A virtual coaching environment for improving golf swing technique

As a proficient golf swing is a key element of success in golf, many golfers make significant effort improving their stroke mechanics. In order to help enhance golfing performance, it is important to identify the performance determining factors within the full golf swing. In addition, explicit instructions on specific features in stroke technique requiring alterations must be imparted to the player in an unambiguous and intuitive manner. However, these two objectives are difficult to achieve due to the subjective nature of traditional coaching techniques and the predominantly implicit knowledge players have of their movements. In this work, we have developed a set of visualisation and analysis tools for use in a virtual golf coaching environment. In this virtual coaching studio, the analysis tools allow for specific areas require improvement in a player's 3D stroke dynamics to be isolated. An interactive 3D virtual coaching environment then allows detailed and unambiguous coaching information to be visually imparted back to the player via the use of two virtual human avatars; the first mimics the movements performed by the player; the second takes the role of a virtual coach, performing ideal stroke movement dynamics. The potential of the coaching tool is highlighted in its use by sports science researchers in the evaluation of competing approaches for calculating the X-Factor, a significant performance determining factor for hitting distance in a golf swing

Supporting active database learning and training through interactive multimedia

The learning objectives of a database course include aspects from conceptual and theoretical knowledge to practical development and implementation skills. We present an interactive educational multimedia system based on the virtual apprenticeship model for the knowledge- and skills-oriented Web-based education of database course students. Combining knowledge learning and skills training in an integrated environment is a central aspect of our system. We show that tool-mediated independent learning and training in an authentic setting is an alternative to traditional classroom-based approaches

Knowledge management in the voluntary sector: A focus on sharing project know-how and expertise

Voluntary sector organisations are operated principally by volunteers who are not obliged to share their knowledge, as might be expected in a for profit company, with a greater consequent loss of knowledge should individuals leave. This research examines how a volunteer-led organisation, the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), acquires, stores and shares its project knowledge in the context of event management. Three annual CAMRA festivals of different sizes and maturity were selected to see how volunteers' knowledge is managed in the process of organising their festivals. Key festival officers were interviewed and focus groups, comprising of festival volunteers, were conducted. While the maturity of a festival and its size seemed to influence the ways in which knowledge was managed there were some commonalities between festivals. Evident was a strong master-apprentice model of learning with little formal training or record keeping except, that is, where legislation and accountability in treasury and health and safety functions were necessary. Trust between volunteers and their need to know and to share information appeared to be dependent, in part, on their perception and confidence in the success of the overarching project organisation, and this helped shape volunteers' knowledge sharing practices. Whilst there was evidence of a laissez-faire approach to codification and the sharing of knowledge, this was less so when volunteers recognised a genuine lack of knowledge which would hinder the success of their festival. The analysis also highlighted factors related to the sharing of knowledge that, it is suggested, have not been identified in the for-profit sector

Learning generalization in virtual environments: a revision of the theoretical principles from a cognitive perspective

Virtual environments have proven useful (have shown their utility) for process of the optimization academic learning. Equally, it is proved that in these virtual reality environments, the apprentice uses learned processes at physical reality. This Generalization Learning Process is explained by the cognitive learning theories. The goal of this work is to review these theories, articulating them in an ordered and organised way. Thus an overview of the learning processes in real and virtual environments is provided, and how these learning are widespread in one environment or another, and the theoretical reasons that support this fact. As conclusion it set out that this learning transfer is due to the presence of common contextual elements in both environments. This phenomenon is possible thanks to the existence of a symbolic language

Learning generalization in virtual environments: a revision of the theoretical principles from a cognitive perspective

Virtual environments have proven useful (have shown their utility) for process of the optimization academic learning. Equally, it is proved that in these virtual reality environments, the apprentice uses learned processes at physical reality. This Generalization Learning Process is explained by the cognitive learning theories. The goal of this work is to review these theories, articulating them in an ordered and organised way. Thus an overview of the learning processes in real and virtual environments is provided, and how these learning are widespread in one environment or another, and the theoretical reasons that support this fact. As conclusion it set out that this learning transfer is due to the presence of common contextual elements in both environments. This phenomenon is possible thanks to the existence of a symbolic language

Theorizing Audience and Spectatorial Agency

This chapter analyses Georgian audiences and spectatorial agency through several lenses: psychoanalytic film theory, theories of the public sphere and of mass publicity, and media studies of cultural convergence. The first section reads Georgian theatre’s heterogeneous playbills as a syntactical rendering of the audience, the imaginary community of the nation in process of negotiation. The second section shows theatrical paratexts blurring the boundary between theatre and coffee house, creating a theatrical public sphere in which the audience exercises daily public agency in saving or damning the play. The third section highlights the mingling of vulnerability and charisma in the celebrity prologue-speaker, a figure who both judges and entrances the audience while also embodying actors’ exposure to possible audience wrath. The final section looks at the theatres’ encouragement of spouting clubs as a means of channelling spectatorial agency

The Design Postgraduate Journeyman: Mapping the relationship between design thinking and doing with skills acquisition for skilful practice

The relationship between knowing, doing and skillful practice resonate in industry and design education. The connection between creativity, design and successful innovation practices in industry has been debated much recently, heightened by realization in academe and governments that 'we need a different way of thinking and doing if we are to live well and prosper in the future' This paper addresses the question; how to understand more about the relationship of design thinking and doing with learning. It describes research to correlate design knowledge and skill with the pedagogy of skilful practice, thereby supporting pedagogical theory for the design practitioner learner. The research correlates Sennett's review of craftsmanship as skillful thinking and doing, with Dreyfus and dreyfus's model of mental activitiesin the transition of novice to masterful states of skilful practice. It concludes by illustrating the critical transition points to inform educational practice

Personalised correction, feedback, and guidance in an automated tutoring system for skills training

In addition to knowledge, in various domains skills are equally important. Active learning and training are effective forms of education. We present an automated skills training system for a database programming environment that promotes procedural knowledge acquisition and skills training. The system provides support features such as correction of solutions, feedback and personalised guidance, similar to interactions with a human tutor. Specifically, we address synchronous feedback and guidance based on personalised assessment. Each of these features is automated and includes a level of personalisation and adaptation. At the core of the system is a pattern-based error classification and correction component that analyses student input