Effects of network topology on the OpenAnswer’s Bayesian model of peer assessment

The paper investigates if and how the topology of the peer assessment network can affect the performance of the Bayesian model adopted in Ope nAnswer. Performance is evaluated in terms of the comparison of predicted grades with actual teacher’s grades. The global network is built by interconnecting smaller subnetworks, one for each student, where intra subnetwork nodes represent student's characteristics, and peer assessment assignments make up inter subnetwork connections and determine evidence propagation. A possible subset of teacher graded answers is dynamically determined by suitable selec tion and stop rules. The research questions addressed are: RQ1) “does the topology (diameter) of the network negatively influence the precision of predicted grades?”̀ in the affirmative case, RQ2) “are we able to reduce the negative effects of high diameter networks through an appropriate choice of the subset of students to be corrected by the teacher?” We show that RQ1) OpenAnswer is less effective on higher diameter topologies, RQ2) this can be avoided if the subset of corrected students is chosen considering the network topology

Innovative learning at The University of Edinburgh

The activities available to civil engineering students during the University of Edinburgh's innovative learning week in 2012 were examined. The academic staff proposed a wide range of possible activities and student participation was optional. Popular activities were those with a ‘hands-on’ element: making or doing something. The practical activities offered included designing and building trebuchets, relaying railway permanent way on a heritage railway, practical workshops on engineering in international development and learning to juggle. These activities suggested that heuristic learning by trial and error was likely to enhance the visualisation skills that contribute to good engineering design. Further, the linking of achievement to purposeful practice rather than innate talent could inform teaching methods in the future. They also showed that in some cases safety culture messages were still not fully assimilated by students

The role of ultrasound simulators in education: An investigation into sonography student experiences and clinical mentor perceptions

Introduction: Simulation as an effective pedagogy is gaining momentum at all levels of healthcare education. Limited research has been undertaken on the role of simulated learning in healthcare, and further evaluation is needed to explore the quality of learning opportunities offered, and their effectiveness in the preparation of students for clinical practice. This study was undertaken to explore ways of integrating simulation into sonography training to enhance clinical preparation.Research method: A qualitative study was undertaken, using interviews to investigate the experiences of a group of sonography students after interacting with an ultrasound simulator. The perceptions of their clinical mentors on the effectiveness of this equipment to support the education and development of sonographers, were also explored.Findings: The findings confirm that ultrasound simulators provide learning opportunities in an unpressurised environment, which reduces stress for the student and potential harm to patients. Busy clinical departments acknowledge the advantages of opportunities for students to acquire basic psychomotor skills in a classroom setting, thereby avoiding the inevitable reduction in patient throughput which results from clinical training. The limitations of simulation equipment to support the development of the full range of clinical skills required by sonographers, were highlighted, and suggestions made for more effective integration of simulation into the teaching and learning process. Conclusion: Ultrasound simulators have a role in sonography education, but continued research needs to be undertaken in order to develop appropriate strategies to support students, educators, and mentors to effectively integrate this methodology

Using assignment data to analyse a blended information literacy intervention: a quantitative approach

This research sought to determine whether a blended information literacy learning and teaching intervention could statistically significantly enhance undergraduates’ information discernment compared to standard face-to-face delivery. A mixture of face-to-face and online activities, including online social media learning, was used. Three interventions were designed to develop the information literacies of first-year undergraduates studying Sport and Exercise at Staffordshire University and focused on one aspect of information literacy: the ability to evaluate source material effectively. An analysis was devised where written evaluations of found information for an assessment were converted into numerical scores and then measured statistically. This helped to evaluate the efficacy of the interventions and provided data for further analysis. An insight into how the information literacy pedagogical intervention and the cognitive processes involved in enabling participants to interact critically with information is provided. The intervention which incorporated social media learning proved to be the most successful learning and teaching approach. The data indicated that undergraduate students’ information literacy can be developed. However, additional long-term data is required to establish whether this intervention would have a lasting impact

Parenting gifted and talented children: What are the key child behaviour and parenting issues?

Objective: The literature on gifted and talented children is limited. Little is known about the types and nature of difficulties experienced by gifted and talented children, and even less known about parenting issues related to parenting a gifted and talented child. The aim of the present study was to describe children's behavioural and emotional adjustment, and the factors that contribute to children's difficulties, as well as to examine the styles of discipline used by parents of gifted and talented children and their level of confidence in managing specific parenting tasks

A comparison of methodological frameworks for digital learning game design

Methodological frameworks guide the design of digital learning game based on well founded learning theories and instructional strategies. This study presents a comparison of five methodological frameworks for digital learning game design, highlighting their similarities and differences. The objective is to support the choice of an adequate framework, aiming to promote them as a way to foster principled digital learning games design. This paper concludes that: (i) interactivity, engagement and increasing complexity of challenges are fundamental factors to digital learning game design; (ii) the pedagogical base, the target, the possibility of doing game assessment and the presence of practical guidelines are the selection criteria that influence most the choice of a methodological framework, and (iii) the development of digital learning games - preferably by different research teams - is needed to provide empirical evidence of the utility of framework-based design

Mathematically gifted and talented learners: Theory and practice

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, 40(2), 213-228, 2009, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/00207390802566907.There is growing recognition of the special needs of mathematically gifted learners. This article reviews policy developments and current research and theory on giftedness in mathematics. It includes a discussion of the nature of mathematical ability as well as the factors that make up giftedness in mathematics. The article is set in the context of current developments in Mathematics Education and Gifted Education in the UK and their implications for Science and Technology. It argues that early identification and appropriate provision for younger mathematically promising pupils capitalizes on an intellectual resource which could provide future mathematicans as well as specialists in Science or Technology. Drawing on a Vygotskian framework, it is suggested that the mathematically gifted require appropriate cognitive challenges as well as attitudinally and motivationally enhancing experiences. In the second half of this article we report on an initiative in which we worked with teachers to identify mathematically gifted pupils and to provide effective enrichment support for them, in a number of London Local Authorities. A number of significant issues are raised relating to the identification of mathematical talent, enrichment provision for students and teachers’ professional development

Duckietown: An Innovative Way to Teach Autonomy

Teaching robotics is challenging because it is a multidisciplinary, rapidly evolving and experimental discipline that integrates cutting-edge hardware and software. This paper describes the course design and first implementation of Duckietown, a vehicle autonomy class that experiments with teaching innovations in addition to leveraging modern educational theory for improving student learning. We provide a robot to every student, thanks to a minimalist platform design, to maximize active learning; and introduce a role-play aspect to increase team spirit, by modeling the entire class as a fictional start-up (Duckietown Engineering Co.). The course formulation leverages backward design by formalizing intended learning outcomes (ILOs) enabling students to appreciate the challenges of: (a) heterogeneous disciplines converging in the design of a minimal self-driving car, (b) integrating subsystems to create complex system behaviors, and (c) allocating constrained computational resources. Students learn how to assemble, program, test and operate a self-driving car (Duckiebot) in a model urban environment (Duckietown), as well as how to implement and document new features in the system. Traditional course assessment tools are complemented by a full scale demonstration to the general public. The “duckie” theme was chosen to give a gender-neutral, friendly identity to the robots so as to improve student involvement and outreach possibilities. All of the teaching materials and code is released online in the hope that other institutions will adopt the platform and continue to evolve and improve it, so to keep pace with the fast evolution of the field.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Award IIS #1318392)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Award #1405259