Gamification through leaderboards : an empirical study in engineering education

Universities are looking for solutions to engage more students in STEM domains and enhance their learning performance (LP). In this context, gamification is put forward as a solution to achieve this aim. The present study examined the effect of gamification – building on leaderboards ‐ on LP. Furthermore, mediating variables, such as intrinsic motivation, self‐efficacy, engagement, and background variables, such as sex, previous gaming experience, and undergraduate major, were considered. A pretest‐posttest quasi‐experimental design with an experimental and a control condition was set up (n = 89) in an Introductory Computer Programming course. We observed a significant improvement in the LP of students in the gamified condition. However, no interaction effect was detected, due to mediating and background variables. The high learning gain is a favorable indicator that gamification might be a promising approach to promote STEM programs

Participatory Budgeting Case Studies throughout the Ages: A Longitudinal, Thematic, Systematic Literature Study

Budgeting (PB) is often utilized to initiate citizen involvement in governmental processes and familiarize them with public spending. It can help to increase transparency, communication between citizens and government and improve quality of lives of the communities. Other times, it can increase costs with little returns. Overall, we have limited knowledge about PB development trajectories, practices, state of art, and future research possibility. Hence, we have conducted a systematic, longitudinal, thematic literature review, that has examined 92 case studies of PB, and reveals that interest in PB research has been reflective of global movements e.g., the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall Street, and the like. The field, however, is also growing in maturity and needs specialized research on PB tools, sustainability, inclusion, amongst other topics

Interventions to support the mental health and wellbeing of engineering students: a scoping review.

Engineering students enter a challenging and competitive sector in higher education and are potentially at risk of poor mental health and or mental wellbeing. It is important to raise awareness of and support good mental health and wellbeing for engineering students. We carried out a scoping review using Joanna Briggs Institute scoping review methodology. Published sources of evidence were searched for this review via: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, PsycInfo, Compendex, Web of Science, Emerald, Epistemonikos and Business Source Complete. Searches were conducted in January 2019 and updated in January 2020, and March 2022. Two reviewers independently screened all titles and abstracts, full text sources and extracted data using a form developed by the authors. Results: Searches identified 191 sources of evidence after title screening and 33 sources of evidence were included for final extraction following full-text screening. This represented over 4000 engineering students from 10 countries. Included studies were predominantly pilots, which suggests a lack of diverse research methods in the existing research base. Studies also varied in approaches to reporting. Interventions included training, relaxation, technology use, alternative teaching models, support services and a study break witha range of outcome measures used to evaluate intervention effects. Results of included studies noted reduced stress and anxiety, improved academic achievement, improved communication, motivation, physiological responses, attitude, and increased physical activity, health awareness and confidence. Mindfulness activities appear to be accepted by and helpful to engineering students. Conclusions: This review mapped interventions to support mental health and wellbeing in engineering students but identifies a need for further high-quality robust studies that are transparently reported using reporting guidelines

Personalized Professional Learning Experiences and Teacher Self-Efficacy for Integrating Technology in K-12 Classrooms

The studies in this dissertation were designed to develop an understanding of the impact of personalized professional learning experiences for K-12 teachers. These studies took place in a large, preK-12, public school district in the Southwest region of the United States. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodology, these studies measured the growth of teachers’ perceptions of their ability to work with technology tools and their self-efficacy towards integrating technology purposefully to improve the learning experiences of their students, as well as delving into the personal experiences of select teachers in the program. The Core Conceptual Framework for teacher professional development (Desimone, 2009), theories of personalized learning (Pane, Steiner, Baird, & Hamilton, 2015), and self-efficacy theory (Bandura, 1997) served as the theoretical framework for examining these experiences. The quantitative results of both studies showed a significant improvement in teachers’ technology skills and self-efficacy toward integrating technology in the classroom after the personalized professional learning program. The interview findings of the second study revealed that the elements of personalization that produced the most positive learning experiences for the teachers interviewed were choice, coherence, and support. The challenges that were revealed in the interview process were an increased need for content specific courses demonstrating technology integration, a desire for increased community of practice among teachers in the program, and the overarching struggles of teaching as a practice. Based on the findings of these studies, recommendations were developed to support increased personalization and improved teacher learning experience

Making a nest. Art and ecology as formative and trasformative practices in adult education.

The radical experience of isolation and vulnerability during the pandemic has aroused a reflection on the forms of living environments and social ties, on the need to rethink the relational and pedagogical styles on which they are based (Pignalberi 2022). The accentuation of disparities in access to education and culture has shown how, in truth, the training system has been in a stagnant situation of difficulty for decades. The pandemic crisis has been considered by some pedagogists (Fullan 2020) not so much as a destructive event of a functioning model but as the possibility of participating in the transformation of learning. In 2021-2022 the Department of Human Sciences of the University of Verona promoted a training course "Practices and cultures of difference in educational and care work" which was attended by 35 professionals in social-health and educational services. The training course focused on the fact that the established practices of social work often fail, exposing professionals to the unexpected, to the crisis, to the need to create. This impact was even more evident during the pandemic which made the social ties of many Italian cities increasingly fragile. It was therefore necessary to propose training contexts that could meet the experiences of vulnerability, the need to nourish trust in community ties and hope. The course aimed to address the theme of differences by deepening theories and practices of feminist philosophy (Zamboni 2009, bell hooks 1994) and transformative pedagogy (Formenti 2017, Mortari 2003) which have elaborated a florid reflection on the themes of care and relationship: an embodied knowledge that puts to work the senses, the resonances, the materiality of relationships to rethink the encounter with the Other in daily life. The path proposed to move away from 'expertism' (Illich 2008) to rethink the care of oneself, of places and of others, as a common good, thanks to: • a formative ecology vision that questions the link between learning and the environment, between daily work and community life; (Iori 2019, Corntassel, J., & Hardbarger, T. 2019, Pignalberi 2022) • art-based methodologies as levers for processes of continuous transformative training and as a means for an ecological and ecosophic transition under the banner of social justice (Formenti Lusaschi, Del Negro 2019, Sossai 2017, Segal-Engelchin D., Huss E., Massry N. 2020). The third module of the above-mentioned training course was titled "Know how: community art practices" and was held at the Mare Memoria Viva Ecomuseum in Palermo (Sicily, Italy). It was a pedagogical choice that aimed to open up the narrow imaginaries of social work to a community horizon. The artistic workshop of intensive two weeks was also granted access to 35 professionals and all those who, by attending the Ecomuseum as operators or beneficiaries, would have voluntarily contributed to the creation of a new space for cultural fruition, participating in building an Ecodom structure in Superadobe in the shape of nest

A Framework for Integrating Transportation Into Smart Cities

In recent years, economic, environmental, and political forces have quickly given rise to “Smart Cities” -- an array of strategies that can transform transportation in cities. Using a multi-method approach to research and develop a framework for smart cities, this study provides a framework that can be employed to: Understand what a smart city is and how to replicate smart city successes; The role of pilot projects, metrics, and evaluations to test, implement, and replicate strategies; and Understand the role of shared micromobility, big data, and other key issues impacting communities. This research provides recommendations for policy and professional practice as it relates to integrating transportation into smart cities

Systematic Review of Gamification Research in IS Education: A Multi-method Approach

Gamification refers to the use of game mechanics and game dynamics in non-gaming environments and contexts. Gamification is increasingly gaining attention among system designers across various industries especially in education due to the benefits associated with its implementation. The adoption of gamification in information systems (IS) education is promising for engaging and motivating students to complete their degree programs. Call for research in this area is particularly on the increase in the IS field. Accordingly, we need to organize the aggregation of research in this area and use common terminologies to promote progressive research practice in the field. In this paper, we use a multi-method approach to systematically review existing research on gamification in IS education to identify common terminologies, identify trends in topics studied, highlight understudied areas, and, thus, present opportunities for future research. The multi-method approach combines classical systematic review method and social network analysis to provide additional insight into the knowledge structure of researchers involved in the gamification of IS education. This review also highlights possible interventions that can improve student retention in IS education through the design of effective gamified courses

Horizon Report Europe - 2014 Schools Edition

The NMC Horizon Project from the New Media Consortium is a long-term investigation launched in 2002 that identifies and describes emerging technologies likely to have a large impact over the coming five years in education around the globe. The NMC Horizon Report Europe: 2014 Schools Edition, the first of its kind for Europe, examines six key trends, six significant challenges and six important developments in educational technology that are very likely to impact educational change processes in European schools over the next five years (2014-2018). The topics within each section were carefully selected by the Horizon Project Europe Expert Panel, a body of 53 experts in European education, technology, and other fields. They come from 22 European countries, as well as international organisations and European networks. Throughout the report, references and links are made to more than 150 European publications (reports, articles, policy documents, blog posts etc.), projects (both EU-funded and national initiatives) and various policy initiatives from all over Europe. The Creative Classrooms multidimensional framework, developed by European Commission’s JRC-IPTS on behalf of DG EAC, was used for analysing the trends, challenges and technologies impacting European schools over the next five years. The analysis reveals that a systemic approach is needed for integrating new technologies in European schools and impacting educational change over the next five years.JRC.J.3-Information Societ

Faculty Scholarship Celebration 2015

Program for Western Carolina University's annual Faculty Scholarship Celebration