Exploiting context when learning to classify

This paper addresses the problem of classifying observations when features are context-sensitive, specifically when the testing set involves a context that is different from the training set. The paper begins with a precise definition of the problem, then general strategies are presented for enhancing the performance of classification algorithms on this type of problem. These strategies are tested on two domains. The first domain is the diagnosis of gas turbine engines. The problem is to diagnose a faulty engine in one context, such as warm weather, when the fault has previously been seen only in another context, such as cold weather. The second domain is speech recognition. The problem is to recognize words spoken by a new speaker, not represented in the training set. For both domains, exploiting context results in substantially more accurate classification

Persuasive Technology for Learning in Business Context

"Persuasive Design is a relatively new concept which employs general principles of persuasion that can be implemented in persuasive technology. This concept has been introduced by BJ Fogg in 1998, who since then has further extended it to use computers for changing attitudes and behaviour. Such principles can be applied very well in learning and teaching: in traditional human-led learning, teachers always have employed persuasion as one of the elements of teaching. Persuasive technology moves these principles into the digital domain, by focusing on technology that inherently stimulates learners to learn more quickly and effectively. This is very relevant for the area of Business Management in several aspects: Consumer Behavior, Communications, Human Resource, Marketing & Advertising, Organisational Behavior & Leadership. The persuasive principles identified by BJ Fogg are: reduction, tunnelling, tailoring, suggestion, self-monitoring, surveillance, conditioning, simulation, social signals. Also relevant is the concept of KAIROS, which means the just-in-time, at the right place provision of information/stimulus. In the EuroPLOT project (2010-2013) we have developed persuasive learning objects and tools (PLOTs) in which we have applied persuasive designs and principles. In this context, we have developed a pedagogical framework for active engagement, based on persuasive design in which the principles of persuasive learning have been formalised in a 6-step guide for persuasive learning. These principles have been embedded in two tools – PLOTmaker and PLOTLearner – which have been developed for creating persuasive learning objects. The tools provide specific capability for implementing persuasive principles at the very beginning of the design of learning objects. The feasibility of employing persuasive learning concepts with these tools has been investigated in four different case studies with groups of teachers and learners from realms with distinctly different teaching and learning practices: Business Computing, language learning, museum learning, and chemical substance handling. These case studies have involved the following learner target groups: school children, university students, tertiary students, vocational learners and adult learners. With regards to the learning context, they address archive-based learning, industrial training, and academic teaching. Alltogether, these case studies include participants from Sweden, Africa (Madagascar), Denmark, Czech Republic, and UK. One of the outcomes of this investigation was that one cannot apply a common set of persuasive designs that would be valid for general use in all situations: on the contrary, the persuasive principles are very specific to learning contexts and therefore must be specifically tailored for each situation. Two of these case studies have a direct relevance to education in the realm of Business Management: Business Computing and language learning (for International Business). In this paper we will present the first results from the evaluation of persuasive technology driven learning in these two relevant areas.

Implicit learning of recursive context-free grammars

Context-free grammars are fundamental for the description of linguistic syntax. However, most artificial grammar learning experiments have explored learning of simpler finite-state grammars, while studies exploring context-free grammars have not assessed awareness and implicitness. This paper explores the implicit learning of context-free grammars employing features of hierarchical organization, recursive embedding and long-distance dependencies. The grammars also featured the distinction between left- and right-branching structures, as well as between centre- and tail-embedding, both distinctions found in natural languages. People acquired unconscious knowledge of relations between grammatical classes even for dependencies over long distances, in ways that went beyond learning simpler relations (e.g. n-grams) between individual words. The structural distinctions drawn from linguistics also proved important as performance was greater for tail-embedding than centre-embedding structures. The results suggest the plausibility of implicit learning of complex context-free structures, which model some features of natural languages. They support the relevance of artificial grammar learning for probing mechanisms of language learning and challenge existing theories and computational models of implicit learning

e-Learning Nudism: Stripping Context from Content

Educational economics plays an increasing role in university development. In order to attract students well developed curricula are needed and they are expected to contain a fair amount of digital resources, which are much more expensive to create than sheets of paper in the old days. The flip side is: they can be sold. Whereas hand-outs remained an obscure asset, suitably organized electronic courseware promises to become a major business. As "Learning Management Systems" offer comprehensive services to entire universities at substantial costs, university administrators try to channel traditional teaching into new formats, hoping to serve more students at lesser expense. One catchword, capturing those concerns, is "learning object". A learning object is the equivalent of a chunk of beef, registered according to some classificatory scheme, marked by a stamp of approval by some authority, deep-frozen and waiting for delivery. Here is a more respectable description. Learning objects are digital entities designed to be used (and re-used) in learning activities.[1] They are supposed to be independent of specific educational settings, disengaged from more comprehensive courses. Information pertaining to their educational, technical and legal status is to be captured by meta-data accompanying the objects. Learning object repositories (LORs) collect those molecular units and offer facilities for search and peer evaluation

Hot context for organizational learning

The organizational learning, studied in resource-based view, is a strategic resource (Wernerfelt 1984, Prahalad et Hamel 1990, Doz 1990, Teece 1998, Weartherly 2003). Thus, “learning to learn” (Argyris et Schön, 1978), being a learning organization (Senge 1990, Edmondson et Moingeon 1998, Moilanen 1999, Heraty 2005), and encouraging organizational learning become major issues in management sciences. This contribution aims at fixing and explaining hot organizational learning context dimensions. This approach presents a double interest. First, it enables the validation of the dimensions deducted from literature. Second, this analysis suggests a framework for hot context that emphasized managerial leverages.The first part of our contribution synthetizes the organizational learning literature and particulary analyses its context. It reveals three implicit dimensions in literature : cultural, organizational and social dimension.We have backed up our questioning with a qualitative study of two business units of the public company Electricité de France (EDF). This firm is subjected to many changes in its environment : the opening of European and French electricity markets. EDF has to adapt itself to this context by developing learning capabilities, bringing about synergies between departments and creating a hot context for organizational learning. The collection data has been done at two different times during a nine month period and insures data triangulation : 36 interviews, 7 days of observation and many internal documents. The interviews have been recorded and transcribed. In order to facilitate the data processing, the thematic analysis has been done with N*Vivo software. The empirical study validates the three dimensions identified from literature relevance and brings further information. We have drown four dimensions of a hot context : an individual, an organizational, a social and a managerial dimension. The individual one includes the literature cultural dimension but also identity, emotional and fonctionnal aspects. It corresponds to individual self motivation and theory in use that facilitates sharing and cooperation in the firm. The organizational dimension integrates both organizational and specific learning structures such as guild and coaching. It is set apart from the managarial dimension, which is the support and the influence of the managerial staff. Finally, the social dimension is the result of the interaction of the three previous dimensions. In this way, it constitutes a sine qua non condition to the organizational learning process. Beyond our analysis, we suggest a framework to understand hot context, its dimensions, and develop managerial leverages.organizational learning, organizational context

Learning Behavioural Context

The original publication is available at www.springerlink.co