The Development of Learning Object Design System (LODS) for Instructional Designers

This project intended to build a platform for Instructional Designers (IDs) to analyse the content and document their inputs on the content analysis. The purpose of the system is to aid IDs in the process of content design and produce an efficient design plan for learning objects using technology, in this case Learning Object Design System (LODS). LODS is a system where the instructional designer record the findings from content analysis (learning outcome, scope of content, cognitive level of content, content structure, summary) as well as learning design attributes for the particular learning object (instructional approach, content presentation method, learning activities, assessment method). The system was initiated due to the absence of standardised procedures in the beginning phase of the learning object design which is content design. This is a case study involving interviews with experts and literature reviews to derive the attributes for the content analysis process. A set of guidelines was developed which highlighted the steps in analysing the content. These guidelines were then transformed into a Learning Object Design System (LODS). LODS enable the IDs to record, save, retrieve and print their input on the content analysis findings. The LODS is expected to aid the IDs in the decision making process as it provides step-by-step template with options. The documentation will become as easy as filling in forms as they would be automatically formatted into one standard version. LODS is expected to speed up the content production and simplify the IDs’ current work process. For further research, it is recommended to make the LODS as collaborative platform between IDs and SMEs to enhance the quality of learning objects. (Abstract from authors

Cartridge syringe vs computer controlled local anesthetic delivery system: pain related behaviour over two sequential visits – a randomized controlled trial

Background: Local anesthetic injection is one of the most anxiety provoking procedure in dentistry. Knowledge about change in pain related behaviour during consecutive visits helps in and scheduling of treatment procedures and management of children in dental clinic. Aim: To compare the pain perception, behavioural response and the associated change in physiological parameters while receiving local anesthesia injection with cartridge syringe and computer controlled local anesthetic delivery system (CCLAD) over two consecutive visits. Material and Methods: In this randomized controlled cross over trial, 120 children aged 7 – 11 years were randomly divided into group A: receiving injections with CCLAD during first visit; group B: receiving injections with cartridge syringe during first visit. The physiological parameters (heart rate and blood pressure) were recorded before and during injection procedure. Objective evaluation of disruptive behaviour and subjective evaluation of pain perceived were done using Face Legs Activity Cry Consolability (FLACC) scale and modified facial image scale (FIS) respectively. Results: No statistical difference in pain response ( p = 0.164) and disruptive behaviour ( p = 0.120) between cartridge syringe and CCLAD injections were seen during the first visit although the latter showed lesser scores. However, during the second visit there were significant increase in pain response ( p = 0.004) and disruptive behaviour ( p = 0.006) in cartridge syringe group with an associated increase in heart rate. Conclusions: Injections with CCLAD produced lesser pain ratings and disruptive behaviour than cartridge syringe in children irrespective of order of visi

Immune predictors of oral poliovirus vaccine immunogenicity among infants in South India.

Identification of the causes of poor oral vaccine immunogenicity in low-income countries might lead to more effective vaccines. We measured mucosal and systemic immune parameters at the time of vaccination with oral poliovirus vaccine (OPV) in 292 Indian infants aged 6-11 months, including plasma cytokines, leukocyte counts, fecal biomarkers of environmental enteropathy and peripheral blood T-cell phenotype, focused on gut-homing regulatory CD4+ populations. We did not find a distinct immune phenotype associated with OPV immunogenicity, although viral pathogens were more prevalent in stool at the time of immunization among infants who failed to seroconvert (63.9% vs. 45.6%, p = 0.002). Using a machine-learning approach, we could predict seroconversion a priori using immune parameters and infection status with a median 58% accuracy (cross-validation IQR: 50-69%) compared with 50% expected by chance. Better identification of immune predictors of OPV immunogenicity is likely to require sampling of mucosal tissue and improved oral poliovirus infection models

Auto retry circuit breaker for enhanced performance in microservice applications

Cloud-hosted distributed systems are much more resilient to failure. Resilience is the key factor in avoiding cascading failures in microservice architectures, where circuit-breaker, retry, bulkhead, and rate-limiter patterns are implemented. Through the implementation of these patterns, availability and reliability factors can be greatly improved. Circuit-breaker emphasizes a fail-fast mechanism, so it is highly recommended. Although they are beneficial, some factors, such as configuration, need to be improved to increase the system's throughput. In this paper, an approach called auto retry circuit breaker (ARCB) is implemented, which is a modified version of existing patterns of circuit breaker, and it has been found that the throughput of the system can be increased by 36% when compared to the existing manual circuit breaker pattern

The development of M-LODGE for training instructional designers

AbstractMultimedia Learning Object Design Guidelines (M-LODGE) is a unique set of standardised procedures in designing multimedia learning objects comprising of POCIMPA – planning (P), learning outcome (O), content (C), ideas (I), method (M), practice (P) and assessment (A). The creation of the guideline was initiated due to the absence of standardized procedures in the content design of the learning object design. The purpose is to develop guidelines for the Instructional Designers (IDs) to aid them in the process of content analysis and produce design plan for multimedia learning objects. This is a case study involving interviews with experts and literature reviews to derive data for the guidelines. Apart from M-LODGE, a content design document was also developed to enable IDs to document content design process. The interview with IDs indicated that the guidelines and content design document have saved their time and effort spent in the decision making process during the learning object design. © 2010 Published by Elsevier Ltd

Social constructivism in an online learning environment

Social constructivism asserts that learning should be collaborative with meaning negotiated from multiple perspectives. This study addressed the issues surrounding the design of learning activities in an online environment that can facilitate learning from a social constructivist perspective. The main objectives of this study were to apply learning principles derived from social constructivist theory into the design of online learning environment and to investigate the effectiveness of the design on students' learning outcomes. Of interest also is their ability to construct knowledge, their participation and social interaction in the learning process. Twenty five students pursuing an undergraduate TESL programme in Universiti Malaysia Sarawak participated in this study. The data were obtained from semi-structured interviews, structured questionnaire and the analysis of the online postings in the online discussion forum during the learning activity. The effectiveness of social constructivism in facilitating meaningful learning was proven in this study. Participants indicated that the information shared in the discussions enabled them to understand more about the course content (M=2.96). Follow-up interviews with selected participants confirmed this finding. The findings also indicated that social interaction and participation was limited in this study due to constraints such as time, a high workload and a discomfort with the online learning environment. The nature of the online interactions in this study was mostly for the purpose of clarification and confirmation of information rather than knowledge construction. Based on the findings of the study, some recommendations are made regarding the role of the instructor as well as pedagogical suggestions to enhance the ability to construct knowledge among students in online learning environments