Mobile technologies: prospects for their use in learning in informal science settings

Recent developments in mobile technologies have offered the potential to support learners studying a variety of subjects. In this paper we explore the possibilities related to science learners and in particular focus on science learners in informal settings and reflect on a number of recent projects in order to consider the prospects for such work. The debate on informal learning acknowledges the complexity of the area and the difficulty of defining informal learning. One view is to consider the settings in which learning takes place as a continuum from formal settings, e.g. university, to social structures, e.g. friendship groups (Sefton-Green, 2004). The literature on science learning with mobile devices at this very 'informal' end of the spectrum is currently sparse and so in the paper we reflect on some projects and possibilities across the continuum. Our main focus is how mobile devices can support informal learning in science and research possibilities. Some of the recent research on mobile learning has used an activity theoretical perspective, including one of the case studies we discuss and in the final part of the paper we highlight the influence of activity theory in helping us to consider the complexity of the learning settings

A RE-UNIFICATION OF TWO COMPETING MODELS FOR DOCUMENT RETRIEVAL

Two competing approaches for document retrieval were first identified by Robertson et al (Robertson, Maron et al. 1982) for probabilistic retrieval. We point out the corresponding two competing approaches for the Vector Space Model. In both the probabilistic and Vector Space models, only one of the two competing approaches has received significant research attention, because of the unavailibility of sufficient data to implement the second approach. Because it is now feasible to collect vast amounts of feedback data from users, both approaches are now possible. We therefore re-visit the question of a unification of both approaches, for both probabilistic and Vector Space models. This unification of approaches differs from that originally proposed in (Robertson, Maron et al. 1982), and offers unique advantages. Preliminary results of a simulation experiment are reported, and an outline is provided of an ongoing field study.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

eProfile v3.2 guidance manual

"Context: The eProfile is an electronic data collection tool that has been funded by the Department for Education (DfE) and developed in partnership with QCDA. It provides an electronic means of recording the final judgements made of a child's attainment at the end of the EYFS. It offers an invaluable source of information to support transition and enables year 1 teachers to plan an effective, responsive and appropriate curriculum that will meet all children's needs and next learning steps. The eProfile will assist practitioners and headteachers in building a picture of a child’s attainment during the reception year across all six areas of learning and development. It gives vital information to inform the school’s self evaluation process and can also be used to evaluate provision." - Page 3

Library Search UX report summer 2016

During Summer 2016, Imperial College London's Library Information Systems team ran a round of user experience research into the information-seeking behaviour of undergraduate and postgraduate students with a specific focus on the use of the library catalogue and discovery interface. The purpose of the work was to understand user behaviours and preferences to target development of practical improvements to the Library Search interface

CHORUS Deliverable 2.1: State of the Art on Multimedia Search Engines

Based on the information provided by European projects and national initiatives related to multimedia search as well as domains experts that participated in the CHORUS Think-thanks and workshops, this document reports on the state of the art related to multimedia content search from, a technical, and socio-economic perspective. The technical perspective includes an up to date view on content based indexing and retrieval technologies, multimedia search in the context of mobile devices and peer-to-peer networks, and an overview of current evaluation and benchmark inititiatives to measure the performance of multimedia search engines. From a socio-economic perspective we inventorize the impact and legal consequences of these technical advances and point out future directions of research

New approaches to the measurement of chlorophyll, related pigments and productivity in the sea

In the 1984 SBIR Call for Proposals, NASA solicited new methods to measure primary production and chlorophyll in the ocean. Biospherical Instruments Inc. responded to this call with a proposal first to study a variety of approaches to this problem. A second phase of research was then funded to pursue instrumentation to measure the sunlight stimulated naturally occurring fluorescence of chlorophyll in marine phytoplankton. The monitoring of global productivity, global fisheries resources, application of above surface-to-underwater optical communications systems, submarine detection applications, correlation, and calibration of remote sensing systems are but some of the reasons for developing inexpensive sensors to measure chlorophyll and productivity. Normally, productivity measurements are manpower and cost intensive and, with the exception of a very few expensive multiship research experiments, provide no contemporaneous data. We feel that the patented, simple sensors that we have designed will provide a cost effective method for large scale, synoptic, optical measurements in the ocean. This document is the final project report for a NASA sponsored SBIR Phase 2 effort to develop new methods for the measurements of primary production in the ocean. This project has been successfully completed, a U.S. patent was issued covering the methodology and sensors, and the first production run of instrumentation developed under this contract has sold out and been delivered

Ambient assisted living deployment aims to empower people living with dementia (AnAbEL)

Ambient Assisted Living aims to support the wellbeing of people with special needs by offering assistive solutions. Those systems focused on dementia claim to increase the autonomy of people living with dementia by monitoring their activities. Thus, topics such as Activity Recognition related to dementia and specific solutions such as reminders and tracking users by Global Positioning System offer great advances that seek users' safety and to preserve their healthier lifestyle. However, these solutions address secondary parties by providing useful activities logs or alerts but excluding the main interested user: the person living with dementia. Although primary users are taken into consideration at some design stages by using user-centred design frameworks, final products tend not to fully address the user's needs. This paper presents an Ambient Intelligent system aimed to reduce this limitation by developing a final solution more strongly focused on enhancing a healthy lifestyle by empowering the user's autonomy. Through continued activities monitoring in real-time, the system can provide reminders to the users by coaching them to keep healthy routines. Continuous monitoring also provides a complete user's behaviour tracking and the context-awareness logic used involves the caregivers through alerts when necessary to ensure the user's safety. This article describes the process followed to develop the system aimed to cover the previous concerns and the practical feedback from health professionals over the system deployment working in a real environment

A survey on the use of relevance feedback for information access systems

Users of online search engines often find it difficult to express their need for information in the form of a query. However, if the user can identify examples of the kind of documents they require then they can employ a technique known as relevance feedback. Relevance feedback covers a range of techniques intended to improve a user's query and facilitate retrieval of information relevant to a user's information need. In this paper we survey relevance feedback techniques. We study both automatic techniques, in which the system modifies the user's query, and interactive techniques, in which the user has control over query modification. We also consider specific interfaces to relevance feedback systems and characteristics of searchers that can affect the use and success of relevance feedback systems

Special Libraries, December 1940

Volume 31, Issue 10https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1940/1009/thumbnail.jp