Direction of collaborative problem solving-based STEM learning by learning analytics approach.

The purpose of this study was to explore the factors that might affect learning performance and collaborative problem solving (CPS) awareness in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. We collected and analyzed data on important factors in STEM education, including learning strategy and learning behaviors, and examined their interrelationships with learning performance and CPS awareness, respectively. Multiple data sources, including learning tests, questionnaire feedback, and learning logs, were collected and examined following a learning analytics approach. Significant positive correlations were found for the learning behavior of using markers with learning performance and CPS awareness in group discussion, while significant negative correlations were found for some factors of STEM learning strategy and learning behaviors in pre-learning with some factors of CPS awareness. The results imply the importance of an efficient approach to using learning strategies and functional tools in STEM education

The Effect of the Presence of An Observer on Prefrontal Cortex during a Driving Video Game: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study

It has been reported that the presence of others facilitates or inhibits an individual's performance. To investigate the neural bases of the effect of the presence of others, using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), we measured bilateral prefrontal activation (BA 10) in humans while they performed a simulated driving task. Participants were divided into four groups according to the combination of the presence of others (Single vs. Paired) and the game experience (High vs. Low): S-H, S-L, P-H, and P-L groups. The participant's task was to drive from start to goal using a route map either driving alone without a paired partner (single condition) or driving with a paired partner as an observer (paired condition). The results revealed that the single groups (S-H, S-L) yielded more errors than the paired groups (P-H, P-L) regardless of the game experience. However, the NIRS data demonstrated an interaction between the presence of others (S, P) and the game experience (H, L): The P-H showed higher brain activity than the S-H, whereas the P-L showed lower brain activity than the S-L. These results suggest that the presence of others functions distinctively in the prefrontal cortex in participants according to their prior experience in the relevant task

The neural correlates of biomechanical constraints in hand laterality judgment task performed from other person’s perspective: A near-infrared spectroscopy study - Fig 6

<p>Coxy-Hb changes (M ± SEM) of the 1PP and 3PP conditions (a) left PFC and (b) right PFC in the hand task at 90° and 270°.</p

The neural correlates of biomechanical constraints in hand laterality judgment task performed from other person’s perspective: A near-infrared spectroscopy study - Fig 8

<p>Coxy-Hb changes (M ± SEM) of the 1PP and 3PP conditions (a) left PFC and (b) right PFC in the Character task at 90° and 270°.</p

The multiple stages required for performing the HLJ task from 3PP.

<p>The multiple stages required for performing the HLJ task from 3PP.</p