Towards better concordance among contextualized evaluations in FAST-GDM problems

A flexible attribute-set group decision-making (FAST-GDM) problem consists in finding the most suitable option(s) out of the options under consideration, with a general agreement among a heterogeneous group of experts who can focus on different attributes to evaluate those options. An open challenge in FAST-GDM problems is to design consensus reaching processes (CRPs) by which the participants can perform evaluations with a high level of consensus. To address this challenge, a novel algorithm for reaching consensus is proposed in this paper. By means of the algorithm, called FAST-CR-XMIS, a participant can reconsider his/her evaluations after studying the most influential samples that have been shared by others through contextualized evaluations. Since exchanging those samples may make participants’ understandings more like each other, an increase of the level of consensus is expected. A simulation of a CRP where contextualized evaluations of newswire stories are characterized as augmented intuitionistic fuzzy sets (AIFS) shows how FAST-CR-XMIS can increase the level of consensus among the participants during the CRP

Exploring the development of mental rotation and computational skills in elementary students through educational robotics

Interest in educational robotics has increased over the last decade. Through various approaches, robots are being used in the teaching and learning of different subjects at distinct education levels. The present study investigates the effects of an educational robotic intervention on the mental rotation and computational thinking assessment in a 3rd grade classroom. To this end, we carried out a quasi-experimental study involving 24 third-grade students. From an embodied approach, we have designed a two-hour intervention providing students with a physical environment to perform tangible programming on Bee-bot. The results revealed that this educational robotic proposal aimed at map-reading tasks leads to statistically significant gains in computational thinking. Moreover, students who followed the Bee-bot-based intervention achieved greater CT level compared to students following a traditional instruction approach, after controlling student's prior level. No conclusive results were found in relation to mental rotation

Project Management at University: Towards an Evaluation Process around Cooperative Learning

The enrollment in current Master's degree programs usually pursues gaining the expertise required in real-life workplaces. The experience we present here concerns the learning process of "Project Management Methodology (PMM)", around a cooperative/collaborative mechanism aimed at affording students measurable learning goals and providing the teacher with the ability of focusing on the weaknesses detected. We have designed a mixed summative/formative evaluation, which assures curriculum engage while enriches the comprehension of PMM key concepts. In this experience we converted the students into active actors in the evaluation process itself and we endowed ourselves as teachers with a flexible process in which along with qualifications (score), other attitudinal feedback arises. Despite the high level of self-affirmation on their discussion within the interactive assessment sessions, they ultimately have exhibited a great ability to review and correct the wrong reasoning when that was the case

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

Estudio preliminar de la detección de cambios de velocidad de la marcha a partir de señales EEG

[ES] El análisis de las señales cerebrales para la asistencia en pacientes con movilidad reducida es un área de investigación continua en la que las nuevas tecnologías ofrecen un amplio espectro de posibilidades para la ayuda activa como los exoesqueletos y las interfaces cerebro-maquinas (BMI). En este trabajo nos centramos en realizar una interfaz BMI para el control de velocidad del miembro inferior. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar las señales electroencefalográficas (EEG) para obtener un indicador que relacione la información cerebral con marcadores de velocidad en la marcha. Para el procesamiento de las señales EEG analizamos los ritmos sensoriomotores correspondientes a las bandas Alfa y Beta en la zona motora. La interfaz BMI debe discernir entre dos estados marcha e intención de cambiar de velocidad. La creación de dicho modelo requiere caracterizar el momento del cambio, para la fase de entrenamiento. Hemos utilizado el equipo de captura de movimiento Tech MCS V3 basado en sensores inerciales. Analizamos las componentes frecuenciales de la aceleración en el dominio temporal mediante la transformada continua Wavelet (CWT). En este trabajo realizamos un estudio menor para analizar la marcha y otro principal para la validación de la interfaz BMI planteada. Tres usuarios sanos participaron en el estudio. El protocolo tiene tres fases, el usuario espera parado unos segundos tras los cuales decide comenzar la marcha a un ritmo visiblemente lento y llegado un punto voluntariamente cambia de velocidad manteniéndola unos segundos. El experimento consta de 40 repeticiones. Debido a la gran generación de artefactos durante la marcha los componentes de la señal EEG fueron descompuestos mediante ICA y rechazados según su componente espectral y un criterio apropiado. Los resultados fueron procesados con varias configuraciones de electrodos de la zona motora, en diferentes bandas de frecuencia y con y sin eliminación de artefactos. El porcentaje máximo de acierto para los tres usuarios a la hora de distinguir entre las dos clases es del 58%, no siendo resultados lo suficientemente remarcables para poder validar de forma confiable la interfaz BMI planteada.[EN] The main objective of this work is analysing electroencephalographic (EEG) signals to get a mark to link brain information with characteristic indicators of the walk speed. This starts with developing a Brain-Machine Interface (BMI) and designing a validation protocol to allow to conclude an accuracy rate to assure reliable control of the BMI. It pretends to create a robust arquitecture that will be improvable in the future being able to provide a feedback with the pacient in real time.Esta investigación ha sido realizada en el marco del proyecto Walk - Control de exoesqueletos de miembro inferior mediante interfaces cerebro-máquina para asistir a personas con problemas de marcha (RTI2018-096677-B-I00), financiado por el Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (MCIU), la Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) y la Unión Europea a través del Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER).Quiles Zamora, V.; Iáñez, E.; Ortiz, M.; Azorín, J. (2019). Estudio preliminar de la detección de cambios de velocidad de la marcha a partir de señales EEG. En 11º Simposio CEA de Bioingeniería. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 97-110. https://doi.org/10.4995/CEABioIng.2019.10034OCS9711

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