Wisam Zaqoot - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Wisam Zaqoot

2019 IEEE Tenth International Conference on Technology for Education (T4E)

As part of a multi-year project that aims to develop digital learning environment offering adapti... more As part of a multi-year project that aims to develop digital learning environment offering adaptive remedial interventions for primary level students, we present the design of a new instrument that tests the representational fluency of primary school students. Representational fluency refers to learners' ability to reason and work among multiple representations. In this article, we identify the competences that the Representational Fluency Test (RFT) has to cover, in the light of literature, local curriculum, previous national exams, and discussions with educators. Next, we design the questions of the test following these competences. In addition, we report a pilot study that we administered to test and validate the RFT. We present the results of the pilot study and also discuss the next stages of our project that include testing and using our proposed RFT. The long-term goal of our project is to develop an intelligent system that provides remedial interventions customized for each student with representational fluency difficulties. We expect that our work can contribute toward a more personalized education at the primary school level.

pacific asia conference on information systems, 2020

Nudging theory has been applied successfully in different fields, including traditional education... more Nudging theory has been applied successfully in different fields, including traditional education, where it typically showed positive outcomes on students’ behavior and performance. In online learning environments, the issue of a high dropout rate is a common and serious concern. In this article, we present our plan to conduct three studies that aim to examine the effectiveness of three promising nudging techniques in tackling the problem of learners’ dropout in professional MOOCs (pMOOCs) and increasing their completion rates. The first two nudges are related to “promoting growth mindset” and “goal-setting” by learners. Two studies will be administered in a pMOOC dedicated to professionals and lifelong learners. The third study will focus on the “personalized assistance” nudge. As offering such personalized assistance by humans can be impractical in MOOC courses with a large number of registered learners, we would instead investigate the effectiveness of using pedagogical agents (chatbots)

المؤتمر العلمي الثاني أولويات البحث العلمي في فلسطين نحو دليل وطني للبحث العلمي, Mar 25, 2013

&quot;&quot; Wisam Zaqoot &quot; Abstract: The proposed plan is built on ... more &quot;&quot; Wisam Zaqoot &quot; Abstract: The proposed plan is built on the assumption that because of a shortage in financial resources, the R&amp;D strategy in Palestine has to concentrate on two sections. The first section being the problems and challenges related to Palestine, and the second section the innovating and developing of products to create revenues for the Palestinian economy. This research paper will suggest some recommendations and tough measures, in order to guarantee that limited available resources are used most efficiently in the governmental research centers. This study will present the current situation of the R&amp;D in Palestine, and compare it with some other countries. Building on this, goals can be laid out regarding the Palestinian case. The human and financial needs required to reach the goals were also determined. Different renowned models to structure some of the most important research institutes in the world were explored here. One model in particular seems to be most suitable for the Palestinian case. It is a model of research centers where every center concentrates on a specific scientific field, and usually each research center consists of smaller research groups. Some research centers will be managed by universities whilst others will be fully independent. To supplement this model, there is a need to establish a Support Services Center (for services like translation, hosting conferences…etc.) in order to offer services for the national research centers. Besides that, there is a need to activate a scientific research council that will be responsible for organizing the R&amp;D activities and assigning and distributing some research tasks to the research centers according to the needs of the different governments ministries. Another part of the proposed model is the introduction of some Technology Transfer Units to increase the cooperation between the governmental research centers and the Palestinian private sector. In addition, there is a need to establish a national academy for the most prominent scientists and writers. There is also a need to build an office for the intellectual properties and patents, and to create the required legal environment. After illustrating the proposed structure for the research institutes, the research paper will present a list of proposed research centers in the different fields that are compatible with the national scientific research strategy. These research centers will be distributed into two periods in order to be in line with the limited current capabilities. The two phases make it possible to develop and split the research centers of the first period to reach the sought situation in the second period. &quot;

2019 IEEE International Conference on Engineering, Technology and Education (TALE), 2019

As the first stage of a multi-year project that aims to develop computer-based tools offering ada... more As the first stage of a multi-year project that aims to develop computer-based tools offering adaptive remedial interventions for primary level students, we present here a literature review we conducted on the use of multiple representations in education. We also provide a more focused review on the subtopic of representational fluency. Next, we build on this review to justify the need for a representational fluency test for primary school students. We set the foundations of this proposed instrument by identifying the competences it has to cover, in the light of literature, local curriculum, previous exams, and discussions with educators. Finally, in the future work section we elucidate the next stages of our project, which include testing and using our proposed representational fluency test. The outcomes of using this test are planned to be used later to design and develop an intelligent system that provides remedial interventions personalized for each student with representational fluency weaknesses. We expect that our work can contribute toward the learning of STEM subjects at the primary level and beyond.

Design thinking has gained popularity in many tertiary education disciplines. However, the teachi... more Design thinking has gained popularity in many tertiary education disciplines. However, the teaching of this topic and imparting students with the skills to improve their innovation competence are challenging tasks. In this paper, we examine the use of an online whiteboarding system as a platform to teach design thinking. The system was used by students in a graduate-level digital innovation course to complete their service design project. The project required them to generate IT-enabled service innovations by following the design thinking framework on the whiteboarding system. Results from 54 students show that online whiteboarding can be a very effective tool to develop design thinking skills. Additionally, we also investigate the relationships between the creative mindset of the learners and the different stages of design thinking. Our findings suggest that learners with growth creative mindsets report a higher level of perceived usefulness of whiteboarding as compared to fixed cr...

Mobile micro-learning, an approach in which instructional materials are divided into small, bite-... more Mobile micro-learning, an approach in which instructional materials are divided into small, bite-sized lessons, offers the promise of an effective channel for adult learning. Despite the burgeoning interest, mobile micro-learning research is still in its infancy. There is little understanding of the design and impact of such systems. We bring to light the micro-learning paradox, which posits that chunking lessons can both impede or facilitate learning. Against this backdrop, we develop a conceptual model and testable propositions drawing from adult learning, behavioral economics, and motivation literature to lay out a design of micro-learning systems for adult learners. Using these theories in concert, both the rational and irrational aspects of learning behaviors are an essential part of our design framework. We develop the SnapLearning system as an instantiation of our design framework and propose a series of field experiments to evaluate the system empirically

This paper is to discuss education in the Gaza strip in light of the current circumstances. In sp... more This paper is to discuss education in the Gaza strip in light of the current circumstances. In spite of the boom in this sector, growth has not been in line with the increasing requirements and enormous challenges to be still faced. This paper is to check out the political situation in the last few years and its severe negative effects on education in the Gaza strip. Some statistics are presented and analysed. Finally, some suggestions have been put forward, in order to develop the education system in the Gaza strip.

ملخص: هناك عدد من النماذج المختلفة لهيكلة أنشطة البحث والتطويرفي العالم. وقد اتبعت الحكومات وا... more ملخص:

هناك عدد من النماذج المختلفة لهيكلة أنشطة البحث والتطويرفي العالم. وقد اتبعت الحكومات والشركات والجامعات نماذج مختلفة وفق ما رأته مناسبا ً لها سواء من حيث إمكانياتها واهتماماتها أو من حيث الاستراتيجية البحثية العامة التي تتّبعها.
تشير ورقة البحث هذه إلى أن استراتيجية البحث العلمي والتطوير في فلسطين، وفي ظل ضعف الموارد المالية، يجب أن تركّز على محورين رئيسيين، هما قطاع المشكلات والتحديات الخاصة بفلسطين وقطاع استحداث وتطوير منتجات ذات عائد للاقتصاد الفلسطيني. مع تجنب الأبحاث عالية التكلفة والتي قد تمثّل ترفا ً علميا ً والتركيز في المقابل على التكنولوجيات الناشئة ذات الإمكانيات الواعدة والتي يمكن أن تتحول فلسطين إلى بلد قيادي فيها. وقد قدمت هذه الورقة عدداً من التوصيات والإجراءات الصارمة التي ينبغي اتباعها لضمان أعلى كفاءة لمراكز الأبحاث الحكومية في توظيف الموارد المحدودة المتاحة.
الدراسة استعرضت أيضاً واقع البحث العلمي في فلسطين اليوم، وقارنته بعدد من الدول الأخرى، واستخدمت تلك المعلومات لتعيين هدف مقترح ينبغي الوصول إليه. كما تم تعيين مقدار الاحتياجات البشرية والمالية اللازمة لبلوغ ذلك الهدف.
كما تم استعراض عدد من النماذج المشهورة المتبعة في هيكلة عدد من أهم المؤسسات البحثية في العالم. ثم تم اختيار النموذج الذي يعتقد أنه الأنسب للتطبيق في فلسطين، وهو نموذج مراكز الأبحاث التي يركّز كل منها على مجال علمي معين، وعادةً سيتكوّن مركز الأبحاث الواحد من مجموعات بحثية صغيرة. بعض مراكز الأبحاث تلك قد يتم إسناد إدارتها لبعض الجامعات في حين أن البعض الآخر قد يكون مستقل تماما ً. كما ينبغي تأسيس مركز لخدمات الدعم (مثل خدمات الترجمة واستضافة المؤتمرات...الخ) ليقدّم خدماته لمراكز الأبحاث الوطنية. وبالترافق مع مراكز الأبحاث، هناك حاجة لمجلس للبحث العلمي مهمته تنظيم أنشطة البحث العلمي وتعيين وتوزيع بعض المهمات البحثية على مراكز الأبحاث وفق احتياجات الوزارات المختلفة. كما ينبغي إنشاء عدد من وحدات نقل التكنولوجيا بهدف تفعيل التعاون بين مراكز الأبحاث الحكومية والقطاع الخاص الفلسطيني. وهناك أيضا ً ضرورة لتأسيس أكاديمية لأبرز علماء وأدباء فلسطين. يضاف إلى كل ما سبق الحاجة لتأسيس مكتب للملكيات الفكرية وبراءات الاختراع وتوفير البيئة القانونية اللازمة.
بعد التطرق بالشرح لهيكلية مؤسسات البحث العلمي، فإن ورقة البحث تقدّم قائمة بمراكز الأبحاث المقترحة في المجالات العلمية المختلفة التي يُعتقد أنها تتوافق مع استراتيجية البحث العلمي للبلاد. وقد تم توزيع مراكز الأبحاث تلك على مرحلتين زمنيتين بهدف التماشي مع الإمكانيات المحدودة في الوقت الراهن. إذ تم التوزيع بحيث يمكن تطوير وتقسيم مراكز الأبحاث التي سيتم إنشاؤها في المرحلة الأولى وصولا ً إلى الوضع المنشود في المرحلة الثانية.

" Wisam Zaqoot " Abstract: The proposed plan is built on the assumption that because of a short... more " Wisam Zaqoot "
Abstract:
The proposed plan is built on the assumption that because of a shortage in financial resources, the R&D strategy in Palestine has to concentrate on two sections. The first section being the problems and challenges related to Palestine, and the second section the innovating and developing of products to create revenues for the Palestinian economy. This research paper will suggest some recommendations and tough measures, in order to guarantee that limited available resources are used most efficiently in the governmental research centers.

This study will present the current situation of the R&D in Palestine, and compare it with some other countries. Building on this, goals can be laid out regarding the Palestinian case. The human and financial needs required to reach the goals were also determined.

Different renowned models to structure some of the most important research institutes in the world were explored here. One model in particular seems to be most suitable for the Palestinian case. It is a model of research centers where every center concentrates on a specific scientific field, and usually each research center consists of smaller research groups. Some research centers will be managed by universities whilst others will be fully independent. To supplement this model, there is a need to establish a Support Services Center (for services like translation, hosting conferences…etc.) in order to offer services for the national research centers. Besides that, there is a need to activate a scientific research council that will be responsible for organizing the R&D activities and assigning and distributing some research tasks to the research centers according to the needs of the different governments ministries. Another part of the proposed model is the introduction of some Technology Transfer Units to increase the cooperation between the governmental research centers and the Palestinian private sector. In addition, there is a need to establish a national academy for the most prominent scientists and writers. There is also a need to build an office for the intellectual properties and patents, and to create the required legal environment.

After illustrating the proposed structure for the research institutes, the research paper will present a list of proposed research centers in the different fields that are compatible with the national scientific research strategy. These research centers will be distributed into two periods in order to be in line with the limited current capabilities. The two phases make it possible to develop and split the research centers of the first period to reach the sought situation in the second period.

"ملخص: شهدت السنوات القليلة الماضية انتشاراً واسعاً لمجموعة كبيرة من تقنيات الويب التي ركزت عل... more "ملخص:

شهدت السنوات القليلة الماضية انتشاراً واسعاً لمجموعة كبيرة من تقنيات الويب التي ركزت على مشاركة المعلومات والتعاون بين المستخدمين وعلى وضع المستخدم في محور التصميم. هذه التقنيات الحديثة أطلق عليها البعض اسم الويب 2.0 (Web 2.0). أحد أشهر تلك التقنيات التي اندرجت تحت مسمى الويب 2.0 هي تقنية الويكي Wiki.
الويكي هو عبارة عن موقع إنترنت لا يتم عبره عرض صفحات الإنترنت فحسب، بل يمكن أيضاً للمستخدمين أن يقوموا بإضافة أو تعديل أو حذف المحتوى الموجود على الموقع مباشرةً من شاشة مستعرض الإنترنت وذلك باستخدام محرِّرات معينة أو باستخدام لغة ترميز بسيطة. هذه الخصائص تتيح للمستخدمين أن يقوموا ببناء المحتوى بشكل تعاوني بسهولة.
ظهرت الكثير من المواقع على الإنترنت التي تستخدم الويكي، وقد حققت بعض تلك المواقع شهرةً ونجاحاً واسعاً. ورغم وجود دراسات عديدة لكن ما يزال استخدام الويكي في التعليم محدوداً. في ورقة البحث هذه يتم استعراض القدرات الكامنة التي يتيحها استخدام الويكي في التعليم، خصوصاً فيما يتعلق بتطوير بيئة التعليم وإضافة قدر من التعاونية على العملية التعليمية فضلاً عن إقحام الطلاب في صلب عملية بناء المحتوى التعليمي، وإتاحة المجال للطلاب والمعلمين أن يتناقشوا حول ما يتم تحريره.
ورقة البحث هذه تستعرض أفكاراً لاستخدام الويكي في التعليم،وذلك تحت أربعة أشكال من الاستخدامات وهي:
- الويكي لتعاون الطلاب في كتابة الأبحاث والتقارير وتقويم مساهمة كل منهم.
- الويكي كأداة في يد المعلم لمتابعة مقدار تقدم الطالب في إنجاز واجباته.
- التعلم عبر كتابة مقالات جديدة وتطوير مقالات قائمة في موسوعة الويكيبيديا.
- استخدام مواقع الويكي المختلفة كنقطة انطلاق في البحث والتعلم.

وتنتهي ورقة البحث بتعيين عدد من إشكاليات استخدام تقنية الويكي في مجال التعليم.
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"Wisam Zaqoot: Abstract: The last few years have seen the widespread growth of a big group of... more "Wisam Zaqoot:

Abstract:
The last few years have seen the widespread growth of a big group of web technologies that focused on sharing information, cooperation between users and putting the user in the axis of design. These new technologies were called Web 2.0. One of the most famous technologies under the umbrella of web 2.0 is the Wiki technology.
The Wiki is an internet website that not only presents internet web pages, but also enables users to add, modify or delete the website content directly from the interface of the internet browser using some rich-text editors or a simplified markup language. These features allow users easily to build content collaboratively.
A lot of internet websites using Wiki appeared, and some of these websites became very famous and successful. However, in spite of many studies, the extent to which wiki is used in education remains limited. In this research paper the potential capabilities enabled by using Wiki in education are presented, especially regarding developing the education environment and adding more collaboration to the educational process. It also brings about the possibility of putting students at the heart of the process of building educational content and allowing students and teachers to discuss what is written.
This research paper presents some ideas for using the Wiki in education, and they come under 4 categories of use. They are:
• The Wiki for students’ collaboration in writing research and reports and for assessing the contributions of each student
• Wiki as a tool for the teacher to evaluate the ongoing progress of the student in handling of his or her tasks
• Learning by writing new articles and developing the existing articles in the Wikipedia
• Using different Wiki websites as a starting point in research and learning
The research paper ends by specifying some of the problems in using Wiki technology in the field of education.

Keywords: Wiki, E-learning, Wikipedia"

Drafts by Wisam Zaqoot

Crimes phenomenon is a very complex one that was investigated by many studies and explained by ma... more Crimes phenomenon is a very complex one that was investigated by many studies and explained by many theories. Several factors that may play a role in the spread of crimes in certain communities were also identified. However, there can be more factors to discover. In this paper, we look at the potential effects of some demographic, social, economic and law enforcement factors. Specifically, we focus on the effects of law enforcement capabilities since they are still underestimated and almost ignored by researchers.
In this econometric study, we tried to find out how the change in law enforcement capabilities affects the rates of stealing crimes in US communities. The counterintuitive results we found showed how complex this relation is. For example, we found that increasing police numbers per population is correlated with a very small decrease in the rates of stealing crimes. Even more interesting, we found that increasing police operating budgets per population is correlated with an increase in stealing crimes rates. These results were discussed and some reasonable explanations were given.
We believe this study is valuable for policy makers and for criminology researchers alike.