Putting Instruction Sequences into Effect

An attempt is made to define the concept of execution of an instruction sequence. It is found to be a special case of directly putting into effect of an instruction sequence. Directly putting into effect of an instruction sequences comprises interpretation as well as execution. Directly putting into effect is a special case of putting into effect with other special cases classified as indirectly putting into effect

Towards maximising pupil endeavour: an enquiry into a learning approach centred on teamwork and simulation in the context of technology education

The enquiry originated from observations of a series of learning events which appeared to generate high levels of pupil endeavour. These events were typified by being residential, employing commercial simulation, teamwork and a suspended timetable which allowed long periods of concentrated work on a design task. Observations provided the Impetus for an enquiry Intended to illuminate the learning approach and the origins of this increased endeavour. This enquiry employed a series of case studies with a parallel literature survey. The pre-enquiry learning events are described and an impression of the factors Involved established. The evolving nature of the enquiry Is explained. A literature survey is made of the key factors. The methods employed, Including their limits and limitations, are described. The case studies are summarised and discussed In relation to the literature survey. Conclusions are drawn and suggestions for further research are made. The key findings are that the enquiry indicates high levels of endeavour are replicable, given understanding of the factors involved. Pupils' perceptions of the relevance of the events is high. Pupils tend not to adopt a competitive approach on an inter- team basis but do respond to deadlines. Pupils tend to develop cooperative management structures rather than establish leaders which are not seen as relevant. Endeavour Is maximised in teams which are selected to be heterogeneous In terms of gender, friendship groupings, subject expertise and ability. Positive synergy Is Identified In terms of endeavour but not the range and quality of design ideas. Teachers, whilst recognising the value of granting autonomy to teams, find it difficult to release control and Intervene only when necessary. The contributions to knowledge lie in the areas of designing In teams under competitive pressure; pupil team reaction to competition and the response of staff to working In these learning context

Virtual Reality Games for Motor Rehabilitation

This paper presents a fuzzy logic based method to track user satisfaction without the need for devices to monitor users physiological conditions. User satisfaction is the key to any product’s acceptance; computer applications and video games provide a unique opportunity to provide a tailored environment for each user to better suit their needs. We have implemented a non-adaptive fuzzy logic model of emotion, based on the emotional component of the Fuzzy Logic Adaptive Model of Emotion (FLAME) proposed by El-Nasr, to estimate player emotion in UnrealTournament 2004. In this paper we describe the implementation of this system and present the results of one of several play tests. Our research contradicts the current literature that suggests physiological measurements are needed. We show that it is possible to use a software only method to estimate user emotion

Worked Examples in Physics Games: Challenges in Integrating Proven Cognitive Scaffolds into Game Mechanics

The current study is an exploratory study into the potential of integrating research on worked examples and physics games. Students were assigned to either a base version of a physics game, called the Fuzzy Chronicles, or assigned to a version of the Fuzzy Chronicles augmented with worked examples. Students in both conditions demonstrated significant gains on the pre-post-test, but students in the base game version demonstrated significantly greater gains than the students in the worked example version. The results from the current study reinforce results from other studies by our research group demonstrating how important it is that scaffolds based on multimedia research (a) do not over scaffold the student or promote passive, automatic behaviors, (b) do not excessively detract from the student’s gameplay time, and (c) do not disrupt game cognition and flow

Building capacity in climate change policy analysis and negotiation: methods and technologies

Capacity building is often cited as the reason “we cannot just pour money into developing countries” and why so many development projects fail because their design does not address local conditions. It is therefore a key technical and political concept in international development. Some of the poorest countries in the world are also some of the most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Their vulnerability is in part due to a lack of capacity to plan and anticipate the effects of climate change on crops, water resources, urban electricity demand etc. What capacities do these countries lack to deal with climate change? How will they cope? What steps can they take to reduce their vulnerability? This innovative and high-profile research project was part of a larger project (called C3D) and conducted with non-governmental organisations in Senegal, South Africa and Sri Lanka. The research involved several participatory workshops and a questionnaire to all three research centres