Providing computer-assisted, two-way feedback in formative assessment: an innovation supporting best educational practice

This thesis presents the design and development of an educational ICT innovation called the Quality Assessment System (QAS), intended to: increase the speed of providing useful, legible and consistent feedback, enhance student engagement in the analysis and improvement of their own work, and provide an easily-accessible, cumulative history of completed tasks and feedback. The QAS has been developed to a proof-of-concept stage as a Microsoft Word add-in, which can be used on digital or handwritten work, and has functions to administer resubmissions. The prototype system was evaluated at a tertiary institution in the field of English for Speakers of Other Languages. I used observations, interview methods, and a Wizard-of-Oz experiment to simulate full use of the software. The research found that: - the QAS could foster the rapid provision of consistent, clear feedback; - the facility to provide digital feedback on handwritten work safeguarded the desire of some students to continue writing their tasks by hand; - the handling of resubmitted tasks and the comparison of feedback on the first and second submissions (or any other pair of user-selected tasks) was considered very useful; - some students were emotional attached to handwritten feedback and believed that feedback mediated by computer showed a lack of teacher care for the students; - administrators believed the QAS would be useful for resolving student-teacher disputes, and as a tool to enhance the robustness of the quality self-assessment system the faculty adhered to. While I acknowledge the need for caution in interpreting the fieldwork results of small samples, this research places systemisation tools such as the QAS firmly on the agenda for closer investigation

Direct extraction of tau information for use in ego-motion

Avoidance collisions with obstacles is a critical function of any autonomous vehicle. This thesis considers the problem of utilising information about time to contact available in the ambient optic array. Motion-from-smear (W.G. Chen, Nandhakumar, & Martin, 1994; Geisler, 1999) is used to aid judgment of global tau (Kaiser & Mowafy, 1993; D. N. Lee, 1974, 1976). A robotic system employing motion-from­ smear was tested in a task requiring judgment of global tau and found to provide adequate accuracy (mean error= -0.52s) but poor precision (SD= 1.52s). Motion­ from-smear is also discussed with respect to its application to a novel formulation for composite tau and a use of motion parallax in stair descent

3D-in-2D Displays for ATC.

This paper reports on the efforts and accomplishments of the 3D-in-2D Displays for ATC project at the end of Year 1. We describe the invention of 10 novel 3D/2D visualisations that were mostly implemented in the Augmented Reality ARToolkit. These prototype implementations of visualisation and interaction elements can be viewed on the accompanying video. We have identified six candidate design concepts which we will further research and develop. These designs correspond with the early feasibility studies stage of maturity as defined by the NASA Technology Readiness Level framework. We developed the Combination Display Framework from a review of the literature, and used it for analysing display designs in terms of display technique used and how they are combined. The insights we gained from this framework then guided our inventions and the human-centered innovation process we use to iteratively invent. Our designs are based on an understanding of user work practices. We also developed a simple ATC simulator that we used for rapid experimentation and evaluation of design ideas. We expect that if this project continues, the effort in Year 2 and 3 will be focus on maturing the concepts and employment in a operational laboratory settings

The ongoing development of the creative communities: past, present and future

Pedagogic research‘Contemporary art encompasses many different kinds of approaches embracing the conceptual and the digital. It involves many kinds of media and skills and is increasingly co-created, transdisciplinary and working with multiple stakeholders. Art is no longer a practice for the solitary artist working in a garret with paint and easel.’ (Orr and Shreeve, 2019: 4) This paper will consider how the pandemic and subsequent lockdown in the UK, demonstrated the importance of considering how supportive artistic and creative networks and communities are created. Lockdown brought into focus the many ways that artists rely on other people and outside stimuli to create. These communities were taken for granted pre- lockdown. In previous research papers, we have considered how, at De Montfort University School of Fashion and Textiles, a creative community was actively created online to support students and staff during lockdown. This paper will first set out and then analyse the steps taken that led to successful creative communities online and on the return to the studio. The activities included academics joining in with the students in creative processes. It will then consider the findings from a workshop attended by multi disciplines from across the university faculties including Health and Life Sciences, Computer, Engineering, Media, Humanities and creative practical subjects. The workshop asked academics to consider key questions to consider how they remained grounded in their practice. The paper will consider how these practical solutions and research and theories on how learning communities are created online, including the principles of scaffolding for learning (Salmon, 2022), constructivism pedagogy (Hamer and Van Rossum, 2010) and a long-time approach (Krznaric, 2020) can be actively applied to build on lessons learnt on the importance of creative community approach to learning post pandemic. Finally, as the creative curriculum needs to respond to the necessity for designers to be digitally literate, this paper will conclude by looking forward to consider how to combine the online and studio communities within a digital world and as students and tutors design on screen. The importance of creative communities is key not only to art and design but to all disciplines and is foremost for De Montfort University as it undergoes a pedagogic transformation to block teaching across all faculties

How to understand and teach upcycling in the context of the circular economy: Literature review and first phase of Delphi

Transitioning from a linear economy to a circular economy (CE) requires changes in education at all levels, especially in higher education. The changes in education for the transformation towards CE in both formal and informal settings will eventually inform, inspire, and affect professional practices in industries in a positive way. Aligned with CE, a promising umbrella concept and practice called ‘upcycling’ is emerging. The concepts and practices of CE and upcycling overlap depending on the diverse definitions of the terms provided by academics and practitioners in various disciplines and sectors in different parts of the world. This has caused some confusions and misunderstanding by some academics and professionals. For teachers and training providers that aim to teach students and professionals about sustainable production and consumption including upcycling and CE, it is beneficial to distinguish between these two concepts. Understanding the interrelationships between them in theory and practice is important to provide researchers and practitioners with a clear guidance and recommendations. This study aimed to explore how we should understand and teach upcycling in the context of CE utilising a Delphi method. This short paper presents the literature review and preliminary analysis results based on the first phase of Delphi: definitions of upcycling and CE, comparisons between upcycling and CE, upcycling as part of CE (or interrelationships between them), and effective ways to communicate the aforementioned contents

Virtual worlds in Australian and New Zealand higher education: remembering the past, understanding the present and imagining the future

3D virtual reality, including the current generation of multi-user virtual worlds, has had a long history of use in education and training, and it experienced a surge of renewed interest with the advent of Second Life in 2003. What followed shortly after were several years marked by considerable hype around the use of virtual worlds for teaching, learning and research in higher education. For the moment, uptake of the technology seems to have plateaued, with academics either maintaining the status quo and continuing to use virtual worlds as they have previously done or choosing to opt out altogether. This paper presents a brief review of the use of virtual worlds in the Australian and New Zealand higher education sector in the past and reports on its use in the sector at the present time, based on input from members of the Australian and New Zealand Virtual Worlds Working Group. It then adopts a forward-looking perspective amid the current climate of uncertainty, musing on future directions and offering suggestions for potential new applications in light of recent technological developments and innovations in the area

Rhetoric and reality: Critical perspective on education in a 3D virtual world

The emergence of any new educational technology is often accompanied by inflated expectations about its potential for transforming pedagogical practice and improving student learning outcomes. A critique of the rhetoric accompanying the evolution of 3D virtual world education reveals a similar pattern, with the initial hype based more on rhetoric than research demonstrating the extent to which rhetoric matches reality. Addressed are the perceived gaps in the literature through a critique of the rhetoric evident throughout the evolution of the application of virtual worlds in education and the reality based on the reported experiences of experts in the field of educational technology, who are all members of the Australian and New Zealand Virtual Worlds Working Group. The experiences reported highlight a range of effective virtual world collaborative and communicative teaching experiences conducted in members’ institutions. Perspectives vary from those whose reality is the actuation of the initial rhetoric in the early years of virtual world education, to those whose reality is fraught with challenges that belie the rhetoric. Although there are concerns over institutional resistance, restrictions, and outdated processes on the one-hand, and excitement over the rapid emergence of innovation on the other, the prevailing reality seems to be that virtual world education is both persistent and sustainable. Explored are critical perspectives on the rhetoric and reality on the educational uptake and use of virtual worlds in higher education, providing an overview of the current and future directions for learning in virtual worlds

Genotype at the P554L Variant of the Hexose-6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase Gene Is Associated with Carotid Intima-Medial Thickness

Objective: The combined thickness of the intima and media of the carotid artery (carotid intima-medial thickness, CIMT) is associated with cardiovascular disease and stroke. Previous studies indicate that carotid intima-medial thickness is a significantly heritable phenotype, but the responsible genes are largely unknown. Hexose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase (H6PDH) is a microsomal enzyme whose activity regulates corticosteroid metabolism in the liver and adipose tissue; variability in measures of corticosteroid metabolism within the normal range have been associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease. We performed a genetic association study in 854 members of 224 families to assess the relationship between polymorphisms in the gene coding for hexose-6 phosphate dehydrogenase (H6PD) and carotid intima-medial thickness. Methods: Families were ascertained via a hypertensive proband. CIMT was measured using B-mode ultrasound. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) tagging common variation in the H6PD gene were genotyped. Association was assessed following adjustment for significant covariates including "classical" cardiovascular risk factors. Functional studies to determine the effect of particular SNPs on H6PDH were performed. Results: There was evidence of association between the single nucleotide polymorphism rs17368528 in exon five of the H6PD gene, which encodes an amino-acid change from proline to leucine in the H6PDH protein, and mean carotid intima-medial thickness (p = 0.00065). Genotype was associated with a 5% (or 0.04 mm) higher mean carotid intima-medial thickness measurement per allele, and determined 2% of the population variability in the phenotype. Conclusions: Our results suggest a novel role for the H6PD gene in atherosclerosis susceptibility