3,898 research outputs found
E-learning usage from a social constructivist learning approach: perspectives of Iraqi Kurdistan students in social studies classrooms
Background: Many schools in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region have incorporated information and communication technologies (ICT) into their environments. However, the results have shown that computer usage has had only a minimal effect on the classroom environment and learning outcomes. This minimal effect could be attributed to the teaching and learning of social studies subjects, which often rely on a traditional vision of teaching and an excessive inclusion of facts and dates in school textbooks. Consequently, students feel compelled to memorize all the information to pass tests. Yet, merely employing technology alongside traditional teaching and assessment approaches, such as lecturing or having students study in isolation without any form of collaborative learning, does not foster the development of students' higher-order thinking skills. It's time to revitalize school curricula and teaching practices to embrace a more contemporary, open-minded approach to social science education. This approach should incorporate a social constructivist perspective with technology to better instill international moral values such as democracy, respect for differences, and learning to live harmoniously with others. Aim: This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the impact of a social constructivist learning approach on the acceptance of technology and its influence on perceived e-learning outcomes among students in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. Additionally, this study examines the differences in the effects of the social constructivist learning approach and dimensions of technology acceptance on perceived e-learning outcomes between students studying social studies in Arabic and those studying social studies in English. Setting and participants: Data were gathered from both public and private schools in Erbil governorate, situated in northern Iraq and affiliated with the Ministry of Education-Iraqi Kurdistan Regional Government. To select participants, a random sampling technique was employed, encompassing students in grades 8 through 12 of both genders. The data were obtained through a self-administered paper-based questionnaire. Instruments: Data were collected using a social constructivist learning environment survey (personal relevance, critical voice, shared control, uncertainty, student negotiation), dimensions of the attitude toward technology (attitude toward technology use, perceived usefulness, feeling ease of use, learning facility condition, and subjective norms), some additional external variables (investigation, respect for difference, student economic ability, and perceived e-learning outcomes), and socio-demographic data. Conclusion: This study is intended to emphasize the significance of employing constructivist pedagogy to enhance the technology acceptance model and improve learning outcomes. The findings of the study showed that a social constructivist learning environment had a favorable influence on perceived e-learning outcomes as well as ease of use, perceived usefulness, investigation, and respect for difference. Attitude towards technology use and perceived usefulness are contributory factors to the positive perceived e-learning outcomes. Furthermore, feeling ease of use technology has a positive effect on both attitude towards technology use and perceived usefulness. Perceived usefulness also has a direct positive impact on attitudes towards technology use. Finally, students’ technological experience is positively correlated with feeling ease of use but not with perceived usefulness. Additionally, regarding the comparison between students studying social studies in Arabic and those in English, the findings demonstrated that students studying social studies in English showed stronger positive effects from the social constructivist learning environment on their perceived e-learning outcomes. Conversely, students studying social studies in Arabic demonstrated a more potent positive effect of perceived usefulness on their attitudes towards technology. Moreover, the positive impact of an attitude towards technology use on perceived e-learning outcomes was more pronounced among the Arabic students compared to their English counterparts. Additionally, the influence of the learning facility on the perceived ease of use, as well as the perceived usefulness of technology, differed between the two groups. The English group experienced a more substantial positive impact. However, there was no significant difference observed in the effect of feeling ease of use on attitudes towards technology use between the English and Arabic student groups. Furthermore, no significant difference was observed in the effect of perceived usefulness on the social constructivist learning environment for either group. The findings from this research are expected to contribute to the development of effective and efficient counseling and support intervention programs. These programs can play a crucial role in transforming teachers
The effects of musical instrument training on fluid intelligence and executive functions in healthy older adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Intervention studies combining cognitive and motor demands have reported far-transfer cognitive benefits in healthy ageing. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the effects of music and rhythm intervention on cognition in older adulthood. Inclusion criteria specified: 1) musical instrument training; 2) healthy, musically-naïve adults (≥60 years); 3) control group; 4) measure of executive function. Ovid, PubMed, Scopus and the Cochrane Library online databases were searched in August 2023. Data from thirteen studies were analysed (N = 502 participants). Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (RoB 2; Sterne et al., 2019). Random effects models revealed: a low effect on inhibition (d = 0.27, p = .0335); a low-moderate effect on switching (d = -0.39, p = .0021); a low-moderate effect on verbal category switching (d = 0.39, p = .0166); and a moderate effect on processing speed (d = 0.47, p < .0001). No effect was found for selective visual attention, working memory, or verbal memory. With regards to overall bias, three studies were rated as “high”, nine studies were rated as having “some concerns” and one was rated “low”. The meta-analysis suggests that learning to play a musical instrument enhances attention inhibition, switching and processing speed in ageing
A Scoping Review of Universal Design for Learning in United States Allied Health & Medical Education
Background: Universal design for learning (UDL) is considered best-practice for embracing inclusion for students with disabilities and there is growing evidence of its effectiveness in primary, secondary, and postsecondary education. However, little is known about if and how UDL is being implemented into United States graduate allied health and medical school curriculum as well as evidence of its benefits.
Method: We used Arksey and O’Malley’s (2005) methodological framework. Search engines were: PubMed, CINAHL Complete, ERIC, GoogleScholar, and Scopus. Data were analyzed by the research team using Covidence to organize articles, screen, and complete a full-text review. Data extraction was completed by identifying key themes in the manuscripts and categorizing articles accordingly.
Results: Six studies were eligible: three intervention and three descriptive articles. Findings identify a need for UDL in these programs but research regarding the effect of implementation of this framework into medical and allied health programs is lacking.
Conclusion: There is a scarcity of research on UDL in graduate education from the United States. Much of the literature found on use of UDL in medical and allied health graduate level programs is non-experimental or descriptive. Future research is recommended to examine the impact of UDL in graduate education
The skeletal completeness of the Palaeozoic chondrichthyan fossil record
Chondrichthyes (sharks, rays, ratfish and their extinct relatives) originated and diversified in the Palaeozoic but are rarely preserved as articulated or partly articulated remains because of their predominantly cartilaginous endoskeletons. Consequently, their evolutionary history is perceived to be documented predominantly by isolated teeth, scales and fin spines. Here, we aim to capture and analyse the quality of the Palaeozoic chondrichthyan fossil record by using a variation of the skeletal completeness metric, which calculates how complete the skeletons of individuals are compared to estimates of their original entirety. Notably, chondrichthyan completeness is significantly lower than any published vertebrate group: low throughout the Silurian and Permian but peaking in the Devonian and Carboniferous. Scores increase to a range similar to pelycosaurs and parareptiles only when taxa identified solely from isolated teeth, scales and spines are excluded. We argue that environmental influences probably played an important role in chondrichthyan completeness. Sea level significantly negatively correlates with chondrichthyan completeness records and resembles patterns already evident in records of ichthyosaurs, plesiosaurs and sauropodomorphs. Such observed variations in completeness highlight the impact of different sampling biases on the chondrichthyan fossil record and the need to acknowledge these when inferring patterns of chondrichthyan macroevolution
Safe passage for attachment systems:Can attachment security at international schools be measured, and is it at risk?
Relocations challenge attachment networks. Regardless of whether a person moves or is moved away from, relocation produces separation and loss. When such losses are repeatedly experienced without being adequately processed, a defensive shutting down of the attachment system could result, particularly when such experiences occur during or across the developmental years. At schools with substantial turnover, this possibility could be shaping youth in ways that compromise attachment security and young people’s willingness or ability to develop and maintain deep long-term relationships. Given the well-documented associations between attachment security, social support, and long-term physical and mental health, the hypothesis that mobility could erode attachment and relational health warrants exploration. International schools are logical settings to test such a hypothesis, given their frequently high turnover without confounding factors (e.g. war trauma or refugee experiences). In addition, repeated experiences of separation and loss in international school settings would seem likely to create mental associations for the young people involved regarding how they and others tend to respond to such situations in such settings, raising the possibility that people at such schools, or even the school itself, could collectively be represented as an attachment figure. Questions like these have received scant attention in the literature. They warrant consideration because of their potential to shape young people’s most general convictions regarding attachment, which could, in turn, have implications for young people’s ability to experience meaning in their lives
Modern computing: Vision and challenges
Over the past six decades, the computing systems field has experienced significant transformations, profoundly impacting society with transformational developments, such as the Internet and the commodification of computing. Underpinned by technological advancements, computer systems, far from being static, have been continuously evolving and adapting to cover multifaceted societal niches. This has led to new paradigms such as cloud, fog, edge computing, and the Internet of Things (IoT), which offer fresh economic and creative opportunities. Nevertheless, this rapid change poses complex research challenges, especially in maximizing potential and enhancing functionality. As such, to maintain an economical level of performance that meets ever-tighter requirements, one must understand the drivers of new model emergence and expansion, and how contemporary challenges differ from past ones. To that end, this article investigates and assesses the factors influencing the evolution of computing systems, covering established systems and architectures as well as newer developments, such as serverless computing, quantum computing, and on-device AI on edge devices. Trends emerge when one traces technological trajectory, which includes the rapid obsolescence of frameworks due to business and technical constraints, a move towards specialized systems and models, and varying approaches to centralized and decentralized control. This comprehensive review of modern computing systems looks ahead to the future of research in the field, highlighting key challenges and emerging trends, and underscoring their importance in cost-effectively driving technological progress
Comparison of robot versus fluoroscopy-assisted pedicle screw instrumentation in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis surgery: A retrospective study
The aim of this study was to explore whether a robot-assisted (RA) technique has advantages over the conventional fluoroscopy-assisted (FA) technique in clinical and radiological outcomes and whether it could decrease the incidence of mis-implantations of pedicle screws in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) correction surgery. A total of 101 patients with AIS were recruited (RA group: 45 patients underwent RA screw insertion; FA group: 56 patients underwent FA screw insertion). When comparing the radiological data between the two groups, the major and secondary curves were both corrected proficiently with no difference in Cobb angle comparison at the last follow-up, suggesting that both the RA technique and the FA technique could lead to efficient radiographic correction and similar clinical outcomes (all, p > 0.05). In the RA group, operation time, blood loss, and transfusion volume were significantly greater than those in the FA group, while the accuracy of screw implantations in patients with AIS with a thoracic scoliotic curve in the RA group was higher than that in the FA group. In conclusion, both the RA and FA techniques could approach proficient radiographic correction and similar clinical outcomes in AIS surgery. Compared with the conventional fluoroscopy technique, the RA technique might improve the accuracy of screw implantations in patients with AIS with a thoracic scoliotic curve, while the increased operation time, blood loss, and transfusion volume might be the disadvantages due to the preliminary stage of the learning curve
LIPIcs, Volume 251, ITCS 2023, Complete Volume
LIPIcs, Volume 251, ITCS 2023, Complete Volum
Libro de Abstracts | VIII Jornadas de Investigación y Doctorado: “Ética en la Investigación Científica”
El objetivo de estas Jornadas es promover el intercambio científico entre estudiantes de doctorado,
fomentando la participación, el debate y la discusión, de aspectos científicos tan importantes como la
ética de la investigación.
Para poner en valor el papel de los doctores en la sociedad, no podemos pasar por alto las competencias transversales
que estos deben adquirir en su formación como doctores. Si bien la ética es algo fundamental en todas
las facetas de la vida, en el caso de los investigadores cobra especial relevancia, ya que son generadores de conocimiento sobre el que se asentarán futuros desarrollos y políticas de interés para toda la sociedad. Por lo tanto,
con el fin de incrementar la proyección social de las investigaciones llevadas a cabo y la proyección profesional
de los doctores, es importante incidir en su formación ética.
La base de la investigación académica está construida sobre la confianza. Los investigadores confían en que
los resultados informados por otros son veraces. La sociedad confía en que los resultados de la investigación
reflejan un intento honesto por parte de los científicos de describir el mundo de forma precisa. Pero esta confianza
sólo perdurará si la comunidad científica transmite los valores asociados a la conducta de la ética de investigación.
Por este motivo, la Universidad juega un papel muy importante en la formación de los doctores en
cuestiones éticas que son inherentes al método científico y a la generación de conocimiento. Dentro de las universidades, las Escuelas Internacionales de Doctorado, con nuestros recursos, aptitudes y espacio de influencia,
nos convertimos en actores clave para promover actitudes éticas entre los doctorandos, y estas Jornadas son
una oportunidad muy valiosa para tratar este tema.
Las ramas de conocimiento que se incluyen para estas Jornadas son las derivadas de los programas de doctorado
de la EIDUCAM:
-Ciencias de la Salud
-Tecnologías de la Computación e Ingeniería Ambiental
-Ciencias Sociales
-Ciencias del DeporteActividad Física y DeporteAdministración y Dirección de EmpresasAgricultura y VeterinariaArte y HumanidadesCiencias AmbientalesCiencias de la AlimentaciónCiencias de la ComunicaciónCiencias ReligiosasDerechoEducaciónEnfermeríaFarmaciaIdiomasIngeniería, Industria y ConstrucciónMedicinaOdontologíaPodologíaPsicologíaTerapia y RehabilitaciónTurism
- …