Retrospective cognitive feedback for progress monitoring in serious games

Although the importance of cognitive feedback in digital serious games (DSG) is undisputed, we are facing some major design challenges. First of all, we do not know to which extend existing research guidelines apply when we stand the risk of cognitive feedback distorting the delicate balance between learning and playing. Unobtrusive cognitive feedback has to be interspersed with gameplay. Secondly, many effective solutions for providing cognitive feedback we do know might simply be too costly. To face both challenges, this study offers an efficient approach for providing unobtrusive and retrospective cognitive feedback in DSG. This approach was applied onto a game where feedback messages were triggered via simple rules about learners’ questioning behaviour on four dimensions. We found the experimental condition including such retrospective cognitive feedback (RCF) to yield better learning outcomes while maintaining similar motivation. Keyword

A case study of technical change and rehabilitation: Intervention design and interdisciplinary team interaction

The design of effective interventions in sport psychology often requires a subtle blend of techniques, tailored to meet the client’s specific needs. Input from a variety of disciplinary support specialists, working as a team, is also frequently needed. Accordingly, this study investigated an interdisciplinary team approach to the technical change and rehabilitation of an elite weight lifter following injury; necessitating the avoidance of regression when performing under competitive pressure. Multiple coaching approaches were used and complimented by targeting specific mental skills. Kinematic analyses indicated progressive technical, and subsequently permanent, change even after 2 years. Self-report measures of self-efficacy and imagery use were deemed essential in facilitating the change. Finally, a discussion focuses on the intervention’s multifactorial nature, its application within high performance coaching, and how this may advise future research into the refinement of already existing and well-established skills

Home-based rehabilitation of the shoulder using auxiliary systems and artificial intelligence: an overview

Advancements in modern medicine have bolstered the usage of home-based rehabilitation services for patients, particularly those recovering from diseases or conditions that necessitate a structured rehabilitation process. Understanding the technological factors that can influence the efficacy of home-based rehabilitation is crucial for optimizing patient outcomes. As technologies continue to evolve rapidly, it is imperative to document the current state of the art and elucidate the key features of the hardware and software employed in these rehabilitation systems. This narrative review aims to provide a summary of the modern technological trends and advancements in home-based shoulder rehabilitation scenarios. It specifically focuses on wearable devices, robots, exoskeletons, machine learning, virtual and augmented reality, and serious games. Through an in-depth analysis of existing literature and research, this review presents the state of the art in home-based rehabilitation systems, highlighting their strengths and limitations. Furthermore, this review proposes hypotheses and potential directions for future upgrades and enhancements in these technologies. By exploring the integration of these technologies into home-based rehabilitation, this review aims to shed light on the current landscape and offer insights into the future possibilities for improving patient outcomes and optimizing the effectiveness of home-based rehabilitation programs.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A usability study in patients with stroke using MERLIN, a robotic system based on serious games for upper limb rehabilitation in the home setting

Neuroscience and neurotechnology are transforming stroke rehabilitation. Robotic devices, in addition to telerehabilitation, are increasingly being used to train the upper limbs after stroke, and their use at home allows us to extend institutional rehabilitation by increasing and prolonging therapy. The aim of this study is to assess the usability of the MERLIN robotic system based on serious games for upper limb rehabilitation in people with stroke in the home environment.This research is part of a MERLIN project, which has received funding from EIT Health (Grant no. 20649). EIT Health is supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union which receives support from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and innovation programme

The Double-edged Sword: A Mixed Methods Study of the Interplay between Bipolar Disorder and Technology Use

Human behavior is increasingly reflected or acted out through technology. This is of particular salience when it comes to changes in behavior associated with serious mental illnesses including schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Early detection is crucial for these conditions but presently very challenging to achieve. Potentially, characteristics of these conditions\u27 traits and symptoms, at both idiosyncratic and collective levels, may be detectable through technology use patterns. In bipolar disorder specifically, initial evidence associates changes in mood with changes in technology-mediated communication patterns. However much less is known about how people with bipolar disorder use technology more generally in their lives, how they view their technology use in relation to their illness, and, perhaps most crucially, the causal relationship (if any exists) between their technology use and their disease. To address these uncertainties, we conducted a survey of people with bipolar disorder (N = 84). Our results indicate that technology use varies markedly with changes in mood and that technology use broadly may have potential as an early warning signal of mood episodes. We also find that technology for many of these participants is a double-edged sword: acting as both a culprit that can trigger or exacerbate symptoms as well as a support mechanism for recovery. These findings have implications for the design of both early warning systems and technology-mediated interventions

Applying science of learning in education: Infusing psychological science into the curriculum

The field of specialization known as the science of learning is not, in fact, one field. Science of learning is a term that serves as an umbrella for many lines of research, theory, and application. A term with an even wider reach is Learning Sciences (Sawyer, 2006). The present book represents a sliver, albeit a substantial one, of the scholarship on the science of learning and its application in educational settings (Science of Instruction, Mayer 2011). Although much, but not all, of what is presented in this book is focused on learning in college and university settings, teachers of all academic levels may find the recommendations made by chapter authors of service. The overarching theme of this book is on the interplay between the science of learning, the science of instruction, and the science of assessment (Mayer, 2011). The science of learning is a systematic and empirical approach to understanding how people learn. More formally, Mayer (2011) defined the science of learning as the “scientific study of how people learn” (p. 3). The science of instruction (Mayer 2011), informed in part by the science of learning, is also on display throughout the book. Mayer defined the science of instruction as the “scientific study of how to help people learn” (p. 3). Finally, the assessment of student learning (e.g., learning, remembering, transferring knowledge) during and after instruction helps us determine the effectiveness of our instructional methods. Mayer defined the science of assessment as the “scientific study of how to determine what people know” (p.3). Most of the research and applications presented in this book are completed within a science of learning framework. Researchers first conducted research to understand how people learn in certain controlled contexts (i.e., in the laboratory) and then they, or others, began to consider how these understandings could be applied in educational settings. Work on the cognitive load theory of learning, which is discussed in depth in several chapters of this book (e.g., Chew; Lee and Kalyuga; Mayer; Renkl), provides an excellent example that documents how science of learning has led to valuable work on the science of instruction. Most of the work described in this book is based on theory and research in cognitive psychology. We might have selected other topics (and, thus, other authors) that have their research base in behavior analysis, computational modeling and computer science, neuroscience, etc. We made the selections we did because the work of our authors ties together nicely and seemed to us to have direct applicability in academic settings

Assessing Business Learning by Analysing ERP Simulation Log Files

Business education is facing increasing pressures to equip graduates with both practical competencies and functional knowledge. In addition to developing authentic learning environments where one can learn those competencies, we need to develop authentic assessment methods. Computer-assisted learning environments, such as business games and simulations, assist in achieving the intricate learning goals, and at the same time, provide copious quantities of data. In this paper, we present an authentic assessment approach to measure the students’ practical hands-on activities rather than their theoretical knowledge. We analysed the log file data of an ERP-supported simulation to assess learning in a full year case study with first year BBA students. The analysis firstly demonstrates how and when log files can be used, and secondly indicated positive learning results on the cognitive and psychomotor domains of Bloom’s taxonomy. The log file analysis holds potential particularly for formative assessment to guide the student’s learning process during the simulation. These findings and our lessons learned can be applied to assessing learning in computer-supported learning environments, particularly in business simulations

Constructive expertise: a critical, ecological and micro-developmental perspective on developing talent

A multitude of performance domains pursue the goal of understanding how we develop talent and expertise. Therefore, the main objective of the present work was to embrace this pursuit whilst operating in a sporting context. The work initially adopted an exploratory, critical and investigative approach to the problem with the remaining series of studies emerging from these initial findings. Study 1 utilised ethnographic enquiry over an eighteen month period whilst working in collaboration with the Rugby Football Union Elite Referee Unit. The study found shifts in existing perspectives of expertise and talent development including a) the movement from a descriptive and phase-staged approach to one which is dynamic and non-linear, b) nonnormative as well as normative influences, c) recognition of an 'expert self as intrapersonal, interpersonal, group and social, d) expertise development existing at micro-, meso- and macrodevelopment levels, e) an integrative, contextualised and multiplicative nature of expertise, f) emergent as well as planned development, g) identification of a 'nested' and ecological outlook of expertise acknowledging the necessity of a positive 'talent development environment'. Additionally, mechanisms of expertise expanded on the existing theory of deliberate practice to include 'deliberate experience' and 'transfer of skills'. In sum- study 1 encountered an approach to expertise which embraced complexity and paradox, was equally psycho-social dynamic than intrapersonal and fostered the necessity for a creation of contexts from which elite performance can morph. From these findings, and alternative studies and readings, a period of reflection occurred where models of 'non-linear and dynamical systems', 'talent development environments', 'adaptive expertise', 'fractal models' and the promotion of adaptive expertise, self-regulation and meta-cognitive skills required to negotiate the complex pathway associated with eminent performance was explored before a final sense-making notion of 'expertise as constructivism' was embraced. The remainder of the work embraced this constructivist approach of expertise and talent development which was then researched in collaboration with the Scottish Small-Bore Shooting team over a two year period. The period of work embraced 'constructivism as action research'. Study 2 utilised an 'ecological task analysis' of the Scottish Small Bore Shooting team and its members to identify constraints and affordances of excellence. It also served as a benchmark of existing levels of expertise which were evaluated at the end of the action research. Study 3 served as the primary research study and assessed the overall efficacy of the constructivist developmental approach inclusive of major transition processes over the two year period as served by the constructivist design. The program was deemed successful in relation to performance outcomes at the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games. Study 4 focused on the importance of creating constructivist 'talent development environments' in comparison to an existing work of literature. Findings suggest a constructivist talent development environment which attends to both the planned and emergent nature of expertise requires fostering. Finally, a theoretical model of constructivist expertise and talent development is offered encompassing the overall findings of the work

Game-Based Learning, Gamification in Education and Serious Games

The aim of this book is to present and discuss new advances in serious games to show how they could enhance the effectiveness and outreach of education, advertising, social awareness, health, policies, etc. We present their use in structured learning activities, not only with a focus on game-based learning, but also on the use of game elements and game design techniques to gamify the learning process. The published contributions really demonstrate the wide scope of application of game-based approaches in terms of purpose, target groups, technologies and domains and one aspect they have in common is that they provide evidence of how effective serious games, game-based learning and gamification can be