Expanding the idea of the learning object

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Exploring the characteristics of an optimal design of digital materials for concept learning in mathematics: Multimedia learning and variation theory

Design principles emerging from the cognitive theory of multimedia learning can be applied to engage cognitive processing, and teaching methods that have evolved from variation theory can encourage thinking through comparisons in mathematics education. Applying these principles and teaching methods in designing digital material should be a sound proposition. However, there is a disconnection between research in digital educational material and classroom practices. Teachers often have doubts about the effectiveness of the materials. Thus, this paper presents a design-based research of developing a digital material for algebra concept learning. We collaborated with two experienced teachers and a subject expert from a university, and designed some digital learning material that was presented to 68 students through an iterative redesign development cycle; the effectiveness of the final product was tested on another group of 66 students the following year. Characteristics of an optimal design generated from the data collected are presented in this paper. The characteristics may have useful practical implications for instructional designers and teachers and contribute to improvements in the design of digital learning materials.postprin

Sensing human hand motions for controlling dexterous robots

The Dexterous Hand Master (DHM) system is designed to control dexterous robot hands such as the UTAH/MIT and Stanford/JPL hands. It is the first commercially available device which makes it possible to accurately and confortably track the complex motion of the human finger joints. The DHM is adaptable to a wide variety of human hand sizes and shapes, throughout their full range of motion

Security and visions of the criminal: technology, professional criminality and social change in Victorian and Edwardian Britain

The later nineteenth century saw the formation of two distinct visions of serious criminality. Previous studies of the weak-willed, ‘degenerate’ offender, have neglected the simultaneous appearance of the modern professional criminal. This essay reveals that the rise of the security industry in the Victorian era served to reshape notions of criminal professionalism, imbuing them with a new emphasis on the technical proficiency of thieves. This image of the criminal provided an outlet for ambivalent reflections on social and technological change, much as similar, high-security visions of the criminal have ever since. Hence, this essay both traces the origins of a neglected aspect of modern criminological thought and reconstructs the historical role of security provision in shaping visions of the criminal

The spectacle of security: lock-picking competitions and the security industry in mid-Victorian Britain

Despite decades of research on the history of crime, policing and punishment, historical work on security remains in its infancy. To this neglected field, this article contributes a detailed analysis of a series of celebrated lock-picking competitions involving rival, brand-name locksmiths in mid-nineteenth-century Britain. These contests provided a spectacular forum for marketing new security commodities, which promised to serve as a uniquely credible means of demonstrating the utility of these technically advanced products. In practice, the competitions were less effective in improving security product design, or in reinforcing consumer confidence in security devices, than many firms and observers had hoped. Nonetheless, the competitions captured the imagination of a mid-Victorian public increasingly preoccupied by the transformative potential of technology, and by the emerging landscape of international economic competition. In particular, this article argues that lock-picking contests played a significant role in the commodification of security and the emergence of the security industry in the 1850s and 1860s. It thus subjects to critical scrutiny these important aspects of modern social development, which have left a lasting and troubling imprint on the contemporary world

Design of learning objects for concept learning: effects of multimedia learning principles and an instructional approach

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Children’s digital practices: case studies of children viewing and representing with dgital text

This paper reports on case studies of four primary school children and their digital practices in Hong Kong. The study explored how the participating children view and represent through digital text in the context of their out-of-school technology use. Understanding how these practices extended into their English language classrooms was explicated based on emerging data. The study results identify six aspects of emerging skills acquired by the children. These skills were not extended into the children’s schoolwork – a reflection on the emphasis on uni-modal language learning in the class setting. A detailed examination of the individual skills led to a set of recommendations for curriculum review, suitable pedagogical strategies and classroom learning resources that English Language Educators may utilize to facilitate development of viewing and representing skills through digital text.published_or_final_versio

Effect of pooling samples on the efficiency of comparative studies using microarrays

Many biomedical experiments are carried out by pooling individual biological samples. However, pooling samples can potentially hide biological variance and give false confidence concerning the data significance. In the context of microarray experiments for detecting differentially expressed genes, recent publications have addressed the problem of the efficiency of sample-pooling, and some approximate formulas were provided for the power and sample size calculations. It is desirable to have exact formulas for these calculations and have the approximate results checked against the exact ones. We show that the difference between the approximate and exact results can be large. In this study, we have characterized quantitatively the effect of pooling samples on the efficiency of microarray experiments for the detection of differential gene expression between two classes. We present exact formulas for calculating the power of microarray experimental designs involving sample pooling and technical replications. The formulas can be used to determine the total numbers of arrays and biological subjects required in an experiment to achieve the desired power at a given significance level. The conditions under which pooled design becomes preferable to non-pooled design can then be derived given the unit cost associated with a microarray and that with a biological subject. This paper thus serves to provide guidance on sample pooling and cost effectiveness. The formulation in this paper is outlined in the context of performing microarray comparative studies, but its applicability is not limited to microarray experiments. It is also applicable to a wide range of biomedical comparative studies where sample pooling may be involved.Comment: 8 pages, 1 figure, 2 tables; to appear in Bioinformatic

Learning object for conceptual learning

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Leeds Park Survey: Full Report

For many people, visiting parks is an integral part of everyday life, reflecting the vital role parks play within the social fabric of cities. Parks are places where history is made, both in terms of major public events - political rallies, mass meetings, demonstrations and civic celebrations — and in terms of people’s intimate lives; their romances, friendships, family outings and personal commemorations. In 2016, a team of researchers at the University of Leeds undertook a public survey in partnership with Leeds City Council (LCC) Parks & Countryside Service as part of a broader Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) funded project investigating how Leeds parks have changed through time, how they are used today, and what their future prospects might be. The purpose of this report is to present the main findings and data tables produced from this survey. The research highlights the importance of accessible, good quality parks and green spaces throughout the city; where people of all ages, cultures and abilities can enjoy the vital leisure, health and well-being benefits that parks afford. Based on our study and survey findings, we make 16 recommendations for developing parks policy and practice in Leeds and similar cities in line with the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal 11.7 which requires that all nation states will ‘By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities’