5,811 research outputs found

    Behavioral policies, evidence, and expertise

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    Comparative Multiple Case Study into the Teaching of Problem-Solving Competence in Lebanese Middle Schools

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    This multiple case study investigates how problem-solving competence is integrated into teaching practices in private schools in Lebanon. Its purpose is to compare instructional approaches to problem-solving across three different programs: the American (Common Core State Standards and New Generation Science Standards), French (Socle Commun de Connaissances, de Compétences et de Culture), and Lebanese with a focus on middle school (grades 7, 8, and 9). The project was conducted in nine schools equally distributed among three categories based on the programs they offered: category 1 schools offered the Lebanese program, category 2 the French and Lebanese programs, and category 3 the American and Lebanese programs. Each school was treated as a separate case. Structured observation data were collected using observation logs that focused on lesson objectives and specific cognitive problem-solving processes. The two logs were created based on a document review of the requirements for the three programs. Structured observations were followed by semi-structured interviews that were conducted to explore teachers' beliefs and understandings of problem-solving competence. The comparative analysis of within-category structured observations revealed an instruction ranging from teacher-led practices, particularly in category 1 schools, to more student-centered approaches in categories 2 and 3. The cross-category analysis showed a reliance on cognitive processes primarily promoting exploration, understanding, and demonstrating understanding, with less emphasis on planning and executing, monitoring and reflecting, thus uncovering a weakness in addressing these processes. The findings of the post-observation semi-structured interviews disclosed a range of definitions of problem-solving competence prevalent amongst teachers with clear divergences across the three school categories. This research is unique in that it compares problem-solving teaching approaches across three different programs and explores underlying teachers' beliefs and understandings of problem-solving competence in the Lebanese context. It is hoped that this project will inform curriculum developers about future directions and much-anticipated reforms of the Lebanese program and practitioners about areas that need to be addressed to further improve the teaching of problem-solving competence

    Facilitating prosociality through technology: Design to promote digital volunteerism

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    Volunteerism covers many activities involving no financial rewards for volunteers but which contribute to the common good. There is existing work in designing technology for volunteerism in HumanComputer Interaction (HCI) and related disciplines that focuses on motivation to improve performance, but it does not account for volunteer wellbeing. Here, I investigate digital volunteerism in three case studies with a focus on volunteer motivation, engagement, and wellbeing. My research involved volunteers and others in the volunteering context to generate recommendations for a volunteer-centric design for digital volunteerism. The thesis has three aims: 1. To investigate motivational aspects critical for enhancing digital volunteers’ experiences 2. To identify digital platform attributes linked to volunteer wellbeing 3. To create guidelines for effectively supporting volunteer engagement in digital volunteering platforms In the first case study I investigate the design of a chat widget for volunteers working in an organisation with a view to develop a design that improves their workflow and wellbeing. The second case study investigates the needs, motivations, and wellbeing of volunteers who help medical students improve their medical communication skills. An initial mixed-methods study was followed by an experiment comparing two design strategies to improve volunteer relatedness; an important indicator of wellbeing. The third case study looks into volunteer needs, experiences, motivations, and wellbeing with a focus on volunteer identity and meaning-making on a science-based research platform. I then analyse my findings from these case studies using the lens of care ethics to derive critical insights for design. The key contributions of this thesis are design strategies and critical insights, and a volunteer-centric design framework to enhance the motivation, wellbeing and engagement of digital volunteers

    Augmented Behavioral Annotation Tools, with Application to Multimodal Datasets and Models: A Systematic Review

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    Annotation tools are an essential component in the creation of datasets for machine learning purposes. Annotation tools have evolved greatly since the turn of the century, and now commonly include collaborative features to divide labor efficiently, as well as automation employed to amplify human efforts. Recent developments in machine learning models, such as Transformers, allow for training upon very large and sophisticated multimodal datasets and enable generalization across domains of knowledge. These models also herald an increasing emphasis on prompt engineering to provide qualitative fine-tuning upon the model itself, adding a novel emerging layer of direct machine learning annotation. These capabilities enable machine intelligence to recognize, predict, and emulate human behavior with much greater accuracy and nuance, a noted shortfall of which have contributed to algorithmic injustice in previous techniques. However, the scale and complexity of training data required for multimodal models presents engineering challenges. Best practices for conducting annotation for large multimodal models in the most safe and ethical, yet efficient, manner have not been established. This paper presents a systematic literature review of crowd and machine learning augmented behavioral annotation methods to distill practices that may have value in multimodal implementations, cross-correlated across disciplines. Research questions were defined to provide an overview of the evolution of augmented behavioral annotation tools in the past, in relation to the present state of the art. (Contains five figures and four tables)

    Practitioners’ Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Inclusion of Children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disabilities [SEND] in a Primary Mainstream School

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    In the 1970s, mounting pressure from the Education (Handicapped Children) Act (DES, 1970), requiring children who were previously deemed 'Ineducable' to attend school, led to a United Kingdom government inquiry into standards of national provision for children with Special Educational Needs (DES, 1978: 6) chaired by Lady Warnock. The Warnock report (1978) proposed three models to integrate children with disabilities: Locational, Social and Functional Integration, marking a major shift in special needs and disability discourse. Warnock (1978) introduced Special Educational Needs as an umbrella term, replacing the ten ‘handicap’ categories set out in the 1944 ‘Education Act’ regulations. The SEN and SEND acronyms emerged due to the SEND Code of Practices (DfES, 2001; DfE, 2014). The Salamanca agreement (UNESCO, 1994), a United Nations initiative, introduced the terms ‘Inclusion’ and ‘education for all’ (Unesco, 1994: ix), with a vision for all children with Special Educational Needs to be educated in primary mainstream settings. The Salamanca agreement recognised some children with disabilities would be best supported in a special school; however, it also stressed that children attending a special school should not be segregated and, thus, encouraged part-time attendance in a mainstream setting (Unesco, 1994). The notion of Inclusion shifted in light of multiple policies introduced after 1994. Research and this inquiry reveal that Inclusion’s success depends on practitioners’ attitudes (Brown, 2016), which are grounded in a complex web of training, support, expertise in SEND, specialists’ input and the complexity of Special Needs. This inquiry examined practitioners' perceptions and attitudes towards Inclusion for children with SEND attending a primary mainstream school. This research was conducted in a three-form entry school in England, teaching approximately 750 children with various abilities and disabilities. The research design was a case study comprising nine interviews and 27 questionnaires. Qualitative data were collected from practitioners [teachers, teaching assistants, learning mentor, headteacher, Chief Education Officer] via semi-structured interviews; the questionnaires accumulated qualitative and quantitative data. This inquiry used thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke 2013), examining themes and patterns of meaning associated with Inclusion and SEND. Extensive literature was examined, accentuating mixed reviews about Inclusion’s success in a primary mainstream school. While practitioners supported Inclusion in a mainstream school, they voiced concerns about the challenges of achieving Inclusion. Practitioners expressed concerns about the expectations of teaching children with diverse/complex SEND, irrespective of practitioner confidence, depleting funding, support, resources, training, and SEND expertise. The unrealistic expectations created challenges, resulting in some children facing Functional Integration, not Inclusion, as practitioners struggled to cater for all children’s SEND

    Knowledge-based Modelling of Additive Manufacturing for Sustainability Performance Analysis and Decision Making

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    Additiivista valmistusta on pidetty kÀyttökelpoisena monimutkaisissa geometrioissa, topologisesti optimoiduissa kappaleissa ja kappaleissa joita on muuten vaikea valmistaa perinteisillÀ valmistusprosesseilla. Eduista huolimatta, yksi additiivisen valmistuksen vallitsevista haasteista on ollut heikko kyky tuottaa toimivia osia kilpailukykyisillÀ tuotantomÀÀrillÀ perinteisen valmistuksen kanssa. Mallintaminen ja simulointi ovat tehokkaita työkaluja, jotka voivat auttaa lyhentÀmÀÀn suunnittelun, rakentamisen ja testauksen sykliÀ mahdollistamalla erilaisten tuotesuunnitelmien ja prosessiskenaarioiden nopean analyysin. Perinteisten ja edistyneiden valmistusteknologioiden mahdollisuudet ja rajoitukset mÀÀrittelevÀt kuitenkin rajat uusille tuotekehityksille. Siksi on tÀrkeÀÀ, ettÀ suunnittelijoilla on kÀytettÀvissÀÀn menetelmÀt ja työkalut, joiden avulla he voivat mallintaa ja simuloida tuotteen suorituskykyÀ ja siihen liittyvÀn valmistusprosessin suorituskykyÀ, toimivien korkea arvoisten tuotteiden toteuttamiseksi. Motivaation tÀmÀn vÀitöstutkimuksen tekemiselle on, meneillÀÀn oleva kehitystyö uudenlaisen korkean lÀmpötilan suprajohtavan (high temperature superconducting (HTS)) magneettikokoonpanon kehittÀmisessÀ, joka toimii kryogeenisissÀ lÀmpötiloissa. Sen monimutkaisuus edellyttÀÀ monitieteisen asiantuntemuksen lÀhentymistÀ suunnittelun ja prototyyppien valmistuksen aikana. Tutkimus hyödyntÀÀ tietopohjaista mallinnusta valmistusprosessin analysoinnin ja pÀÀtöksenteon apuna HTS-magneettien mekaanisten komponenttien suunnittelussa. TÀmÀn lisÀksi, tutkimus etsii mahdollisuuksia additiivisen valmistuksen toteutettavuuteen HTS-magneettikokoonpanon tuotannossa. Kehitetty lÀhestymistapa kÀyttÀÀ fysikaalisiin kokeisiin perustuvaa tuote-prosessi-integroitua mallinnusta tuottamaan kvantitatiivista ja laadullista tietoa, joka mÀÀrittelee prosessi-rakenne-ominaisuus-suorituskyky-vuorovaikutuksia tietyille materiaali-prosessi-yhdistelmille. Tuloksina saadut vuorovaikutukset integroidaan kaaviopohjaiseen malliin, joka voi auttaa suunnittelutilan tutkimisessa ja tÀten auttaa varhaisessa suunnittelu- ja valmistuspÀÀtöksenteossa. TÀtÀ varten testikomponentit valmistetaan kÀyttÀmÀllÀ kahta metallin additiivista valmistus prosessia: lankakaarihitsaus additiivista valmistusta (wire arc additive manufacturing) ja selektiivistÀ lasersulatusta (selective laser melting). Rakenteellisissa sovelluksissa yleisesti kÀytetyistÀ metalliseoksista (ruostumaton terÀs, pehmeÀ terÀs, luja niukkaseosteinen terÀs, alumiini ja kupariseokset) testataan niiden mekaaniset, lÀmpö- ja sÀhköiset ominaisuudet. LisÀksi tehdÀÀn metalliseosten mikrorakenteen karakterisointi, jotta voidaan ymmÀrtÀÀ paremmin valmistusprosessin parametrien vaikutusta materiaalin ominaisuuksiin. Integroitu mallinnustapa yhdistÀÀ kerÀtyn kokeellisen tiedon, olemassa olevat analyyttiset ja empiiriset vuorovaikutus suhteet, sekÀ muut tietopohjaiset mallit (esim. elementtimallit, koneoppimismallit) pÀÀtöksenteon tukijÀrjestelmÀn muodossa, joka mahdollistaa optimaalisen materiaalin, valmistustekniikan, prosessiparametrien ja muitten ohjausmuuttujien valinnan, lopullisen 3d-tulosteun komponentin halutun rakenteen, ominaisuuksien ja suorituskyvyn saavuttamiseksi. ValmistuspÀÀtöksenteko tapahtuu todennÀköisyysmallin, eli Bayesin verkkomallin toteuttamisen kautta, joka on vankka, modulaarinen ja sovellettavissa muihin valmistusjÀrjestelmiin ja tuotesuunnitelmiin. VÀitöstyössÀ esitetyn mallin kyky parantaa additiivisien valmistusprosessien suorituskykyÀ ja laatua, tÀten edistÀÀ kestÀvÀn tuotannon tavoitteita.Additive manufacturing (AM) has been considered viable for complex geometries, topology optimized parts, and parts that are otherwise difficult to produce using conventional manufacturing processes. Despite the advantages, one of the prevalent challenges in AM has been the poor capability of producing functional parts at production volumes that are competitive with traditional manufacturing. Modelling and simulation are powerful tools that can help shorten the design-build-test cycle by enabling rapid analysis of various product designs and process scenarios. Nevertheless, the capabilities and limitations of traditional and advanced manufacturing technologies do define the bounds for new product development. Thus, it is important that the designers have access to methods and tools that enable them to model and simulate product performance and associated manufacturing process performance to realize functional high value products. The motivation for this dissertation research stems from ongoing development of a novel high temperature superconducting (HTS) magnet assembly, which operates in cryogenic environment. Its complexity requires the convergence of multidisciplinary expertise during design and prototyping. The research applies knowledge-based modelling to aid manufacturing process analysis and decision making in the design of mechanical components of the HTS magnet. Further, it explores the feasibility of using AM in the production of the HTS magnet assembly. The developed approach uses product-process integrated modelling based on physical experiments to generate quantitative and qualitative information that define process-structure-property-performance interactions for given material-process combinations. The resulting interactions are then integrated into a graph-based model that can aid in design space exploration to assist early design and manufacturing decision-making. To do so, test components are fabricated using two metal AM processes: wire and arc additive manufacturing and selective laser melting. Metal alloys (stainless steel, mild steel, high-strength low-alloyed steel, aluminium, and copper alloys) commonly used in structural applications are tested for their mechanical-, thermal-, and electrical properties. In addition, microstructural characterization of the alloys is performed to further understand the impact of manufacturing process parameters on material properties. The integrated modelling approach combines the collected experimental data, existing analytical and empirical relationships, and other data-driven models (e.g., finite element models, machine learning models) in the form of a decision support system that enables optimal selection of material, manufacturing technology, process parameters, and other control variables for attaining desired structure, property, and performance characteristics of the final printed component. The manufacturing decision making is performed through implementation of a probabilistic model i.e., a Bayesian network model, which is robust, modular, and can be adapted for other manufacturing systems and product designs. The ability of the model to improve throughput and quality of additive manufacturing processes will boost sustainable manufacturing goals

    Modelling, Monitoring, Control and Optimization for Complex Industrial Processes

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    This reprint includes 22 research papers and an editorial, collected from the Special Issue "Modelling, Monitoring, Control and Optimization for Complex Industrial Processes", highlighting recent research advances and emerging research directions in complex industrial processes. This reprint aims to promote the research field and benefit the readers from both academic communities and industrial sectors
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