Learning Scorecard dashboards: visualizing student learning experience

This paper presents the design of dashboards for the Learning Scorecard, a platform designed for improving the student experience in a Higher Education course using gamification and Business Intelligence (BI) techniques. LS is a Learning Analytics application, that has been used in Data Warehouse and BI courses in a University setting since 2016. The LS platform has two independent views: student view and faculty (or course coordinator) view. In the LS faculty view, dashboards were designed according to the best practices of information visualization for decision support, whereas in the student view the visualization of the learning experience is immersed in gamification elements. This paper focuses only on student dashboards, which are driven by engagement and motivation of students to improve their collaboration and learning experience. A central design decision for the LS implementation, was the recognition that the way students want to track their progress and their learning experience in a course is fundamentally different that the way teachers need to monitor student progress. The presented learning dashboards use gamification mechanisms to enable the visualization of self-assessment results giving a clear indication of the learning progress of students in a course.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Learning scorecard dashboards: visualizing student learning experience

This paper presents the design of dashboards for the Learning Scorecard, a platform designed for improving the student experience in a Higher Education course using gamification and Business Intelligence (BI) techniques. LS is a Learning Analytics application, that has been used in Data Warehouse and BI courses in a University setting since 2016. The LS platform has two independent views: student view and faculty (or course coordinator) view. In the LS faculty view, dashboards were designed according to the best practices of information visualization for decision support, whereas in the student view the visualization of the learning experience is immersed in gamification elements. This paper focuses only on student dashboards, which are driven by engagement and motivation of students to improve their collaboration and learning experience. A central design decision for the LS implementation, was the recognition that the way students want to track their progress and their learning experience in a course is fundamentally different that the way teachers need to monitor student progress. The presented learning dashboards use gamification mechanisms to enable the visualization of self-assessment results giving a clear indication of the learning progress of students in a course.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Experimental Studies in Learning Technology and Child–Computer Interaction

This book is about the ways in which experiments can be employed in the context of research on learning technologies and child–computer interaction (CCI). It is directed at researchers, supporting them to employ experimental studies while increasing their quality and rigor. The book provides a complete and comprehensive description on how to design, implement, and report experiments, with a focus on and examples from CCI and learning technology research. The topics covered include an introduction to CCI and learning technologies as interdisciplinary fields of research, how to design educational interfaces and visualizations that support experimental studies, the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of experiments, methodological decisions in designing and conducting experiments (e.g. devising hypotheses and selecting measures), and the reporting of results. As well, a brief introduction on how contemporary advances in data science, artificial intelligence, and sensor data have impacted learning technology and CCI research is presented. The book details three important issues that a learning technology and CCI researcher needs to be aware of: the importance of the context, ethical considerations, and working with children. The motivation behind and emphasis of this book is helping prospective CCI and learning technology researchers (a) to evaluate the circumstances that favor (or do not favor) the use of experiments, (b) to make the necessary methodological decisions about the type and features of the experiment, (c) to design the necessary “artifacts” (e.g., prototype systems, interfaces, materials, and procedures), (d) to operationalize and conduct experimental procedures to minimize potential bias, and (e) to report the results of their studies for successful dissemination in top-tier venues (such as journals and conferences). This book is an open access publication

Supporting learning in intelligent tutoring systems with motivational strategies.

Motivation and affect detection are prominent yet challenging areas of research in the field of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITSs). Devising strategies to engage learners and motivate them to practice regularly are of great interest to researchers. In the learning and education domain, where students use ITSs regularly, motivating them to engage with the system effectively may lead to higher learning outcomes. Therefore, developing an ITS which provides a complete learning experience to students by catering to their cognitive, affective, metacognitive, and motivational needs is an ambitious yet promising area of research. This dissertation is the first step towards this goal in the context of SQL-Tutor, a mature ITS for tutoring SQL. In this research project, I have conducted a series of studies to detect and evaluate learners' affective states and employed various strategies for increasing motivation and engagement to improve learning from SQL-Tutor. Firstly, I established the reliability of iMotions to correctly identify learners' emotions and found that worked examples alleviated learners' frustration while solving problems with SQL-Tutor. Gamification is introduced as a motivational strategy to persuade learners to practice with the system. Gamification has emerged as a strong engagement and motivation strategy in learning environments for young learners. I evaluated the effects of gamified SQL-Tutor on undergraduate students and found that gamification indirectly improved learning by influencing learners’ time on task. It helped students by increasing their motivation which produce similar effects as intrinsically motivated students. Additionally, prior knowledge, gamification experience, and interest in the topic moderated the effects of gamification. Lastly, self-regulated learning support is presented as another strategy to affect learners’ internal motivation and skills. The support provided in the form of interventions improved students’ learning outcomes. Additionally, the learners' challenge-accepting behaviour, problem selection, goal setting, and self-reflection have improved with support without experiencing any negative emotions. This research project contributes to the latest trends of motivation and learning research in ITS

Architecture of Engagement: Autonomy-Supportive Leadership for Instructional Improvement

This multiple paper dissertation addresses the importance of improving student success in online higher education programs by providing support for instructors. The autonomy-supportive structures to improve instructional practice are explained through three main domains, including instructional development, instructional design, and instructional practice. The first paper addresses instructional leadership with the theoretical foundations and practical considerations necessary for instructional leaders. Recommendations are made to use microcredentials or digital badges to scaffold programming using self-determination theory. The second paper addresses the importance of instructional design in improving instructional practice including the intentionality involved in implementing a gamification strategy to improve online student motivation. The third paper addresses instructional practice with a mixed-method sequential explanatory case study. Using the community of inquiry framework, this paper explains intentional course design, course facilitation, and student perceptions of the digital powerups strategy. The conclusion considers implications for practice and the need for instructional leaders to scaffold an architecture of engagement to support instructors and improve student success

Visual Feedback for Players of Multi-Level Capture the Flag Games: Field Usability Study

Capture the Flag games represent a popular method of cybersecurity training. Providing meaningful insight into the training progress is essential for increasing learning impact and supporting participants' motivation, especially in advanced hands-on courses. In this paper, we investigate how to provide valuable post-game feedback to players of serious cybersecurity games through interactive visualizations. In collaboration with domain experts, we formulated user requirements that cover three cognitive perspectives: gameplay overview, person-centric view, and comparative feedback. Based on these requirements, we designed two interactive visualizations that provide complementary views on game results. They combine a known clustering and time-based visual approaches to show game results in a way that is easy to decode for players. The purposefulness of our visual feedback was evaluated in a usability field study with attendees of the Summer School in Cyber Security. The evaluation confirmed the adequacy of the two visualizations for instant post-game feedback. Despite our initial expectations, there was no strong preference for neither of the visualizations in solving different tasks

Experimental Studies in Learning Technology and Child–Computer Interaction

This book is about the ways in which experiments can be employed in the context of research on learning technologies and child–computer interaction (CCI). It is directed at researchers, supporting them to employ experimental studies while increasing their quality and rigor. The book provides a complete and comprehensive description on how to design, implement, and report experiments, with a focus on and examples from CCI and learning technology research. The topics covered include an introduction to CCI and learning technologies as interdisciplinary fields of research, how to design educational interfaces and visualizations that support experimental studies, the advantages and disadvantages of a variety of experiments, methodological decisions in designing and conducting experiments (e.g. devising hypotheses and selecting measures), and the reporting of results. As well, a brief introduction on how contemporary advances in data science, artificial intelligence, and sensor data have impacted learning technology and CCI research is presented. The book details three important issues that a learning technology and CCI researcher needs to be aware of: the importance of the context, ethical considerations, and working with children. The motivation behind and emphasis of this book is helping prospective CCI and learning technology researchers (a) to evaluate the circumstances that favor (or do not favor) the use of experiments, (b) to make the necessary methodological decisions about the type and features of the experiment, (c) to design the necessary “artifacts” (e.g., prototype systems, interfaces, materials, and procedures), (d) to operationalize and conduct experimental procedures to minimize potential bias, and (e) to report the results of their studies for successful dissemination in top-tier venues (such as journals and conferences). This book is an open access publication

Full Issue: Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence, Volume 2, Issue 1

The full Spring 2018 issue (Volume 2, Issue 1) of the Journal on Empowering Teaching Excellence

Using serious games for improving medical education: an application to cytopathology

El objetivo principal del proyecto es desarrollar una plataforma compuesta por aplicaciones educativas gamificadas para el entrenamiento de personal médico en países de recursos limitados en citopatología mediante dispositivos Android de bajo presupuesto. Antes de desplegar la plataforma en países con recursos limitados, va a ser probada en un curso de Introducción a Citopatología de la Escuela Médica de Harvard. El proyecto final debe funcionar tanto en PCs como en dispositivos Android de bajo coste (p.e. 50 dólares americanos, Amazon Kindle Fire 7 pulgadas) y no puede depender de una conexión a internet continua. Se han analizado algunas aplicaciones con propósito de juego y simulaciones gamificadas para tener una base de conocimiento común entre expertos médicos y desarrolladores. También se han estudiado juegos y aplicaciones cuyo objetivo es hacer uso de imágenes médicas para entrenamiento de personal médico o están enfocadas al diagnóstico mediante colaboración por parte de personal no-médico. Esto nos ha permitido identificar las mejores mecánicas de juego para nuestro caso de uso. A continuación, se han comparado diferentes herramientas de edición y motores de juegos desde el punto de vista del rendimiento ofrecido, las plataformas soportadas, su documentación y licencia. Todo ello nos ha permitido elegir la tecnología de desarrollo (libGDX). Finalmente, diseñamos e implementamos un sistema integrado de aplicaciones (editor de contenido y generador de juegos). El sistema está enfocado a reducir la dependencia entre el personal experto y los desarrolladores para crear y mantener contenido educativo. Se trata de una arquitectura formada por un servicio RESTful, y un editor asociado, orientado a la gestión de contenido educativo orientado para citopatología y dos clientes para diferentes plataformas (PC y Android) que consumen dicho servicio. Finalmente, se presentan las conclusiones y el trabajo futuro del proyecto