For Ellie

http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/83781/1/ccgraham_1303323318.pd

‘It’s like having a test but in a fun way’: young learners’ perceptions of a digital game-based assessment of early language learning

Assessment is a challenge within early language learning, calling for methods which, as well as being valid and reliable, protect rather than diminish motivation. This study used a questionnaire to examine how 3,437 young language learners perceived a digital game-based assessment (DGBA) tool and the extent to which their perceptions were modulated by age, gender and performance levels on the game. Learners perceived the DGBA tool as fun to play, worth playing again, helpful for telling them about their progress, and moderately difficult. Girls were more positive than boys about the game but for all learners positivity was not related to age. There was a significant but weak relationship between positivity and game scores, suggesting that learners liked the game regardless of their attainment levels. The study’s findings are discussed in relation to theories of motivation associated with digital game-based tools and their practical implications for early language learning

Feature Detection for Hand Hygiene Stages

The process of hand washing involves complex hand movements. There are six principal sequential steps for washing hands as per the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. In this work, a detailed description of an aluminum rig construction for creating a robust hand-washing dataset is discussed. The preliminary results with the help of image processing and computer vision algorithms for hand pose extraction and feature detection such as Harris detector, Shi-Tomasi and SIFT are demonstrated. The hand hygiene pose- Rub hands palm to palm was captured as an input image for running all the experiments. The future work will focus upon processing the video recordings of hand movements captured and applying deep-learning solutions for the classification of hand-hygiene stages

Identification of Unique Features and Exploration of Leap Motion Controller for Detecting Hand Hygiene Stages

Hospital acquired infections (HAIs) are contracted by the patients during the hospital stay. Antibiotic resistant microbes are the major cause and spread due to the contaminated medical equipment, crowded hospitals, frequent transfer of patients from one unit to another and poor hand hygiene. [1] In high income countries, approximately 30% of patients in intensive care units are affected by at least one HAI. [2] Hand hygiene is identified as a measure to prevent cross-transmission and to reduce the rate of HAI. [3] Technology is now used as a means of assessing hand hygiene compliance. Current approaches involve the use of electronic counters for measuring the number of hand washing events and product usage but the quality of hand wash is not taken into consideration. There are guidelines that demonstrate how to wash hands properly as per World Health Organisation (WHO). It is proposed that image and gesture based tracking devices may be suitable in assessing the quality of hand hygiene and adherence to accepted guidelines. In advance of implementing these approaches, this paper identifies and classifies the unique features (hand orientation and movement) for each stage of WHO guidelines. A 3D gesture tracking device (Leap Motion Controller) is then used to identify the stages based on this classification system

The role of virtual reality in improving health outcomes for community-dwelling older adults : systematic review

Background: Virtual reality (VR) delivered through immersive headsets creates an opportunity to deliver interventions to improve physical, mental, and psychosocial health outcomes. VR app studies with older adults have primarily focused on rehabilitation and physical function including gait, balance, fall prevention, pain management, and cognition. Several systematic reviews have previously been conducted, but much of the extant literature is focused on rehabilitation or other institutional settings, and little is known about the effectiveness of VR apps using immersive headsets to target health outcomes among community-dwelling older adults. Objective: The objective of this review was to evaluate the effectiveness of VR apps delivered using commercially available immersive headsets to improve physical, mental, or psychosocial health outcomes in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: Peer-reviewed publications that included community-dwelling older adults aged ≥60 years residing in residential aged care settings and nursing homes were included. This systematic review was conducted in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) methodology for systematic reviews of effectiveness evidence. The title of this review was registered with JBI, and the systematic review protocol was registered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews. Results: In total, 7 studies that specifically included community-dwelling older adults were included in this review. VR apps using a head-mounted display led to improvements in a number of health outcomes, including pain management, posture, cognitive functioning specifically related to Alzheimer disease, and a decreased risk of falls. A total of 6 studies reported a statistically significant difference post VR intervention, and 1 study reported an improvement in cognitive function to reduce navigational errors. Only one study reported on the usability and acceptability of the interventions delivered through VR. While one study used a distraction mechanism for pain management, none of the studies used gaming technology to promote enjoyment. Conclusions: Interventions to improve health outcomes through VR have demonstrated potential; however, the ability to synthesize findings by primary outcome for the older adult population is not possible. A number of factors, especially related to frailty, usability, and acceptability, also need to be explored before more substantial recommendations on the effectiveness of VR interventions for older adults can be made

Tracking Hand Trajectory as a Preliminary Study for Hand Hygiene Stages

The process of hand washing involves complex hand movements. There are six principal sequential steps for washing hands as per the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines. In this work, a preliminary analysis was undertaken in order to develop an automated image processing system for tracking and classification of two-handed dynamic gestures involved in hand washing. To facilitate this study, videos of healthcare workers who were engaged in washing hands were sourced from the internet. The videos were analysed in order to extract the unique features of two-handed gestures associated with all hand hygiene (HH) stages. The combination of these unique features can be used to detect each HH stage. In the video recordings, the hand trajectory was found to be linear or circular for all six HH stages. In this paper, we attempt to track hand trajectory with the help of 2.5 Mega Pixel ELP-USB cameras and using an image processing approach for skin detection and the contour-centroid detection method. The YCbCr colour space is invariant to illumination intensity and therefore it was selected for the skin detection method. This work concludes that cameras are suitable for tracking one hand movement- linear and circular motion as a preliminary work and can be further expanded for detecting two hand movements in hand washing

Effect of Instruction Method on Competency and Perception of Proloquo2Go

This study investigated three approaches to learning the basics of Proloquo2Go in order to assess the effectiveness of the instructional method and its effect on the participants’ attitude toward AAC.With the establishment of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), more children with severe communication disorders are being educated in public school general education classrooms. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices are often the primary means of communication for nonverbal students and have been shown to improve the communication, language, and literacy skills of children with such deficits.Teacher’s attitudes toward the use and effectiveness of AAC has been found to be negative. Does instructional method affect the speed at which novel users demonstrate competency in Proloquo2Go? Does the type of training influence the attitude of novel users toward AAC

Do Exergames Allow Children To Achieve Physical Activity Intensity Commensurate With National Guidelines?

The purpose of this study was to determine if two popular exergames, Wii Fit™ and EA Sports Active™, both games for the Nintendo Wii™ console, help children achieve intensity consistent with recommended physical activity guidelines. Thirty children (19 males and 11 females, Mean age = 9.4 ± 1.8 years) participated in this study by playing each game during one research session. During the session participants wore a heart rate monitor and accelerometer to measure exercise intensity. Perceived exertion (RPE) was measured with the children’s run/walk OMNI scale. All three measures of exercise intensity (heart rate, accelerometer counts, and RPE) found that the EA Sports Active™ game session elicited higher exercise intensity. However, heart rate data found both games to achieve moderate intensity (65-68% age-predicted HRmax). When using heart rate as an indicator of exercise intensity it appears that both exergames were of sufficient intensity to achieve physical activity guidelines. Future studies should continue to investigate the utility of exergaming in helping children to become more physically active

Collegiate Leadership Competition: Deliberate Practice Leading to Expertise

Deliberate practice (Ericsson & Pool, 2016), the scientific process often attributed to developing expertise, requires a well-developed field and a teacher who can design, provide, and facilitate purposeful activities that target specific goals related to performance in that field. Components of purposeful practice include (a) well-defined goals, often related to skills that others have figured out how to do; (b) timely, continuous, and specific feedback; (c) deliberate practice outside of one’s comfort zone; and (d) developing previously acquired skills through continuous improvement. USM students’ participation in Collegiate Leadership Competition (CLC) practice sessions include components of deliberate practice aimed toward the goal of developing expert leaders. Through intentional learning activities grounded in applied leadership and specific performance outcomes, CLC practices include innovative strategies for leading and influencing high performing teams, solving complex problems, improving intergroup communication skills, and enhancing critical thinking skills; and each learning activity concludes with focused debriefing sessions that include feedback from the instructor and peer students. While 10,000 hours of deliberate practice in a leadership environment may be unrealistic for most college students, the CLC facilitates an accessible alternative