SciTech News Volume 71, No. 2 (2017)

Columns and Reports From the Editor 3 Division News Science-Technology Division 5 Chemistry Division 8 Engineering Division 9 Aerospace Section of the Engineering Division 12 Architecture, Building Engineering, Construction and Design Section of the Engineering Division 14 Reviews Sci-Tech Book News Reviews 16 Advertisements IEEE

Maddy the mathasaurus: An Interactive math game that introduces the concept and properties of multiplication and designed with consideration for children with ADHD

ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) is one of the most commonly diagnosed behavioral disorder in kids, and is estimated to affect about 8-10% of school-aged children. Research shows that out of these children about 26% particularly have Math learning disabilities. The cognitive ability to understand and solve complex mathematical problems requires high level of concentration over a longer duration of time. This ability is disrupted in certain children due to ADHD. Therefore these students are likely to receive lower grades or even failure in standardized measures. However, if an educational environment is created that is specifically targeted towards reducing the disruptive behavioral patterns in these individuals by designing activities that increase engagement time and motivate them to practice mathematical problems, this issue can be addressed effectively. Apart from therapy and medication, an innovative way of learning would help these children focus and concentrate while enabling them to understand complicated math concepts easily. This project is created to be an interactive educational game built in Adobe Flash, that is geared towards children with ADHD and math learning disability, encouraging them to try a new method of learning and practicing math while having fun with a variety of activities. It focuses on introducing the concept of multiplication through animations, interactive play activities that reinforce that concept and practice section that allows for testing of the knowledge gained. This module is extensible and contains linear and non-linear activities to ensure introduction of concept, guided learning and hands-on practice

SciTech News Volume 71, No. 1 (2017)

Columns and Reports From the Editor 3 Division News Science-Technology Division 5 Chemistry Division 8 Engineering Division Aerospace Section of the Engineering Division 9 Architecture, Building Engineering, Construction and Design Section of the Engineering Division 11 Reviews Sci-Tech Book News Reviews 12 Advertisements IEEE

The Effects of Desmos and TI-83 Plus Graphing Calculators on the Problem-Solving Confidence of Middle and High School Mathematics Students

As technology in education continues to improve, research is necessary to assess the impact it is having on students’ confidence in the way students solve mathematics problems. The purpose of this quasi-experimental, non-equivalent control-group comparison study is to examine the impact the Desmos graphing calculator has on the problem-solving confidence of middle school and high school students as compared to students who use a TI-83 Plus graphing calculator while controlling for students’ math achievement scores. The students (N = 146) participating in this study were learning their respective mathematics material for an equivalent period of 12 weeks in order to determine whether students who used the Desmos calculator experienced a statistically significant difference in problem-solving confidence levels. Students in both groups took the assessment at the end of the 12-week period of learning and an Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was used to test whether there was a significant difference in the scores of the Problem Solving Inventory (PSI). Results indicate that there was a statistically significant difference in problem-solving confidence scores between middle and high school students who used the Desmos graphing calculator as compared to students who used a TI-83 Plus graphing calculator, while controlling for student math achievement scores

Proctoring and Apps in College Algebra

The pandemic forced more instructors and students to move to online learning. For the first time, many experienced a loosening of the reigns and were forced to allow students to submit non-proctored work. Many may have questioned what students really learned in the year 2020. Many college math course competencies emphasize procedures. Now that apps can do that for students, where does that leave math instructors? Additionally, online instruction has exploded over the last decade and has challenged the teaching of college mathematics. While online instruction opens the door to access, it does beg the question of whether students complete their own work and thus whether proctoring is necessary. These thoughts were heavy on my mind as I conducted this research. This research sought to answer questions pertaining to the use of apps and proctoring in College Algebra. These two seemed inter-related as a deeper question behind proctoring is whether students use cell phone apps to solve problems and if so, does this circumvent the purpose of the course. The review of literature demonstrated limited work on the two topics individually but appeared to be totally missing the interaction of the two. Additionally, much of the review of literature found a theme of conceptual versus procedural assessments. This study further addressed this topic in the assessment instrument provided. This study included the analysis of fourteen common College Algebra questions across four semesters. Results showed that proctoring and apps do make a significant difference in outcomes

SciTech News Volume 70, No. 4 (2016)

Columns and Reports From the Editor 3 Division News Science-Technology Division 4 SLA Annual Meeting 2016 Report (S. Kirk Cabeen Travel Stipend Award recipient) 6 Reflections on SLA Annual Meeting (Diane K. Foster International Student Travel Award recipient) 8 SLA Annual Meeting Report (Bonnie Hilditch International Librarian Award recipient)10 Chemistry Division 12 Engineering Division 15 Reflections from the 2016 SLA Conference (SPIE Digital Library Student Travel Stipend recipient)15 Fundamentals of Knowledge Management and Knowledge Services (IEEE Continuing Education Stipend recipient) 17 Makerspaces in Libraries: The Big Table, the Art Studio or Something Else? (by Jeremy Cusker) 19 Aerospace Section of the Engineering Division 21 Reviews Sci-Tech Book News Reviews 22 Advertisements IEEE 17 WeBuyBooks.net 2

Self-Evaluation Applied Mathematics 2003-2008 University of Twente

This report contains the self-study for the research assessment of the Department of Applied Mathematics (AM) of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science (EEMCS) at the University of Twente (UT). The report provides the information for the Research Assessment Committee for Applied Mathematics, dealing with mathematical sciences at the three universities of technology in the Netherlands. It describes the state of affairs pertaining to the period 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2008

Volume 2. Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching and Learning Conference

Full version of volume 2 of the Proceedings of the Interdisciplinary STEM Teaching and Learning Conferenc

Using Mobile Technology to Increase the Math Achievement and Engagement of Students with Disabilities

The advent of advanced technologies provides new opportunities for delivering instruction to students with disabilities. Many classrooms have access to mobile devices, such as iPads and Kindles, and educators utilize these devices to differentiate instruction and augment teacher-led instruction. This delivery method, known as blended learning, can create an enriched learning environment where students are exposed to individualized lessons that are self-paced and provide multiple modes of presentation. However, there is little empirical investigation into how students interact with digital devices or what components of online learning directly impact student learning and engagement with the content. In order to design authentic learning experiences that support students with disabilities and provide access to the general education curriculum, it is critical that researchers thoroughly examine the design on digital lessons and how students navigate digital environments. The focus of this study was to investigate how students use mobile devices in a classroom setting and how they interact with academic content delivered in a digital format. The math achievement and engagement of students with disabilities was compared in two conditions - teacher-led math instruction (Traditional Math Instruction, TMI) and instruction delivered on a mobile device (Mobile App Instruction, MAI). Additionally, teacher and student perceptions of math knowledge and engagement were collected for both conditions using surveys. The surveys were administered after the intervention was completed. The results of the study indicate neither instructional method was significantly more effective in increasing the math achievement or the engagement of students with disabilities. Survey data revealed the teacher did not feel one condition was more effective at increasing math achievement or engagement. Data from the student surveys indicated that students in the TMI condition felt they learned more and were more engaged than the students in the MAI condition. Observational data indicated there was no significant difference in engagement for students in the TMI group and the MAI group. Data collected from the online learning platform suggested students easily accessed the lessons and completed embedded activities and questions. However, data from the learning videos indicate students accessed the videos but did not watch them through to completion, and did not answer the embedded questions

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