Harnessing AI to Power Constructivist Learning: An Evolution in Educational Methodologies

This article navigates the confluence of the age-old constructivist philosophy of education and modern Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools as a means of reconceptualizing teaching and learning methods. While constructivism champions active learning derived from personal experiences and prior knowledge, AI’s adaptive capacities seamlessly align with these principles, offering personalized, dynamic, and enriching learning avenues. By leveraging AI platforms such as ChatGPT, BARD, and Microsoft Bing, educators can elevate constructivist pedagogy, fostering enhanced student engagement, self-reflective metacognition, profound conceptual change, and an enriched learning experience. The article further emphasizes the preservation of humanistic values in the integration of AI, ensuring a balanced, ethical, and inclusive educational environment. This exploration sheds light on the transformative potential of inter-twining traditional educational philosophies with technological advancements, paving the way for a more responsive and effective learning paradigm

The Otterbein Miscellany - May 1969

https://digitalcommons.otterbein.edu/miscellany/1009/thumbnail.jp

A Novel Hybrid Scheme Using Genetic Algorithms and Deep Learning for the Reconstruction of Portuguese Tile Panels

This paper presents a novel scheme, based on a unique combination of genetic algorithms (GAs) and deep learning (DL), for the automatic reconstruction of Portuguese tile panels, a challenging real-world variant of the jigsaw puzzle problem (JPP) with important national heritage implications. Specifically, we introduce an enhanced GA-based puzzle solver, whose integration with a novel DL-based compatibility measure (DLCM) yields state-of-the-art performance, regarding the above application. Current compatibility measures consider typically (the chromatic information of) edge pixels (between adjacent tiles), and help achieve high accuracy for the synthetic JPP variant. However, such measures exhibit rather poor performance when applied to the Portuguese tile panels, which are susceptible to various real-world effects, e.g., monochromatic panels, non-squared tiles, edge degradation, etc. To overcome such difficulties, we have developed a novel DLCM to extract high-level texture/color statistics from the entire tile information. Integrating this measure with our enhanced GA-based puzzle solver, we have demonstrated, for the first time, how to deal most effectively with large-scale real-world problems, such as the Portuguese tile problem. Specifically, we have achieved 82% accuracy for the reconstruction of Portuguese tile panels with unknown piece rotation and puzzle dimension (compared to merely 3.5% average accuracy achieved by the best method known for solving this problem variant). The proposed method outperforms even human experts in several cases, correcting their mistakes in the manual tile assembly

Ecological differences between early- and late-flowering grassland forbs

The loss of grassland ecosystems is widespread, and the Tallgrass Prairie region of the central United States is no exception. Restoration offers a way to restore prairie plant communities, but fully restoring the diversity found in remnant prairies can be difficult. One important goal in prairie restorations is to restore diverse forb communities and this includes having forb species that flower throughout the growing season (i.e., a range of flowering phenology). Despite this goal, forbs that flower early and late in the season may be absent in restorations. We conducted several studies to determine whether early- and late-flowering species are absent in restorations, their impact on the community, and what may limit their establishment. This included analysis of a native forb relative abundance dataset, a field experiment, and a greenhouse germination experiment. First, we compared relative abundances of early- and late-flowering species among remnants, seed mixes, and restorations. Remnant prairies had much higher relative abundance of early-flowering forbs than mixes or restorations. Late-flowering species had higher relative abundance in remnants than mixes. Next, we conducted a field experiment at three restorations to test whether early- and late-flowering species were seed limited or recruitment limited and whether adding them to restorations increased plant diversity. Biomass of early- and late-flowering forbs was much higher when they were added as transplants than when added as seeds. A stage transition model indicated that survivorship of target forbs was much higher in transplant plots than in seed plots. Plant diversity of these restorations was higher when forbs were added compared to controls (no forbs added to existing restorations). Diversity was higher when target forbs were transplanted than when they were seeded. Early-flowering treatments increased diversity more than late-flowering treatments, and diversity increased with the number of forb species added. Our results indicate that early- and late-flowering species are recruitment limited, not seed limited, and that diversity is lower when these species are absent in restorations. We recommend transplanting a rich mix of forbs to overcome this limitation and ensure flowering occurs throughout the growing season. Lastly, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to investigate how early- and late-flowering forb germination may be impacted by timing of smoke cues. Given the differential response of early- and late-season species to fire season, germination cues such as smoke may play an important and possibly overlooked role in overcoming potential germination limitation and establishing more diverse restorations. We tested nine forb species of early or late flowering phenology for germination response to aerosol smoke, cold stratification, and the timing of application of those two cues (smoke before cold vs. smoke after cold). We found that species had varied response to cold and that smoke increased germination of two species. Importantly, the timing of smoke application mattered with only smoke applied prior to cold having an impact. We also found that early-flowering species had far lower germination rates than late-flowering species. The varied germination response of species to cold and importance of timing of cues for two species may be important and suggests that more targeted approaches are needed for some species in order to establish more diverse restorations

Ecological differences between early- and late-flowering grassland forbs

The loss of grassland ecosystems is widespread, and the Tallgrass Prairie region of the central United States is no exception. Restoration offers a way to restore prairie plant communities, but fully restoring the diversity found in remnant prairies can be difficult. One important goal in prairie restorations is to restore diverse forb communities and this includes having forb species that flower throughout the growing season (i.e., a range of flowering phenology). Despite this goal, forbs that flower early and late in the season may be absent in restorations. We conducted several studies to determine whether early- and late-flowering species are absent in restorations, their impact on the community, and what may limit their establishment. This included analysis of a native forb relative abundance dataset, a field experiment, and a greenhouse germination experiment. First, we compared relative abundances of early- and late-flowering species among remnants, seed mixes, and restorations. Remnant prairies had much higher relative abundance of early-flowering forbs than mixes or restorations. Late-flowering species had higher relative abundance in remnants than mixes. Next, we conducted a field experiment at three restorations to test whether early- and late-flowering species were seed limited or recruitment limited and whether adding them to restorations increased plant diversity. Biomass of early- and late-flowering forbs was much higher when they were added as transplants than when added as seeds. A stage transition model indicated that survivorship of target forbs was much higher in transplant plots than in seed plots. Plant diversity of these restorations was higher when forbs were added compared to controls (no forbs added to existing restorations). Diversity was higher when target forbs were transplanted than when they were seeded. Early-flowering treatments increased diversity more than late-flowering treatments, and diversity increased with the number of forb species added. Our results indicate that early- and late-flowering species are recruitment limited, not seed limited, and that diversity is lower when these species are absent in restorations. We recommend transplanting a rich mix of forbs to overcome this limitation and ensure flowering occurs throughout the growing season. Lastly, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to investigate how early- and late-flowering forb germination may be impacted by timing of smoke cues. Given the differential response of early- and late-season species to fire season, germination cues such as smoke may play an important and possibly overlooked role in overcoming potential germination limitation and establishing more diverse restorations. We tested nine forb species of early or late flowering phenology for germination response to aerosol smoke, cold stratification, and the timing of application of those two cues (smoke before cold vs. smoke after cold). We found that species had varied response to cold and that smoke increased germination of two species. Importantly, the timing of smoke application mattered with only smoke applied prior to cold having an impact. We also found that early-flowering species had far lower germination rates than late-flowering species. The varied germination response of species to cold and importance of timing of cues for two species may be important and suggests that more targeted approaches are needed for some species in order to establish more diverse restorations

Ecological differences between early- and late-flowering grassland forbs

The loss of grassland ecosystems is widespread, and the Tallgrass Prairie region of the central United States is no exception. Restoration offers a way to restore prairie plant communities, but fully restoring the diversity found in remnant prairies can be difficult. One important goal in prairie restorations is to restore diverse forb communities and this includes having forb species that flower throughout the growing season (i.e., a range of flowering phenology). Despite this goal, forbs that flower early and late in the season may be absent in restorations. We conducted several studies to determine whether early- and late-flowering species are absent in restorations, their impact on the community, and what may limit their establishment. This included analysis of a native forb relative abundance dataset, a field experiment, and a greenhouse germination experiment. First, we compared relative abundances of early- and late-flowering species among remnants, seed mixes, and restorations. Remnant prairies had much higher relative abundance of early-flowering forbs than mixes or restorations. Late-flowering species had higher relative abundance in remnants than mixes. Next, we conducted a field experiment at three restorations to test whether early- and late-flowering species were seed limited or recruitment limited and whether adding them to restorations increased plant diversity. Biomass of early- and late-flowering forbs was much higher when they were added as transplants than when added as seeds. A stage transition model indicated that survivorship of target forbs was much higher in transplant plots than in seed plots. Plant diversity of these restorations was higher when forbs were added compared to controls (no forbs added to existing restorations). Diversity was higher when target forbs were transplanted than when they were seeded. Early-flowering treatments increased diversity more than late-flowering treatments, and diversity increased with the number of forb species added. Our results indicate that early- and late-flowering species are recruitment limited, not seed limited, and that diversity is lower when these species are absent in restorations. We recommend transplanting a rich mix of forbs to overcome this limitation and ensure flowering occurs throughout the growing season. Lastly, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to investigate how early- and late-flowering forb germination may be impacted by timing of smoke cues. Given the differential response of early- and late-season species to fire season, germination cues such as smoke may play an important and possibly overlooked role in overcoming potential germination limitation and establishing more diverse restorations. We tested nine forb species of early or late flowering phenology for germination response to aerosol smoke, cold stratification, and the timing of application of those two cues (smoke before cold vs. smoke after cold). We found that species had varied response to cold and that smoke increased germination of two species. Importantly, the timing of smoke application mattered with only smoke applied prior to cold having an impact. We also found that early-flowering species had far lower germination rates than late-flowering species. The varied germination response of species to cold and importance of timing of cues for two species may be important and suggests that more targeted approaches are needed for some species in order to establish more diverse restorations

Ecological differences between early- and late-flowering grassland forbs

The loss of grassland ecosystems is widespread, and the Tallgrass Prairie region of the central United States is no exception. Restoration offers a way to restore prairie plant communities, but fully restoring the diversity found in remnant prairies can be difficult. One important goal in prairie restorations is to restore diverse forb communities and this includes having forb species that flower throughout the growing season (i.e., a range of flowering phenology). Despite this goal, forbs that flower early and late in the season may be absent in restorations. We conducted several studies to determine whether early- and late-flowering species are absent in restorations, their impact on the community, and what may limit their establishment. This included analysis of a native forb relative abundance dataset, a field experiment, and a greenhouse germination experiment. First, we compared relative abundances of early- and late-flowering species among remnants, seed mixes, and restorations. Remnant prairies had much higher relative abundance of early-flowering forbs than mixes or restorations. Late-flowering species had higher relative abundance in remnants than mixes. Next, we conducted a field experiment at three restorations to test whether early- and late-flowering species were seed limited or recruitment limited and whether adding them to restorations increased plant diversity. Biomass of early- and late-flowering forbs was much higher when they were added as transplants than when added as seeds. A stage transition model indicated that survivorship of target forbs was much higher in transplant plots than in seed plots. Plant diversity of these restorations was higher when forbs were added compared to controls (no forbs added to existing restorations). Diversity was higher when target forbs were transplanted than when they were seeded. Early-flowering treatments increased diversity more than late-flowering treatments, and diversity increased with the number of forb species added. Our results indicate that early- and late-flowering species are recruitment limited, not seed limited, and that diversity is lower when these species are absent in restorations. We recommend transplanting a rich mix of forbs to overcome this limitation and ensure flowering occurs throughout the growing season. Lastly, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to investigate how early- and late-flowering forb germination may be impacted by timing of smoke cues. Given the differential response of early- and late-season species to fire season, germination cues such as smoke may play an important and possibly overlooked role in overcoming potential germination limitation and establishing more diverse restorations. We tested nine forb species of early or late flowering phenology for germination response to aerosol smoke, cold stratification, and the timing of application of those two cues (smoke before cold vs. smoke after cold). We found that species had varied response to cold and that smoke increased germination of two species. Importantly, the timing of smoke application mattered with only smoke applied prior to cold having an impact. We also found that early-flowering species had far lower germination rates than late-flowering species. The varied germination response of species to cold and importance of timing of cues for two species may be important and suggests that more targeted approaches are needed for some species in order to establish more diverse restorations

Ecological differences between early- and late-flowering grassland forbs

The loss of grassland ecosystems is widespread, and the Tallgrass Prairie region of the central United States is no exception. Restoration offers a way to restore prairie plant communities, but fully restoring the diversity found in remnant prairies can be difficult. One important goal in prairie restorations is to restore diverse forb communities and this includes having forb species that flower throughout the growing season (i.e., a range of flowering phenology). Despite this goal, forbs that flower early and late in the season may be absent in restorations. We conducted several studies to determine whether early- and late-flowering species are absent in restorations, their impact on the community, and what may limit their establishment. This included analysis of a native forb relative abundance dataset, a field experiment, and a greenhouse germination experiment. First, we compared relative abundances of early- and late-flowering species among remnants, seed mixes, and restorations. Remnant prairies had much higher relative abundance of early-flowering forbs than mixes or restorations. Late-flowering species had higher relative abundance in remnants than mixes. Next, we conducted a field experiment at three restorations to test whether early- and late-flowering species were seed limited or recruitment limited and whether adding them to restorations increased plant diversity. Biomass of early- and late-flowering forbs was much higher when they were added as transplants than when added as seeds. A stage transition model indicated that survivorship of target forbs was much higher in transplant plots than in seed plots. Plant diversity of these restorations was higher when forbs were added compared to controls (no forbs added to existing restorations). Diversity was higher when target forbs were transplanted than when they were seeded. Early-flowering treatments increased diversity more than late-flowering treatments, and diversity increased with the number of forb species added. Our results indicate that early- and late-flowering species are recruitment limited, not seed limited, and that diversity is lower when these species are absent in restorations. We recommend transplanting a rich mix of forbs to overcome this limitation and ensure flowering occurs throughout the growing season. Lastly, we conducted a greenhouse experiment to investigate how early- and late-flowering forb germination may be impacted by timing of smoke cues. Given the differential response of early- and late-season species to fire season, germination cues such as smoke may play an important and possibly overlooked role in overcoming potential germination limitation and establishing more diverse restorations. We tested nine forb species of early or late flowering phenology for germination response to aerosol smoke, cold stratification, and the timing of application of those two cues (smoke before cold vs. smoke after cold). We found that species had varied response to cold and that smoke increased germination of two species. Importantly, the timing of smoke application mattered with only smoke applied prior to cold having an impact. We also found that early-flowering species had far lower germination rates than late-flowering species. The varied germination response of species to cold and importance of timing of cues for two species may be important and suggests that more targeted approaches are needed for some species in order to establish more diverse restorations