based Virtual Learning Environment is proposed for training and evaluating novice surgeons. Although this Virtual Learning Environments is thought to be useful in other learning situations as well, especially where knowledge of different complex procedures and the ability to correctly assess a complex situation is critical, in this project we specifically focus on vascular surgery. This environment will be developed as part of the DIME project (Distributed Interactive Medical Exploratory). We are building this Virtual Learning Environment using a new navigational metaphor, which affords modeling the learning process, rather than focusing solely on modeling the operating room. This 'navigational metaphor' can be thought of as an semi-threedimensional interface to a database containing multimedia fragments and expert annotations of the knowledge domain under study

The challenges of blended learning using a media annotation tool

Blended learning has been evolving as an important approach to learning and teaching in tertiary education. This approach incorporates learning in both online and face-to-face modes and promotes deep learning by incorporating the best of both approaches. An innovation in blended learning is the use of an online media annotation tool (MAT) in combination with face-to-face classes. This tool allows students to annotate their own or teacher-uploaded video adding to their understanding of professional skills in various disciplines in tertiary education. Examination of MAT occurred in 2011 and included nine cohorts of students using the tool. This article canvasses selected data relating to MAT including insights into the use of blended learning focussing on the challenges of combining face-to-face and online learning using a relatively new online tool

Annotations of Awareness: A Framework for Externalizing Thinking to Promote Metacognitive Discourse in High School English and Social Studies Classrooms

Teachers find it challenging to integrate metacognition into the classroom to promote critical thinking, but such rigorous instruction is one way to improve access to quality education for all students, no matter their access to outside-of-school resources. To help teachers find more comfort and confidence in designing for increased critical thinking and metacognitive discourse and to help close the theory-practice gap in metacognition research, I conducted a mixed-methods case study focusing on assessment-design interventions. Using the Metacognitive Framework for Assessment Design and Annotations of Awareness, both designed in response to my literature review, my 90-day action research included three Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles. Qualitative-data collection included surveys, observations and conversations, interviews, reflection logs, and design-session transcripts. Quantitative-data collection included Likert-scale portions of pre- and post-surveys and assistant-superintendent scores of teacher assessments pre and post study. Eight teachers (six English and two social studies) at a traditional public high school in South Carolina participated. Activity theory helped guide my iterative research design, my coding, and my findings. The benefits of the Metacognition Framework were measured and substantiated. Six themes emerged to reveal how the Framework supports critical thinking and metacognition: (a) Finding Clarity through Abstraction, (b) Moving Backwards to Move Forwards, (c) Giving More Feedback to Give Less, (d) Slowing Down to Speed Up, (e) Focusing on the Discrete for Transfer, and (f) Students Guiding the Teachers. Teacher self-ratings in confidence improved on average. Pre- and post-study assessment scores in the Thinking and Problem-Solving domains of the South Carolina Teaching Standards 4.0 Rubric (South Carolina Department of Education [SCDE], 2021d) revealed maintenance of or growth in rigor for five teachers, while the scores for the other three teachers offered guidance on how to hold up the 4.0 Rubric (SCDE, 2021d) to the realities and priorities of teaching. South Carolina public schools should integrate the Framework in secondary English and social studies classrooms utilizing school-level instructional coaching and district induction programs in order to support teachers in crafting assessments for increased student critical thinking and increased metacognitive discourse

Natural Language Generation as an Intelligent Activity (Proposal for Dissertation Research)

In this proposal, I outline a generator conceived of as part of a general intelligent agent. The generator\u27s task is to provide the overall system with the ability to use communication in language to serve its purposes, rather than to simply encode information in language. This requires that generation be viewed as a kind of goal-directed action that is planned and executed in a dynamically changing environment. In addition, the generator must not be dependent on domain or problem-specific information but rather on a general knowledge base .that it shares with the overall system. These requirements have specific consequences for the design of the generator and the representation it uses. In particular, the text planner and the low-level linguistic component must be able to interact and negotiate over decisions that involve both high-level and low-level constraints. Also, the knowledge representation must allow for the varying perspective that an intelligent agent will have on the things it talks about; the generator must be able to appropriately vary how it describes things as the system\u27s perspective on them changes. The generator described here will demonstrate how these ideas work in practice and develop them further