Empowering EFL learning: leveraging ChatGPT for lesson planning and activity generation in the EFL classroom

Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently surrounded today's world due to its tremendous development. As a result, there has been an interest in using it to enhance educational experiences, not least in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom, through the AI tool, the Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer, henceforth, ChatGPT. Although the latter has been subject to a number of criticisms, the present paper explores one of its benefits: a ChatGPT-generated lesson plan and activities about a course on paragraph writing addressed to first-year EFL students and the opinion of 15 EFL writing teachers at the English Department of Tlemcen University, Algeria, on its quality. A questionnaire was used to achieve this purpose. The results revealed the participants's general appreciation of the produced materials but only as a supplementary pedagogical tool rather than the sole source of information. Further investigation on the topic should be carried out in the subject area for a broader perspective.Artificial intelligence (AI) has recently surrounded today's world due to its tremendous development. As a result, there has been an interest in using it to enhance educational experiences, not least in the English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom, through the AI tool, the Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer, henceforth, ChatGPT. Although the latter has been subject to a number of criticisms, the present paper explores one of its benefits: a ChatGPT-generated lesson plan and activities about a course on paragraph writing addressed to first-year EFL students and the opinion of 15 EFL writing teachers at the English Department of Tlemcen University, Algeria, on its quality. A questionnaire was used to achieve this purpose. The results revealed the participants's general appreciation of the produced materials but only as a supplementary pedagogical tool rather than the sole source of information. Further investigation on the topic should be carried out in the subject area for a broader perspective

Hacia una evaluación basada en Moodle de la producción escrita de estudiantes de ILE en Argelia

The present study examines the effect of a technology-based assessment on the writing performance of Algerian English Foreign Language (EFL) students. Forty-two first-year EFL at the English Department at Tlemcen University (Algeria) took part in the experiment. They were divided into an experimental group (n = 21) and a control group (n = 21). A pre-test and a post-test were used as research instruments before and after the administration of the treatment, respectively. The data were analysed quantitatively using IBM SPSS (20.0). The results revealed that the Moodle-based e-assessment had a significant effect on the performance of the experimental group. We argue that the proposed type of assessment had some pedagogical, practical, and emotional attributes that explained students’ improved scores. We also believe that the e-assessment acted as pedagogical teaching support to traditional evaluation.Este trabajo examinó el efecto que una evaluación virtual a través de Moodle tiene sobre la producción escrita de estudiantes de inglés como lengua extranjera (ILE) en Argelia. Para ello, se diseñó una investigación experimental con un grupo control pre-testpost-test. Participaron 42 estudiantes de ILE del departamento de inglés de la Universidad de Tlemcen (Argelia). Se dividieron en un grupo experimental (N=21) y un grupo control (N=21). Se utilizaron un pre-test y un post-test respectivamente antes y después del experimento como herramientas de investigación. Los datos se analizaron cuantitativamente utilizando SPSS IBM (20.0). Los resultados revelaron que la evaluación a través de Moodle tuvo un efecto significativo en los resultados del grupo experimental. Los investigadores concluyeron que el tipo de evaluación propuesto tenía algunos atributos pedagógicos, prácticos y emocionales que explicaban la mejora de las puntuaciones de los estudiantes y se cree que la evaluación virtual actuó como un apoyo pedagógico a la tradicional

Simulation and Practical Realization of A 24-Pair Electronic Continuity Test Circuit for MSAN ZTE

The continuity test of a telephone line is a technique used very often by every Telecom site engineer. Continuity refers to communication that does not face any interruption. Very often, the continuity measurement takes place during troubleshooting to ensure that the lines are intact. The work presented in this paper is based on the principle of MDF continuity rule lines for MSAN site. It presents the practical realization of a continuity tester circuit to verify several telephone lines simultaneously, specifically 24 pairs (24 subscribers) at the same time. Our solution suggested for making troubleshooting in one of the outages/ malfunctions more flexible and fluid in terms of intervention and time for repair. A case study involving 18 sites in two different regions in Algeria, Constantine (without circuit) and El Oued (with circuit) was conducted and the results showed there was a gain ratio estimated at about 338/1361 (Min)

Evaluación-e: presente y futura visión

Kamila Ghouali - Abou Bekr Belkaid University (Tlemcen, Algeria) - 0000-0003-2221-2939Smail Benmoussat - Abou Bekr Belkaid University (Tlemcen, Algeria) - 0000-0003-4837-3992Raúl Ruiz-Cecilia - University of Granada - 0000-0002-8119-549XRecepción: 21.01.2020 | Aceptado: 25.01.2020Correspondencia a través de ORCID: Raúl Ruiz-Cecilia - 0000-0002-8119-549XThe role that technology has played in the educational domain is undeniable. In fact, it has affected various aspects of students’ way of learning, not least their assessment. This change has been conducive to an online based-evaluation in line with the 21st century era referred to as e-assessment. The present paper is a review of the literature that first defines assessment and spotlights its types, features, and importance. Then, it moves to e-assessment by highlighting its emergence, tools, and process. It also sheds light on the differences that may exist between e-assessment and other more conventional modes of evaluation and the underlying reasons behind its use. Because the computer-based assessment is seen divergently from one scholar to another, the article discusses those disagreeing opinions in the form of pro and cons from pedagogical, social, administrative, and financial considerations. Moreover, it explores the set of challenges that can come across its implementation and provides a set of recommendations. The work intends to provide an in-depth understanding about such type of evaluation and insights for future e-designer, teachers, and researchers alike on the different parameters that have to be taken into account before designing any e-assessment task in an educational setting.Resumen: El papel que la tecnología ha desempeñado en el ámbito educativo es innegable. De hecho, ha afectado a varios aspectos de la forma de aprender de los estudiantes, sobre todo a su evaluación. Este cambio ha propiciado una evaluación en línea acorde con la era del siglo XXI, lo que se conoce como evaluación electrónica. El presente documento es una revisión de la literatura que primero define la evaluación y destaca sus tipos, características e importancia. Luego, se pasa a la evaluación electrónica destacando su surgimiento, herramientas y proceso. Asimismo, arroja luz sobre las diferencias que pueden existir entre la evaluación electrónica y otros modos de evaluación más convencionales y las razones subyacentes a su uso. Debido a que la evaluación electrónica se ve de manera divergente de un académico a otro, el artículo discute esas opiniones discrepantes en forma de pro y contra de consideraciones pedagógicas, sociales, administrativas y financieras. Además, explora el conjunto de desafíos que pueden surgir en su implementación y proporciona un conjunto de recomendaciones. El trabajo pretende proporcionar una comprensión en profundidad sobre este tipo de evaluación y una visión para futuros diseñadores, profesores e investigadores sobre los diferentes parámetros que deben tenerse en cuenta antes de diseñar cualquier tarea de evaluación electrónica en un entorno educativo

Financial crises and the attainment of the SDGs: an adjusted multidimensional poverty approach

This paper analyses the impact of financial crises on the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating poverty. To do so, we develop an adjusted Multidimensional Poverty Framework (MPF) that includes 15 indicators that span across key poverty aspects related to income, basic needs, health, education and the environment. We then use an econometric model that allows us to examine the impact of financial crises on these indicators in 150 countries over the period 1980–2015. Our analysis produces new estimates on the impact of financial crises on poverty’s multiple social, economic and environmental aspects and equally important captures dynamic linkages between these aspects. Thus, we offer a better understanding of the potential impact of current debt dynamics on Multidimensional Poverty and demonstrate the need to move beyond the boundaries of SDG1, if we are to meet the target of eradicating poverty. Our results indicate that the current financial distress experienced by many low-income countries may reverse the progress that has been made hitherto in reducing poverty. We find that financial crises are associated with an approximately 10% increase of extreme poor in low-income countries. The impact is even stronger in some other poverty aspects. For instance, crises are associated with an average decrease of government spending in education by 17.72% in low-income countries. The dynamic linkages between most of the Multidimensional Poverty indicators, warn of a negative domino effect on a number of SDGs related to poverty, if there is a financial crisis shock. To pre-empt such a domino effect, the specific SDG target 17.4 on attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies plays a key role and requires urgent attention by the international community

Probabilistic Fracture Estimate Tool for the Evaluation of DARWIN-3D Code

This paper aims at introducing the probabilistic fracture estimate tool SCILAB-AFGROW that was developed for the evaluation by of DRAWIN-3DÒ software. The latter has been developed based on a strong FAA recommendation following a fatigue crack defect (Hard-Alpha anomaly) arisen on the titanium fan disk that caused the crash of UA232 flight (Sioux-City, 1989). DARWIN? fracture risk assessment relies on probabilistic tools, a crack propagation solver and especially a use of an exceedance curve. This curve describes the statistics distribution of the existence and the initial size of the crack in the titanium alloy part. The deterministic and probabilistic capabilities of SCILAB-AFGROW will be demonstrated by considering the analytic example of a hollow pressurized cylinder. The proposed tool allows to efficiently cross-check and to easily understand the probabilistic fracture estimates computed by DARWIN-3DÒ. It also provides corrections to some limitations faced by DARWINÒ - such us the non-verification of the net-section and residual strength criteria in the probability of fracture computation. In addition to standard random variables already proposed by DRAWINÒ (crack exceedance, stress, life, inspection, detection, etc...), SCILAB-AFGROW is able to use structural random variables and sensitivity solutions for the probability of fracture computation

Linéarisation au Sens des Moindres Carrées d’un Système Non Linéaire Excité – Application à une Jonction Non Linéaire de Type Josephson

Conférence Internationale sur les Systèmes de Télécommunication , d’Electronique Médicale et d’Automatique, CISTEMA’2003Le but de ce travail est d’appliquer une procédure de linéarisation optimale à un système physique non linéaire excité. Nous présentons une étude d’un circuit électronique non linéaire excité et ou la non linéarité provient de la présence d’une jonction de type Josephson

Perspective Chapter: Viscoelastic Mechanical Equivalent Models

Today, we are living in a polymeric era where thousands of daily used products are manufactured from some polymeric materials with different tasks and under a wide range of ambient conditions, including time duration of loading and working condition temperature. This leads to focusing light spot on behavior of such specific materials and investigating the strain associated with the applied stress to understand both of creep and stress relaxation behavior of the loaded polymeric components. Hence, this chapter deals with the estimation of induced strain allied with the applied force on a polymeric material via establishing the so-called mechanical equivalent models starting from the simple elastic element (spring with a modulus of elasticity E), simple viscous element (damper or dashpot with fluid viscosity η), Maxwell model, Voigt model, modified Maxwell model, modified Voigt model, and Maxwell-Voigt model. The theoretical analysis was built on derivation of the prompted deformation, as a function of time in each of the employed models, as a result of the applied external load (force) and then by depending on Hook’s law transforming the gained expressions into stress (σ) and strain (ε) notation, followed by comparing the obtained equation with the general formula of the Hook’s law to find exact values of the constant and as coefficients of the stress and strain. Final theoretical analysis showed that Maxwell’s modified model was the best describing behavior of a loaded polymeric material to some extent followed by the other models

Stewart-Treves Syndrome Involving Chronic Lymphedema after Mastectomy of Breast Cancer

Steward-Treves syndrome is a cutaneous angiosarcoma that usually appears after long evolution of a lymphoedema after mastectomy for mammary neoplasia associated with an axillary dissection. This is a rare disease develop most of the time in upper arm and often confounded with cutaneous metastasis. Only the biopsy and immunohistochemical study confirm the diagnosis. The treatment is surgical and consists of large cutaneous excision, an amputation of the limb or even its disarticulation and will be followed by chemotherapy. Despite the treatment, the prognosis remains severe with poor survival. We report the case of a patient who had a Steward-Treves syndrome 20 years after lymphoedema following a left mastectomy with axillary dissection

Evaluation of a quality improvement intervention to reduce anastomotic leak following right colectomy (EAGLE): pragmatic, batched stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized trial in 64 countries

Background: Anastomotic leak affects 8 per cent of patients after right colectomy with a 10-fold increased risk of postoperative death. The EAGLE study aimed to develop and test whether an international, standardized quality improvement intervention could reduce anastomotic leaks. Methods: The internationally intended protocol, iteratively co-developed by a multistage Delphi process, comprised an online educational module introducing risk stratification, an intraoperative checklist, and harmonized surgical techniques. Clusters (hospital teams) were randomized to one of three arms with varied sequences of intervention/data collection by a derived stepped-wedge batch design (at least 18 hospital teams per batch). Patients were blinded to the study allocation. Low- and middle-income country enrolment was encouraged. The primary outcome (assessed by intention to treat) was anastomotic leak rate, and subgroup analyses by module completion (at least 80 per cent of surgeons, high engagement; less than 50 per cent, low engagement) were preplanned. Results: A total 355 hospital teams registered, with 332 from 64 countries (39.2 per cent low and middle income) included in the final analysis. The online modules were completed by half of the surgeons (2143 of 4411). The primary analysis included 3039 of the 3268 patients recruited (206 patients had no anastomosis and 23 were lost to follow-up), with anastomotic leaks arising before and after the intervention in 10.1 and 9.6 per cent respectively (adjusted OR 0.87, 95 per cent c.i. 0.59 to 1.30; P = 0.498). The proportion of surgeons completing the educational modules was an influence: the leak rate decreased from 12.2 per cent (61 of 500) before intervention to 5.1 per cent (24 of 473) after intervention in high-engagement centres (adjusted OR 0.36, 0.20 to 0.64; P < 0.001), but this was not observed in low-engagement hospitals (8.3 per cent (59 of 714) and 13.8 per cent (61 of 443) respectively; adjusted OR 2.09, 1.31 to 3.31). Conclusion: Completion of globally available digital training by engaged teams can alter anastomotic leak rates. Registration number: NCT04270721 (http://www.clinicaltrials.gov)