The use of tablets to encourage the development of joint attention skills in children with autism spectrum disorder

The aim of this research was to explore ways in which iPads and other mobile tablets can be used in the classroom and home environment to support children with autism spectrum disorder in the area of joint attention skills. It focused on understanding the nature and importance of these skills in children with autism according to the participants’ experiences and on investigating the use and potential of mobile tablets in contributing to the development of joint attention skills. The research drew upon the transactional model of child development and followed an action research design. Reflection on the initial findings generated plans for change, which then shaped the next stages of the research. Interviews, observations, focus groups studies were carried out to investigate the level of understanding of joint attention skills and how their development is currently supported in the classroom and home environment; and to observe such support in the classroom especially when mediated through iPads. These studies, together with focus groups with key stakeholders led to the development of guidelines on how teachers and parents can use mobile tablets to support the development of joint attention skills in home and primary schools (Reception-Key Stage 2). These were developed and refined in consultation with teachers, parents, children and academics. This was the first study that measured the number of times children initiated and responded to joint attention and the number of times teachers used strategies to gain, sustain and redirect a child’s attention with and without the use of technology in a school setting.The findings showed that children were more times engaged in joint attention when using the iPads than without. The participants were not familiar with the term joint attention but used the term social communication to refer to the child’s ability to share interest, keep eye contact, take turns in an interaction or game, follow gaze and pointing, understand other’s feelings and interact with others by using symbols, speech or gestures. Both parents and teachers used evidence based strategies when interacting with the children but the need for guidance on how to use the mobile tablets was highlighted. The proposed guidelines include evidence based strategies, tablet based activities, and criteria on how to select mobile applications. They aim to help teachers reflect on and improve their teaching practice, as well as urge parents to use the tablet with their child in more collaborative ways. It is suggested that future studies should focus on bridging the gap between theory and practice by investigating the practitioners’ perspectives and experiences in developing joint attention and social communication skills in children with autism with the use of mobile interactive technologies in naturalistic settings

The effect of interactivity in e-learning systems

This thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.The purpose of this research was to investigate whether interactivity yields a learning effect when used appropriately in e-Learning Systems, and whether this effect enhances learning. The importance of interactivity for success in learning has always been paramount; however, little scientific evidence can be found to support this importance (Sims, 2003; Leiner & Quiring, 2008). Thus, this research aims to provide evidence of the impact of interactivity on e-Learning Systems considering three main agents: the learner, the teacher and the system (educational triangle). A key element often found to be related to learning and the three previously-mentioned agents is the concept of feedback. The use of interactivity as part of a feedback mechanism for enhancing learning is well documented in this research. Three empirical studies were designed to investigate interactivity within the educational triangle. These three studies, developed to support the research hypotheses, were conducted based on the framework of positivism and action research paradigms. The first study, entitled “Interactive Pedagogical Feedback”, aimed to gather evidence for how highly interactive pedagogically-designed formative feedback enhances students’ memory and understanding. The two student groups to which the interactive conditions were added showed a significant difference in the post test scores. A one-way ANOVA with a Turkey HSD post hoc test for all pair wise comparisons reveals a significant difference between the transfer and no condition scenario. The second study, entitled “Interactive Audio Feedback”, examined whether the speed enhancements of oral feedback improve the conditions for the production of lecture’s feedback and the quality of the feedback delivered to the students. The use of the interactive condition reduces by 40 to 65% the time it usually takes to prepare feedback for final assignments, and an unpaired Student’s t-test shows significant differences in the use of the two conditions. The final study, “Interactive Texting Feedback”, took a pedagogical approach to provide formative feedback to a student audience using mobile text messages. It aimed to determine whether Interactive Texting Feedback enhances the leaning experience within the e-Learning environment. Inferential analysis demonstrated good correlations in the use and benefits obtained by the introduction of the interactive mechanism. The results indicated that interactivity is critical in promoting and enhancing effective learning. Learning theories led by the generative theory of learning (Wittrock, 1974) and the principles of multimedia learning (Mayer, 2001) provide scientific explanation for this findings

Investigation of low-cost infrared sensing for intelligent deployment of occupant restraints

In automotive transport, airbags and seatbelts are effective at restraining the driver and passenger in the event of a crash, with statistics showing a dramatic reduction in the number of casualties from road crashes. However, statistics also show that a small number of these people have been injured or even killed from striking the airbag, and that the elderly and small children are especially at risk of airbag-related injury. This is the result of the fact that in-car restraint systems were designed for the average male at an average speed of 50 km/hr, and people outside these norms are at risk. Therefore one of the future safety goals of the car manufacturers is to deploy sensors that would gain more information about the driver or passenger of their cars in order to tailor the safety systems specifically for that person, and this is the goal of this project. This thesis describes a novel approach to occupant detection, position measurement and monitoring using a low-cost thermal imaging based system, which is a departure from traditional video camera-based systems, and at an affordable price. Experiments were carried out using a specially designed test rig and a car driving simulator with members of the public. Results have shown that the thermal imager can detect a human in a car cabin mock up and provide crucial real-time position data, which could be used to support intelligent restraint deployment. Other valuable information has been detected such as whether the driver is smoking, drinking a hot or cold drink, using a mobile phone, which can help to infer the level of driver attentiveness or engagement

Exploring the use of a virtual reality learning environment to support innovation education in Iceland

Innovation Education (IE) in Iceland aims to train students to identify needs and problems in their environment and to find solutions: this is referred to as the process of ideation. The thesis explores the contexts of teaching and learning, incorporating the VRLE with IE to support the students’ work. There is a focus on blended learning, as the VRLE is used in conjunction with conventional classroom-based activity. The work employed the grounded theory (Glaser and Strauss, 1967) perspective, in order to observe the complex social/educational activity relating to this real-life learning context. It was intended to build understanding (grounded theory), rather than an attempt to establish cause and effect. The author intended to observe, describe and interpret settings as sources of data and the main aim was to gain a greater understanding of the use of the VRLE in supporting students work in conventional Innovation Education classes within Icelandic schools. The overall research question was: ‘How does the use of the VRLE affect teacher’s pedagogy and the students’ work, in conventional Innovation Education in Iceland?’ [Continues.

Unmet goals of tracking: within-track heterogeneity of students' expectations for

Educational systems are often characterized by some form(s) of ability grouping, like tracking. Although substantial variation in the implementation of these practices exists, it is always the aim to improve teaching efficiency by creating homogeneous groups of students in terms of capabilities and performances as well as expected pathways. If students’ expected pathways (university, graduate school, or working) are in line with the goals of tracking, one might presume that these expectations are rather homogeneous within tracks and heterogeneous between tracks. In Flanders (the northern region of Belgium), the educational system consists of four tracks. Many students start out in the most prestigious, academic track. If they fail to gain the necessary credentials, they move to the less esteemed technical and vocational tracks. Therefore, the educational system has been called a 'cascade system'. We presume that this cascade system creates homogeneous expectations in the academic track, though heterogeneous expectations in the technical and vocational tracks. We use data from the International Study of City Youth (ISCY), gathered during the 2013-2014 school year from 2354 pupils of the tenth grade across 30 secondary schools in the city of Ghent, Flanders. Preliminary results suggest that the technical and vocational tracks show more heterogeneity in student’s expectations than the academic track. If tracking does not fulfill the desired goals in some tracks, tracking practices should be questioned as tracking occurs along social and ethnic lines, causing social inequality

Nurse-led mobile health intervention to promote cardiovascular medication adherence in a cardiac rehabilitation setting: a pilot feasibility study

Background - Mobile health (mHealth) interventions to promote medication adherence have shown promise; among patients primarily diagnosed with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), however, there is a lack of evidence for nurse-led mHealth interventions, in this particular group in Iran. Aim - To refine and evaluate a pre-developed nurse-led mHealth intervention to promote cardiovascular medication adherence in Iranian adult, male and female Cardiac Rehabilitation (CR) outpatients. Methods - A quantitative-dominant mixed methods study was conducted drawing upon the Medical Research Council’s (MRC) Framework on the development and evaluation of complex interventions. Phase 1 comprised of a self-completion CHD patients’ survey (n=123) and three focus groups with cardiac nurses (n=23) within three public university-affiliated hospitals in Tehran, which in turn informed Phase 2 (the exploratory trial phase). The automated Short Message Service (SMS) medication reminder was designed based on the dimensions of adherence suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Bandura’ Self-efficacy Theory. The intervention was refined according to the findings from Phase 1 and then piloted in an Iranian CR setting. Seventy eight CHD patients who were 18 years or older, and had mobile phone access were recruited and randomised to receive either daily SMS reminders (n=39) or usual care (n=39) for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was the effect on cardiovascular medication adherence as measured by the self-reported Morisky Medication Adherence Scale; secondary outcomes explored the feasibility of the mHealth intervention, intervention effect on medication adherence selfefficacy, cardiac ejection fraction, cardiac functional capacity, hospital readmission/ death rate and health-related quality of life. Patient acceptability was assessed through completion of a post-intervention survey. Results - Feasibility was evidenced by high ownership of mobile phones in CHD patients, high application of SMS messaging, positive patients’ perception about the intervention, suboptimal cardiovascular medication adherence and patients’ high interest in receiving SMS reminders for their medications. Participants in the intervention group showed higher self-reporting of medication adherence compared to the usual care group χ2 (2) = 23.447; P<0.001. The Relative Risk (RR) was indicated that it was 2.19 times more likely for the control group to be less adherent to their medications than the intervention group (RR = 2.19; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.5 - 3.19). All secondary outcomes improved in the intervention group at the end of the study. Acceptability was evidenced by participants who received the intervention reporting that they perceived the SMS reminders useful. Conclusion - The SMS medication reminder intervention was well accepted and feasible with significantly higher reporting of medication adherence in Iranian CHD patients. Effect sizes were established for use in future follow-up evaluations of the mHealth intervention