Touch arithmetic: a process-based computer-aided assessment approach for capture of problem solving steps in the context of elementary mathematics

Technology today offers many new opportunities for innovation in educational assessment and feedback through rich assessment tasks, efficient scoring and reporting. However many Computer-Aided Assessment (CAA) environments focus on grading and providing feedback on the final product of assessment tasks rather than the process of problem solving. Focusing on steps and problem-solving processes can help teachers to diagnose strengths and weaknesses, discover strategies, and to provide appropriate feedback. This study explores a method that uses trace links on an interactive touch-based computing tool for the capture and analysis of solution steps in elementary mathematics. The tool was evaluated in an observational study among 8 and 9 year old primary school children (N=39). The approach yielded similar performance scores as compared to paper-and-pencil tests while providing more explicit information on the problem-solving process. The output data was useful for scoring intermediate and final answers as well as feedback information on types and time efficiencies of strategies used. An implication of this study for teachers and researchers is that they can more accurately assess students’ understanding of important concepts, and be in a better position to provide rich and detailed feedback while motivating students with interactive tasks

Novice evaluators' behavior when consolidating usability problems individually or collaboratively

Publisher's version (útgefin grein)An important, but resource demanding step in analyzing observations from usability evaluations is to consolidate usability problems (UPs) that were identified by several evaluators into one master list. An open question is whether consolidating UPs in pairs is cost-effective. A within-subject study examined if evaluators merge UPs differently when working in pairs than individually and what motivates their decisions. Eight novice evaluators took part. The number of discarded, retained and merged UPs, evaluators' confidence and severity of UPs in the two settings were measured. The results showed that UPs merged or discarded in the collaborative setting would rather be retained in the individual setting. Participants increased confidence and UP severity in the collaborative setting but decreased UP severity and confidence in the individual setting.Peer Reviewe

Análise da adoção dos padrões web no processo de desenvolvimento do design de interfaces: uma visão sistêmica

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Engenharia de Produção, Florianópolis, 2005.O acesso universal às informações na Internet, independente da origem, da condição física ou do dispositivo que o usuário utiliza, pode ser alcançado com a adoção dos padrões web no processo de design das interfaces dos meios nos quais as informações são apresentadas. A correta utilização dos padrões proporciona também outras vantagens, dentre as quais se destaca o aumento da produtividade da equipe envolvida responsável pelo desenvolvimento. Entretanto, não existem modelos para o desenvolvimento de interfaces que contemplem a adoção de tais padrões. Além disso, os modelos existentes não contemplam todas as fases do projeto de interfaces. Em geral, não mencionam a etapa de implementação. Dada a situação, o presente trabalho propôs-se a realizar a busca por um modelo que contemplasse todas as fases que compõe o processo de design de interfaces e que ao mesmo tempo considerasse a adoção dos padrões. Para isso, foi selecionado um modelo existente, utilizado em larga escala na área de IHC (Interface Homem-Computador), para ser utilizado no projeto de uma aplicação que adotou os padrões web. A partir da análise do projeto foi possível afirmar o grau de adaptabilidade do modelo selecionado frente à busca por um modelo integrado que adota os padrões web, e foi descartada a necessidade de concepção de um novo modelo

A Double Diamond Design Process Framework for Improving Product Usability: A Case Study on Redesigning Cordless Vacuum Cleaner Handle

Department of Biomedical Engineering (Human Factors Engineering)In industry, designers and ergonomists often face situations when the design and ergonomics should be blended. Improving product usability and ergonomic factors is a representative case of interdisciplinary study on design and ergonomics. However, the ergonomic design process has been rarely studied despite the needs and necessity. With these motivations, this study aims to (1) propose an ergonomic design process by revising the double diamond design process (DDDP) with the ergonomic interventions and (2) test the performance and validity of the proposed framework through a case study on a cordless stick vacuum cleaner handle. The current research consists of a case study and an ergonomic evaluation. The study suggests three ergonomic interventions in the DDDP: (1) Exploratory design study in the discover phase(2) Defining the design scope and variables in the define phaseand (3) Hierarchical design modification using the 3D printing technology in the develop phase. A cordless vacuum cleaner handle was redesigned through the proposed framework as a case study. Then, ergonomic evaluations evaluated the original and redesigned handles??? usability qualitatively and quantitatively. A total of 18 participants performed two vacuuming tasks (floor and space vacuuming) and evaluated the following variables: subject discomfort in hand, grip satisfaction, preference, and perceived weight on each handle. Muscle activity and fatigue formation trends of four forearm muscles and the movements of the coordination of handle in hand and wrist were also studied. Results of measurements were compared and analyzed with a paired t-test. In the case study, the redesigned handle was derived within 8 weeks, showing that the proposed framework can improve product usability in a timely- and cost-effective manner. Evaluation results revealed that the redesigned handle improved the usability of the handle, and there was no negative effect on the physical demand of users. Overall, hand discomfort was lower when using the redesigned handle. Grip satisfaction and preference for the redesigned handle were significantly higher (p<0.001 and p<0.005, respectively), and the perceived weight of the redesigned handle was significantly lighter (p<0.05) than the original handle. Meanwhile, there were no effects of type of handle on muscle activity, muscle fatigue formation, and movements of the coordination and of the wrist. As in this study, research on ergonomic design processes where the perspectives of designers and human factor engineers can be synthesized is expected to accelerate efficient and effective product development. Research in methodology is a difficult, comprehensive, and lengthy study. Nevertheless, such attempts should be continued and encouraged to develop interdisciplinary research in design and ergonomics.ope

The use of interactive communication technologies for collaborative E-mentoring

This document investigates COVID-19’s impact on the education system by gathering data on how interactive digital technologies mitigated such disruption. Moreover, the study also analyses how and if education’s approaches were modified during the pandemic and what issue(s) arose in that process. The procedures consisted of the analysis of evidence retrieved from three surveys delivered to a broader group of teachers, students, and parents (N=215) crossed with an examination of a set of 5-week longitudinal interviews (30) with three stakeholder groups - teachers, students, and parents (N=6). Results of the analysis are used to derive a set of important design implications that: (1) highlights shortcomings of the distance learning strategies used during COVID-19 and how they can be mitigated; (2) empowers teachers, students and parents with innovative pedagogical approaches that can be fostered by interactive digital technologies that are optimized for distance learning; (3) promotes positive learning experiences supported with scientific evidence. The interactive system’s design derived from a collaborative reflection expressed on the stakeholders’ daily needs while teaching and learning during the unpredictable circumstances created by the pandemic. The OWL CLUB mobile app system seeks to curate the knowledge exchange in a more humane and positive digital experience among an education community. This application also allows the creation and growth of a space that encourages new genuine connections in a digital learning environment for students, with the pursuit of knowledge as their main objective.Este documento investiga o impacto do COVID-19 no sistema educacional, reunindo dados sobre como as tecnologias digitais interativas mitigaram tal disrupção. Além disso, o estudo também analisa como e se as abordagens educativas foram modificadas durante a pandemia e qual ou quais as questões que surgiram nesse processo. Os procedimentos consistiram na análise de evidências obtidas através de três questionários feitos a um grupo mais amplo de professores, alunos e pais (N = 215) cruzadas com uma análise de um conjunto de entrevistas longitudinais de 5 semanas (30) com três grupos de atores - professores, alunos e pais (N = 6). Os resultados da análise são usados para obter um conjunto de importantes implicações de design que: (1) destacam as deficiências das estratégias de ensino à distância usadas durante o COVID-19 e como elas podem ser mitigadas; (2) capacita professores, alunos e pais com abordagens pedagógicas inovadoras que podem ser promovidas por tecnologias digitais interativas, otimizadas para o ensino à distância; (3) promove experiências de aprendizagem positivas apoiadas em evidências científicas. A criação do sistema interativo deriva de uma reflexão colaborativa expressa sobre as necessidades diárias das partes interessadas durante o ensino e a aprendizagem durante as circunstâncias imprevisíveis criadas pela pandemia. O sistema de aplicativos móveis OWL CLUB procura assegurar a troca de conhecimento numa experiência digital mais humana e positiva entre uma comunidade educativa. Esta aplicação também permite a criação e o crescimento de um espaço que estimula novas conexões genuínas num ambiente digital de aprendizagem para os estudantes, tendo a busca pelo conhecimento como objetivo principal

The fidelity of prototype and testing environment in usability tests

This doctoral thesis investigated what setup of a usability test can best support valid test outcomes. Several aspects of contextual fidelity were manipulated in experimental usability studies, to examine their impact on test results. The first study demonstrated that the medium of prototype presentation has effects on test outcomes, which have not been found in previous research. Using a more hypothesis-driven approach, it was shown that participants exhibited more reading activity when using a paper-based as compared to a computer prototype presented on screen. This resulted in better performance, if task success required reading a short paragraph of text. Consequently, the medium of prototype presentation needs to be considered to avoid that respective usability problems go undetected. A second study demonstrated that additional observers may cause stress for test participants, which can be measured at the physiological level. Some performance indicators were affected, but only in interaction with perceived developmental stage of the test system. A third study investigated the effects of a work or leisure context on the outcome of a usability test. No effects were found for the type of usage context, but even short response time delays proved to be relevant for performance and emotions. Relevant factors for the validity of usability test outcomes were identified and theoretical and practical implications are discussed. Keywords: Usability test; paper prototype; fidelity; observer presence; work and leisure domain; system response time; heart rate variability; validity

Decoupling User Interface Design Using Libraries of Reusable Components

The integration of electronic and mechanical hardware, software and interaction design presents a challenging design space for researchers developing physical user interfaces and interactive artifacts. Currently in the academic research community, physical user interfaces and interactive artifacts are predominantly designed and prototyped either as one-off instances from the ground up, or using functionally rich hardware toolkits and prototyping systems. During this prototyping phase, undertaking an integral design of the interface or interactive artifact’s electronic hardware is frequently constraining due to the tight couplings between the different design realms and the typical need for iterations as the design matures. Several current toolkit designs have consequently embraced component-sharing and component-swapping modular designs with a view to extending flexibility and improving researcher freedom by disentangling and softening the cause-effect couplings. Encouraged by early successes of these toolkits, this research work strives to further enhance these freedoms by pursuing an alternative style and dimension of hardware modularity. Another motivation is our goal to facilitate the design and development of certain classes of interfaces and interactive artifacts for which current electronic design approaches are argued to be restrictively constraining (e.g., relating to scale and complexity). Unfortunately, this goal of a new platform architecture is met with conceptual and technical challenges on the embedded system networking front. In response, this research investigates and extends a growing field of multi-module distributed embedded systems. We identify and characterize a sub-class of these systems, calling them embedded aggregates. We then outline and develop a framework for realizing the embedded aggregate class of systems. Toward this end, this thesis examines several architectures, topologies and communication protocols, making the case for and substantial steps toward the development of a suite of networking protocols and control algorithms to support embedded aggregates. We define a set of protocols, mechanisms and communication packets that collectively form the underlying framework for the aggregates. Following the aggregates design, we develop blades and tiles to support user interface researchers

MIRRORED MESSAGING PLATFORM - DEVELOPMENT OF PUBLIC DISPLAY SYSTEM TO SUPPORT REAL AND VIRTUAL COMMUNITIES

Master'sMASTER OF ARTS (ARCHITECTURE