Gianni Vercelli | University of Genova (original) (raw)

Papers by Gianni Vercelli

Research paper thumbnail of Star Words Re-Generated: Gamification and GenAI for Effective Training

International journal of emerging technologies in learning/International journal: emerging technologies in learning, Apr 24, 2024

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Research paper thumbnail of Prerequisite Graph Extraction from Lectures

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2022

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Research paper thumbnail of Human action recognition using an image-based temporal and spatial representation

2020 12th International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems and Workshops (ICUMT)

Researchers have been using different technological solutions (platforms) as intervention tools w... more Researchers have been using different technological solutions (platforms) as intervention tools with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who typically present difficulties in engaging and interacting with their peers. Social robots, one example of these technological solutions, are often unaware of their game partners, preventing the automatic adaptation of their behaviour to the user. Therefore, enriching the interaction between the user and the platform, lightening up the cognitive burden on the human operator, may be a valuable contribution. An information that can be used to enrich this interaction and, consequently, adapt the system behaviour is the recognition of different actions of the user through skeleton pose data from depth sensors. The present work proposes a method to automatically detect in real-time typical and stereotypical actions of children with ASD by using the Intel RealSense and the Nuitrack SDK to detect and extract the user joints coordinates. A Convolution Neural Network learning model trained on the different actions is used to classify the different patterns of behaviour. The model achieved an average accuracy of 92.6±0.5% on the test data. The entire pipeline runs on average at 31 FPS.

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Research paper thumbnail of A Proposal for a Virtual Reality Method in Language Learning

EDULEARN Proceedings

The paper presents a new method for the use of extended reality (XR) technologies in education, p... more The paper presents a new method for the use of extended reality (XR) technologies in education, particularly in language learning. The authors realized a prototype of XR environment for distance learning of French language, via the software Unreal Engine 4. It deploys two types of VR activities, with the aim to improve understanding of grammatical concepts and memorization of new words, respectively. The dimension of depth is embedded into the learning process, by exploiting the kinesthetic aspects of the immersive environment. Thus, the learner moves in space and manipulates specific virtual objects involved in the learning activity to complete the task. A qualitative assessment has been conducted with a limited number of target students and now is currently under a wider experimental validation. However, the article introduces also the theoretical aspects of the new method, paving the way for further development.

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Research paper thumbnail of A Lesson Learned About Gamification and Engagement in a Master Degree Course

ICERI2018 Proceedings

The gamification techniques and technologies are a consolidated reality in industrial and educati... more The gamification techniques and technologies are a consolidated reality in industrial and educational contexts. Using gamification in higher education to improve student engagement has been experimented in the last years. With respect to the current literature, the "pointsification" technique is the easier way to construct experiences apparently similar to gamification instead they are not the right way to intend it, rather, they are a reason to criticize its real effectiveness. The compelling gamification need a lot of work, and it is not obvious that everyone has time to construct a narrative or a gamified system to attend at the specific need. Furthermore, in a degree course is not so simple, reducing the importance of traditional mandatory assessments using "mark-grade-badge" triade, to have compelled student and learn specific skill without a precise scope. In this paper we analyze the most important elements of student engagement, and we describe a two-years experience made in a course on Virtual Reality within a Msc curriculum in Digital Humanities. In this course we construct a compelling educational experience using a tv series theme (namely the 1st season of the Netflix Stranger Things tv-series and 1st season of the HBO WestWorld tv-series) as the gamification principle of inclusion and participation to improve the learning of skills and motivation. The gamification slogan was "When the student are not only student, but the Cast of a TV show". Each course activity-both participation (lectures, seminars, readings, etc.) and tasks (homeworks, exercises in the lab, team working, individual presentations) was rewarded according to the course and TV-serie schedules, in order to produce each week a dynamic adjustment of the cast, from the main roles to the guest stars. Finally, we analysed the reactions of the participants by means of interviews, presence detection and active participation, to get how much this approach affect the motivation of students and it helps them in a better way of learning. Some preliminary promising results will be shown in the paper, even if the evaluation of the learning effectiveness is still an open issue.

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Research paper thumbnail of How to Prepare High-Level Massive Online Open Courses for the Metaverse: Tools and Needs

IEEE ICEIB 2023

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Research paper thumbnail of Puzzle Battle 2.0: A Revisited Serious Game in VR During Pandemic’s Period

Lecture Notes in Computer Science

Puzzle Battle 2.0 is a Serious Game in Virtual Reality created within the 3D Lab Factory. It is t... more Puzzle Battle 2.0 is a Serious Game in Virtual Reality created within the 3D Lab Factory. It is the second version of puzzle game created in 2017 to teach art history. The goal was to complete all the proposed paintings to collect them in a personal museum. The COVID-19 epidemic has generated an increase in the earnings of the videogame sector but also brought many experiences designed to be enjoyed in specific places to be unusable. This article proposes a redesign of the original project to make available even at a distance an experience that until now had only been used in a VR Corner. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Research paper thumbnail of Esercizio di Knowledge society: insegnare e imparare nell’ambiente di apprendimento EifFE-L

DIDAMATICA 2006, 2006

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Research paper thumbnail of PP-OMDS: An Effective and Efficient Framework for Supporting Privacy-Preserving OLAP-based Monitoring of Data Streams

Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems

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Research paper thumbnail of EifFE-L: e-learning experiences with the platform of the University of Genoa

SIE-L 2005, 2005

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Research paper thumbnail of Analisi e progettazione di un ambiente user-friendly per la realizzazione di oggetti didattici fruibili in rete

IV Congresso della Società Italiana di eLearning, 2007

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Research paper thumbnail of Online Peer Instruction on Moodle to Foster Students’ Engagement at the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic

IEEE Transactions on Education, 2022

Contribution: This article shows that peer instruction can be applied synchronously and effective... more Contribution: This article shows that peer instruction can be applied synchronously and effectively to a distance learning course, using the learning platform Moodle together with a videoconferencing tool. Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all global education has been shifted from face-to-face to distance learning. While the debate on the effectiveness of active learning alternatives to the traditional lectures was still going on, the teachers found themselves facing a further difficulty: how to engage the students in a totally online learning process, where personal contact is completely lacking. The authors found the answer in the online application of peer instruction. Intended Outcomes: The use of online peer instruction (OPI) is expected to engage all the students attending the online lectures in an active learning process, improving their understanding of the topics covered at the same time. Application Design: The use of Moodle has made it possible to bring the peer instruction method online. The appropriate setup of Moodle's Choice and Workshop activities was sufficient to manage the whole process from a technical standpoint, with the teacher managing the communication aspect, via the videoconferencing tool used to give the lectures. Findings: The application of OPI engaged all the students in the online lectures and proved to be effective in improving students' understanding of the topics covered.

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Research paper thumbnail of Autonomous Navigation Using a Reactive Agent

Springer Verlag Germany:Tiergartenstrasse 17, D 69121 Heidelberg Germany:011 49 6221 3450, EMAIL: g.braun@springer.de, INTERNET: http://www.springer.de, Fax: 011 49 6221 345229, 1997

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Research paper thumbnail of Lessons learned about language learning and extended reality frameworks

<jats:p>"The knowledge of a second language is an obligation in educational systems of... more <jats:p>"The knowledge of a second language is an obligation in educational systems of the European Community for many years and the quality of teaching and learning, especially in Italy, could be largely improved for a better outcome. Methods like Game-based Learning and Gamification could improve and change this outcome, combined with new tools used as educational technology in an immersive context. This paper presents some lessons learned from the adoption of VR / AR within two applications related to language learning. In this context, being immersed in an engaging and fun simulated situation is a good way to practice language conversations. In the last few years the great clamor of new VR / AR devices (HMD, controller, tracker) promotes the creation of new frameworks of extended reality for language learning."</jats:p>

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Research paper thumbnail of Advanced ECHMM-Based Machine Learning Tools for Complex Big Data Applications

2017 16th IEEE International Conference on Machine Learning and Applications (ICMLA), 2017

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Research paper thumbnail of A Magnetic Transducer for the Detection of the Fetal Engagement Level in Part-Task Trainers

IEEE Access, 2020

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Research paper thumbnail of GPU-Aware Genetic Estimation of Hidden Markov Models for Workload Classification Problems

2016 IEEE 40th Annual Computer Software and Applications Conference (COMPSAC), 2016

Hidden Markov models (HMM) have been an important analysis framework in many computer science app... more Hidden Markov models (HMM) have been an important analysis framework in many computer science applications. The estimation of the HMM parameters is crucial as regards the performance of the whole HMM. Generally, HMM parameters estimation is performed with iterative algorithm like the Baum-Welch method, or gradient based methods. The advantage of the iterative algorithms is their computational efficiency. The disadvantage is that their performance depend on the initial value of the parameters and thus they usually yield to local optimum parameter values. In this paper, a Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used to compute optimized HMM parameters. The algorithm has been implemented on a GPU to face the high demand of computational resources of GA. We used this optimized computation of HMM parameters in a process workload classification, and we made experimental assessment and analysis via using the well-known SPEC-2006 benchmarks. The obtained classification accuracy is significantly better th...

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Research paper thumbnail of Comparing the perception of 'sense of presence' between a stereo mix and a binaural mix in immersive music

Journal of The Audio Engineering Society, 2020

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Research paper thumbnail of Validation of a Simulator Set Up Entirely in an Academic Setting: Low-Cost Surgical Trainer Rather than High-Cost Videogame

Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, 2018

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Research paper thumbnail of Fondamenti Ontologici per la Classificazione Tassonomica di Oggetti per l’Apprendimento

... Si precisa inoltre che il target di utenti potrebbe al limite non essere espresso esplicitame... more ... Si precisa inoltre che il target di utenti potrebbe al limite non essere espresso esplicitamente o ben determinato e in tal caso ... Bibliografia Adorni, G.; Battigelli, S.; Brondo, D.; Capuano, N.; Coccoli, M.; Miranda, S.; Orciuoli, F.; Stanganelli, L.; Sugliano, AM; Vivanet, G. (2010). ...

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Research paper thumbnail of Star Words Re-Generated: Gamification and GenAI for Effective Training

International journal of emerging technologies in learning/International journal: emerging technologies in learning, Apr 24, 2024

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Research paper thumbnail of Prerequisite Graph Extraction from Lectures

Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 2022

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Research paper thumbnail of Human action recognition using an image-based temporal and spatial representation

2020 12th International Congress on Ultra Modern Telecommunications and Control Systems and Workshops (ICUMT)

Researchers have been using different technological solutions (platforms) as intervention tools w... more Researchers have been using different technological solutions (platforms) as intervention tools with children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who typically present difficulties in engaging and interacting with their peers. Social robots, one example of these technological solutions, are often unaware of their game partners, preventing the automatic adaptation of their behaviour to the user. Therefore, enriching the interaction between the user and the platform, lightening up the cognitive burden on the human operator, may be a valuable contribution. An information that can be used to enrich this interaction and, consequently, adapt the system behaviour is the recognition of different actions of the user through skeleton pose data from depth sensors. The present work proposes a method to automatically detect in real-time typical and stereotypical actions of children with ASD by using the Intel RealSense and the Nuitrack SDK to detect and extract the user joints coordinates. A Convolution Neural Network learning model trained on the different actions is used to classify the different patterns of behaviour. The model achieved an average accuracy of 92.6±0.5% on the test data. The entire pipeline runs on average at 31 FPS.

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of A Proposal for a Virtual Reality Method in Language Learning

EDULEARN Proceedings

The paper presents a new method for the use of extended reality (XR) technologies in education, p... more The paper presents a new method for the use of extended reality (XR) technologies in education, particularly in language learning. The authors realized a prototype of XR environment for distance learning of French language, via the software Unreal Engine 4. It deploys two types of VR activities, with the aim to improve understanding of grammatical concepts and memorization of new words, respectively. The dimension of depth is embedded into the learning process, by exploiting the kinesthetic aspects of the immersive environment. Thus, the learner moves in space and manipulates specific virtual objects involved in the learning activity to complete the task. A qualitative assessment has been conducted with a limited number of target students and now is currently under a wider experimental validation. However, the article introduces also the theoretical aspects of the new method, paving the way for further development.

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Research paper thumbnail of A Lesson Learned About Gamification and Engagement in a Master Degree Course

ICERI2018 Proceedings

The gamification techniques and technologies are a consolidated reality in industrial and educati... more The gamification techniques and technologies are a consolidated reality in industrial and educational contexts. Using gamification in higher education to improve student engagement has been experimented in the last years. With respect to the current literature, the &quot;pointsification&quot; technique is the easier way to construct experiences apparently similar to gamification instead they are not the right way to intend it, rather, they are a reason to criticize its real effectiveness. The compelling gamification need a lot of work, and it is not obvious that everyone has time to construct a narrative or a gamified system to attend at the specific need. Furthermore, in a degree course is not so simple, reducing the importance of traditional mandatory assessments using &quot;mark-grade-badge&quot; triade, to have compelled student and learn specific skill without a precise scope. In this paper we analyze the most important elements of student engagement, and we describe a two-years experience made in a course on Virtual Reality within a Msc curriculum in Digital Humanities. In this course we construct a compelling educational experience using a tv series theme (namely the 1st season of the Netflix Stranger Things tv-series and 1st season of the HBO WestWorld tv-series) as the gamification principle of inclusion and participation to improve the learning of skills and motivation. The gamification slogan was &quot;When the student are not only student, but the Cast of a TV show&quot;. Each course activity-both participation (lectures, seminars, readings, etc.) and tasks (homeworks, exercises in the lab, team working, individual presentations) was rewarded according to the course and TV-serie schedules, in order to produce each week a dynamic adjustment of the cast, from the main roles to the guest stars. Finally, we analysed the reactions of the participants by means of interviews, presence detection and active participation, to get how much this approach affect the motivation of students and it helps them in a better way of learning. Some preliminary promising results will be shown in the paper, even if the evaluation of the learning effectiveness is still an open issue.

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Research paper thumbnail of How to Prepare High-Level Massive Online Open Courses for the Metaverse: Tools and Needs

IEEE ICEIB 2023

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Research paper thumbnail of Puzzle Battle 2.0: A Revisited Serious Game in VR During Pandemic’s Period

Lecture Notes in Computer Science

Puzzle Battle 2.0 is a Serious Game in Virtual Reality created within the 3D Lab Factory. It is t... more Puzzle Battle 2.0 is a Serious Game in Virtual Reality created within the 3D Lab Factory. It is the second version of puzzle game created in 2017 to teach art history. The goal was to complete all the proposed paintings to collect them in a personal museum. The COVID-19 epidemic has generated an increase in the earnings of the videogame sector but also brought many experiences designed to be enjoyed in specific places to be unusable. This article proposes a redesign of the original project to make available even at a distance an experience that until now had only been used in a VR Corner. © 2021, Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

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Research paper thumbnail of Esercizio di Knowledge society: insegnare e imparare nell’ambiente di apprendimento EifFE-L

DIDAMATICA 2006, 2006

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of PP-OMDS: An Effective and Efficient Framework for Supporting Privacy-Preserving OLAP-based Monitoring of Data Streams

Proceedings of the 20th International Conference on Enterprise Information Systems

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of EifFE-L: e-learning experiences with the platform of the University of Genoa

SIE-L 2005, 2005

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Research paper thumbnail of Analisi e progettazione di un ambiente user-friendly per la realizzazione di oggetti didattici fruibili in rete

IV Congresso della Società Italiana di eLearning, 2007

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Online Peer Instruction on Moodle to Foster Students’ Engagement at the Time of COVID-19 Pandemic

IEEE Transactions on Education, 2022

Contribution: This article shows that peer instruction can be applied synchronously and effective... more Contribution: This article shows that peer instruction can be applied synchronously and effectively to a distance learning course, using the learning platform Moodle together with a videoconferencing tool. Background: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all global education has been shifted from face-to-face to distance learning. While the debate on the effectiveness of active learning alternatives to the traditional lectures was still going on, the teachers found themselves facing a further difficulty: how to engage the students in a totally online learning process, where personal contact is completely lacking. The authors found the answer in the online application of peer instruction. Intended Outcomes: The use of online peer instruction (OPI) is expected to engage all the students attending the online lectures in an active learning process, improving their understanding of the topics covered at the same time. Application Design: The use of Moodle has made it possible to bring the peer instruction method online. The appropriate setup of Moodle's Choice and Workshop activities was sufficient to manage the whole process from a technical standpoint, with the teacher managing the communication aspect, via the videoconferencing tool used to give the lectures. Findings: The application of OPI engaged all the students in the online lectures and proved to be effective in improving students' understanding of the topics covered.

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Research paper thumbnail of Autonomous Navigation Using a Reactive Agent

Springer Verlag Germany:Tiergartenstrasse 17, D 69121 Heidelberg Germany:011 49 6221 3450, EMAIL: g.braun@springer.de, INTERNET: http://www.springer.de, Fax: 011 49 6221 345229, 1997

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Research paper thumbnail of Lessons learned about language learning and extended reality frameworks

<jats:p>"The knowledge of a second language is an obligation in educational systems of... more <jats:p>"The knowledge of a second language is an obligation in educational systems of the European Community for many years and the quality of teaching and learning, especially in Italy, could be largely improved for a better outcome. Methods like Game-based Learning and Gamification could improve and change this outcome, combined with new tools used as educational technology in an immersive context. This paper presents some lessons learned from the adoption of VR / AR within two applications related to language learning. In this context, being immersed in an engaging and fun simulated situation is a good way to practice language conversations. In the last few years the great clamor of new VR / AR devices (HMD, controller, tracker) promotes the creation of new frameworks of extended reality for language learning."</jats:p>

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Research paper thumbnail of Advanced ECHMM-Based Machine Learning Tools for Complex Big Data Applications

2017 16th IEEE International Conference on Machine Learning and Applications (ICMLA), 2017

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of A Magnetic Transducer for the Detection of the Fetal Engagement Level in Part-Task Trainers

IEEE Access, 2020

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of GPU-Aware Genetic Estimation of Hidden Markov Models for Workload Classification Problems

2016 IEEE 40th Annual Computer Software and Applications Conference (COMPSAC), 2016

Hidden Markov models (HMM) have been an important analysis framework in many computer science app... more Hidden Markov models (HMM) have been an important analysis framework in many computer science applications. The estimation of the HMM parameters is crucial as regards the performance of the whole HMM. Generally, HMM parameters estimation is performed with iterative algorithm like the Baum-Welch method, or gradient based methods. The advantage of the iterative algorithms is their computational efficiency. The disadvantage is that their performance depend on the initial value of the parameters and thus they usually yield to local optimum parameter values. In this paper, a Genetic Algorithm (GA) is used to compute optimized HMM parameters. The algorithm has been implemented on a GPU to face the high demand of computational resources of GA. We used this optimized computation of HMM parameters in a process workload classification, and we made experimental assessment and analysis via using the well-known SPEC-2006 benchmarks. The obtained classification accuracy is significantly better th...

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Comparing the perception of 'sense of presence' between a stereo mix and a binaural mix in immersive music

Journal of The Audio Engineering Society, 2020

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Validation of a Simulator Set Up Entirely in an Academic Setting: Low-Cost Surgical Trainer Rather than High-Cost Videogame

Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research, 2018

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Fondamenti Ontologici per la Classificazione Tassonomica di Oggetti per l’Apprendimento

... Si precisa inoltre che il target di utenti potrebbe al limite non essere espresso esplicitame... more ... Si precisa inoltre che il target di utenti potrebbe al limite non essere espresso esplicitamente o ben determinato e in tal caso ... Bibliografia Adorni, G.; Battigelli, S.; Brondo, D.; Capuano, N.; Coccoli, M.; Miranda, S.; Orciuoli, F.; Stanganelli, L.; Sugliano, AM; Vivanet, G. (2010). ...

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