Problem-based learning spanning real and virtual words: a case study in Second Life

There is a growing use of immersive virtual environments for educational purposes. However, much of this activity is not yet documented in the public domain, or is descriptive rather than analytical. This paper presents a case study in which university students were tasked with building an interactive learning experience using Second Life as a platform. Both problem‐based learning and constructionism acted as framing pedagogies for the task, with students working in teams to design and build a learning experience which could potentially meet the needs of a real client in innovative ways which might not be possible in real life. A process account of the experience is provided, which examines how the pedagogies and contexts (real and virtual) influence and enhance each other. The use of a virtual environment, combined with problem‐based learning and constructionism, subtly changed the nature of the instructor–student relationship, allowed students to explore ‘problematic problems’ in a motivating and relevant manner, provided students with greater ownership over their work, and allowed problems to be set which were flexible, but at the same time allowed for ease of assessment

Narrative Threads: supporting young people in developing writing skills through narrative-based game creation

This thesis examines how narrative-based game creation can be used as an activity to improve writing skills for young people aged 11-15, and how additional representational support in a game creation tool can increase the benefits of the activity. Creating narrative-based games can involve traditional writing skills as well as requiring the 21st century skills of multimodal and interactive writing. Toolsets make it possible for young people to create 3D role-playing games with a commercial look and feel, but they do not provide support for the complex task of interactive and multimodal narrative creation. To investigate the desirable features of a tool that would support this task and the associated learning, an extensive learner-centred design process was conducted. This involved teachers and young people, and also incorporated relevant theory synthesised into a design model. A suite of tools, Narrative Threads, was designed and developed through an iterative process to provide the support highlighted as important. Two evaluative studies were conducted in different learning contexts; a secondary school and a vacation workshop. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine the overall potential for the activity to support writing skills development and the impact made by additional representational support. Comparative studies between groups showed some evidence that writing skills were improved for those taking part in game creation, and there were further benefits for groups using Narrative Threads in the workshop setting, but not in the school setting. Additionally, a multimodal analysis of the games created showed that many participants demonstrated a developing proficiency in using 3D graphical elements, text and sound to convey an interactive narrative. The findings indicate promise for the approach, although additional curricular and pedagogical support would be crucial if the potential is to be actualised in a classroom context

Game Jams as a Space to Tackle Social Issues: an Approach Based on the Critical Pedagogy

This paper introduces a framework to guide the design of educational games during game jams based on Critical Pedagogy, an educational theory grounded on the democratisation of knowledge, critical reflection and collaboration for empowering people to tackle social issues. The process and resources that compose the framework are discussed based on a case study exploring everyday sexism. The framework design has been supported by participatory activities and a trial, suggesting the adequacy of the methods and resources in engaging diverse participants with both the educational game design and the social issue. It is expected that the design process introduced here will boost the potential of game jams as a space for learning, collaboration and critical thinking

Residual on column host cell protein analysis during lifetime studies of protein A chromatography

Capacity reduction in protein A affinity chromatography with extended cycling during therapeutic antibody manufacture is well documented. Identification of which residual proteins remain from previous cycles during the lifetime of these adsorbent materials is required to understand their role in this ageing process, but represents a significant metrological challenge. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) are combined to detect and map this phenomenon of protein carry-over. We show that there is a morphological change at the surface of the agarose resin, revealing deposits on the polymer fibres increasing with cycle number. The amount of residual host cell proteins (HCPs) by LC–MS/MS present on the resin is shown to increase 10-fold between 50 and 100 cycles. During this same period the functional class of the predominant HCPs associated with the resin increased in diversity, with number of proteins identified increasing 5-fold. This ageing is observed in the context of the product quality of the eluate HCP and protein A leachate concentration remaining constant with cycle number

An Initial Exploration of Engineering Student Perceptions of COVID’s Impact on Connectedness, Learning, and STEM Identity

This paper studied the development of STEM identity for freshman students in Engineering. An Urban Research University received a 5-year S-STEM award in fall 2018. So far, two cohorts of scholars have received the scholarship as well as academic support, mentoring support, and customized advising from faculty and upper level peers. The objective of this project is to help underrepresented and talented students in engineering to pursue an undergraduate degree. A Multi-Layered Mentoring(MLM) Program was established, and several interviews were conducted with scholarship recipients. The qualitative and qualitative analysis of the student success shows an improvement in GPA of students in the program as compared to the rest of the school. The students not only received financial help through the program based on their unmet needs, they are were placed in an engineering learning community (ELC). The participants in ELC and MLM programs agreed to participate in research studies to assess their success. This NSF funded program also helped freshman students be involved in a hands-on Design Innovations class where they learned design process and human centered design. The students were surveyed on a regular basis to identify their needs and were approached by faculty advisor as well as their mentors to trouble shoot their concerns and help them with both social and academic aspects of their concerns. The first cohort joined the program in AY 2019-2020, as freshmen. This cohort had experienced a full semester of in-person engagement before the COVID-19 hit in the middle of the second semester of their freshman year. We have researched the impact of the pandemic on their academic progress, sense of belonging, and STEM identity. The second cohort joined the program in AY 2020-2021. They have not had the chance to experience the campus life and their perspective of college life is very different than the first cohort. The STEM identity was one of the success indicators for freshman students who entered the university in one of the most difficult and un-usual circumstances under the COVID-19 pandemic

PaLM 2 Technical Report

We introduce PaLM 2, a new state-of-the-art language model that has better multilingual and reasoning capabilities and is more compute-efficient than its predecessor PaLM. PaLM 2 is a Transformer-based model trained using a mixture of objectives. Through extensive evaluations on English and multilingual language, and reasoning tasks, we demonstrate that PaLM 2 has significantly improved quality on downstream tasks across different model sizes, while simultaneously exhibiting faster and more efficient inference compared to PaLM. This improved efficiency enables broader deployment while also allowing the model to respond faster, for a more natural pace of interaction. PaLM 2 demonstrates robust reasoning capabilities exemplified by large improvements over PaLM on BIG-Bench and other reasoning tasks. PaLM 2 exhibits stable performance on a suite of responsible AI evaluations, and enables inference-time control over toxicity without additional overhead or impact on other capabilities. Overall, PaLM 2 achieves state-of-the-art performance across a diverse set of tasks and capabilities. When discussing the PaLM 2 family, it is important to distinguish between pre-trained models (of various sizes), fine-tuned variants of these models, and the user-facing products that use these models. In particular, user-facing products typically include additional pre- and post-processing steps. Additionally, the underlying models may evolve over time. Therefore, one should not expect the performance of user-facing products to exactly match the results reported in this report

Theory and Practice of Writing Across the Curriculum: Humanities/Composition Link At Saginaw Valley State College, 1977-1980.

Writing Across the Curriculum and Discipline-Based Writing programs represent attempts to involve students in more writing in all their classes and to link that writing to what students are learning in subject areas other than English. These programs rest on certain theories about the nature of the writing process and the relationship between writing and learning which suggest that writing can be an important vehicle for discovering and formulating ideas for the self, as well as providing the means through which ideas are communicated to an audience. Writing can be central to learning. Therefore, all teachers should use writing to promote effective learning of their disciplines. Since 1965, many Writing Across the Curriculum and Discipline-Based Writing programs have been implemented, based on the following assumptions: writing is not the concern solely of the English department; linking writing with other learning improves motivation; in order to learn to write, students must have something to write about; writing growth is fostered when writing is done to underst and a subject; writing should be seen as a process; writing is learned above all by writing, so reinforcement and practice are essential. A Discipline-Based Writing course has been developed and taught at Saginaw Valley State College between 1977 and 1980. Called LINK, the program joins freshmen courses in Humanities and composition, leading to student improvement both in writing skills and in mastery of course content. Specifically, the LINK program has helped students to develop motivation and confidence for writing; to use writing to discover ideas and to forge bonds between the self and the material studied; to develop reading skills; to develop abstractive abilities and the ability to summarize; to transform ideas effectively for an audience; to write for a variety of audiences; and to gain an underst and ing of, and control over, writing processes.Ph.D.Language artsUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/158383/1/8125049.pd

OSMoSIS: interactive sound generation system for children with autism

This paper reports on the design and pilot evaluation of a system that uses movement, music and sounds to support playful interactions for children with Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC). OSMoSIS (Observation of Social Motor Synchrony with an Interactive System) is a musical motion-based game. The design was inspired by previous research that suggests that music and movement can be helpful in fostering communication and expression skills, and the first author's experiences as a music therapist. OSMoSIS converts movements into sounds, using a Microsoft Kinect-based system which provides full body tracking. A recently conducted evaluation with a group of 11 children with autism aged 5-- 11 years old showed positive engagement with the system, and some instances of imaginative play. In our discussion, we highlight implications for the design of future music and movement systems to support learning in children with autism

Problem-based learning spanning real and virtual words: a case study in Second Life

There is a growing use of immersive virtual environments for educational purposes. However, much of this activity is not yet documented in the public domain, or is descriptive rather than analytical. This paper presents a case study in which university students were tasked with building an interactive learning experience using Second Life as a platform. Both problem-based learning and constructionism acted as framing pedagogies for the task, with students working in teams to design and build a learning experience which could potentially meet the needs of a real client in innovative ways which might not be possible in real life. A process account of the experience is provided, which examines how the pedagogies and contexts (real and virtual) influence and enhance each other. The use of a virtual environment, combined with problem-based learning and constructionism, subtly changed the nature of the instructor–student relationship, allowed students to explore ‘problematic problems' in a motivating and relevant manner, provided students with greater ownership over their work, and allowed problems to be set which were flexible, but at the same time allowed for ease of assessment

A learner-centred design approach to developing a visual language for interactive storytelling

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