Semantic technologies and learning (original) (raw)
Collaborative Problem-based Learning: An Analysis of Problem-Solving Skills in Vocational Schools
IJORER : International Journal of Recent Educational Research
This study aims to analyze the effect of using Collaborative Problem-Based Learning (CPBL) on students' problem-solving skills. This study used a 2x2 factorial design, in which the selection of experimental and control groups was determined with convenience sampling. The data analysis technique of this research is divided into two types, namely the prerequisite analysis test and hypothesis testing. The findings of this study concluded that students who studied with CPBL had significantly higher problem-solving skills than students who studied with Direct Instruction (DI). In addition, high problem-solving skills were generally owned by students with high initial skills. Meanwhile, the complete the results of the hypothesis test this study also showed a significant interaction between the learning model and initial skills on students' problem-solving skills in internal combustion motor competences. This shows that the selection of the right learning model is needed according ...
Subjective Well-Being, Test Anxiety, Academic Achievement: Testing for Reciprocal Effects
Frontiers in Psychology, 2016
In the context of adolescents' subjective well-being (SWB), research has recently focused on a number of different school variables. The direction of the relationships between adolescents' SWB, academic achievement, and test anxiety is, however, still open although reciprocal causation has been hypothesized. The present study set out to investigate to what extent SWB, academic achievement, and test anxiety influence each other over time. A sample of N = 290 11th grade students (n = 138 female; age: M = 16.54 years, SD = 0.57) completed measures of SWB and test anxiety in the time span of 1 year. Grade point average (GPA) indicated students' academic achievement. We analyzed the reciprocal relations using cross-lagged structural equation modeling. The model fit was satisfactory for all computed models. Results indicated that the worry component of test anxiety negatively and GPA positively predicted changes in the cognitive component of SWB (life satisfaction). Worry also negatively predicted changes in the affective component of SWB. Moreover, worry negatively predicted changes in students' GPA. Directions for future research and the differential predictive influences of academic achievement and test anxiety on adolescents' SWB are discussed with regard to potential underlying processes.
Hybrid e-TextBooks as comprehensive interactive learning environments
Interactive Learning Environments
Nowadays, many teachers use e-TextBooks in smart classrooms, having specific expectations regarding e-TextBooks' functionalities. Need-Why you Advanced functionalities of an e-TextBook make it possible to act as an Interactive Learning Environment in smart classrooms that facilitates the teaching process. Task-Why me In this paper, we propose the novel concept of an EPUB 3-based Hybrid e-TextBook, a comprehensive ILE that meets the needs of twenty-first century teachers in smart classrooms. Object-Why document To that end, we map teachers' expectations of e-TextBook with functionalities of e-TextBooks as ILEs. Next we co-design an e-TextBook with teachers. Finally, we develop the EPUB 3-based Hybrid e-TextBook that connects learning content to smart devices in classrooms. We used semantic web techniques (e.g., Hybrid e-TextBook ontology, content annotations) Findings-me The evaluation results reveal that our proposed Hybrid e-TextBook is a comprehensive ILE that provide required teaching tools for teachers in smart classrooms. Conclusion-you Furthermore, the experts' observations together with the rate of students' motivation (81.1%) learning using our e-TextBook show an effective impact on the cognitive and motivational aspects of the desired learning outcomes.
An Educational Project Based on a Digital Library of Filmed Courses
2021
In this paper we describe the experience developed around OpenFING, a project based on a digital library of filmed courses. We highlight OpenFING as an initiative of students for students that has obtained the support of the Facultad de Ingeniería de la Universidad de la República (Uruguay). Currently, OpenFING seeks its consolidation along with an undergraduate course of initiation to audiovisual and multimedia production. The project aims to be an engine to develop educational innovations and different computer tools to support teaching and learning.
Distance Education During COVID-19 Pandemic: A College of Pharmacy Experience
Risk Management and Healthcare Policy, 2021
Purpose This study aimed at describing the experience of academic staff and students with distance education, during the COVID-19 pandemic, at a college of pharmacy in Saudi Arabia. Methods This study used a mixed-method approach. The first phase implemented a survey that targeted both academic staff and students to evaluate their experiences with distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then, a focus group discussion was conducted to explore, in-depth, their experience. The survey consisted of five domains as follows: readiness for the shift to distance education during the full and partial lockdown, perception towards distance education, barriers against distance education, and the acquisitions due to distance education. A five-point Likert scale was used to assess participants’ responses to the different domains (mean score ± standard deviation). Results Seventy-eight percent of the academic staff and 65% of the students responded to the survey. Participants’ views were p...
Advances in Educational Technologies and Instructional Design
The chapter initially presents styles and types of education, clarifying the differences between differentiation, individualisation and personalisation. To implement personalised learning the learning paradigm must be adopted. According to research we can distinguish different types: e-learning, i-learning, mlearning and u-learning. Many organizations have developed a virtual learning environment (VLE) as a supplement to the traditional type of education. So the existing VLE should be adjusted to a personal learning environment (PLE) that places the focus on the appropriation of different tools and resources by the learner, whereby the learner is situated within a social context which influences the way in which they use media, participate in activities and engage in communities. Finally, a checklist with criteria has been used to weigh the quality of personalised learning courses. This work was realized in the context of the "School on the Cloud" Project.
2020
MT literacy means knowing how MT works, how the technology can be useful in a particular context, and what the implications are of using it for various purposes. As MT usage grows, the necessity for MT literacy also grows. This knowledge forms part of the greater need for digital literacies. In this contribution, we relate MT literacy to the concept of cognitive load in professional translation production and in translator training scenarios. We then move beyond the sphere of translation studies to examine other use-case settings—crisis communication, academic writing and patent publishing—to consider how MT can offer solutions and how MT literacy can impact cognitively in those settings. We discuss how training in MT literacy can empower language professionals and present two proposals for course content designed for MT users in other sectors.
Neonatal Imitation: Theory, Experimental Design, and Significance for the Field of Social Cognition
Frontiers in psychology, 2017
Neonatal imitation has rich implications for neuroscience, developmental psychology, and social cognition, but there is little consensus about this phenomenon. The primary empirical question, whether or not neonatal imitation exists, is not settled. Is it possible to give a balanced evaluation of the theories and methodologies at stake so as to facilitate real progress with respect to the primary empirical question? In this paper, we address this question. We present the operational definition of differential imitation and discuss why it is important to keep it in mind. The operational definition indicates that neonatal imitation may not look like prototypical imitation and sets non-obvious requirements on what can count as evidence for imitation. We also examine the principal explanations for the extant findings and argue that two theories, the arousal hypothesis and the Association by Similarity Theory, which interprets neonatal imitation as differential induction of spontaneous b...
Exploring Cognitive Processes of Knowledge Acquisition to Upgrade Academic Practices
Frontiers in Psychology, 2022
The development of cognitive functions follows certain pathways through brain maturation. Concepts taught at school can be reinforced by understanding the related cognitive functions that enhance learning. The cultural and social diversities faced by the education system worldwide can be solved by understanding the unifying cognitive processes of learning. This knowledge can be effectively used to devise better curriculum and training for students. Cognition, conation, and emotional regulation are the main components that determine an individual's efficiency to deal with various situations. How the brain receives input, perceives, and organizes these information lays the foundation for learning. The objectives of the study were (i) to explore agegroup specific inputs for knowledge acquisition, (ii) to relate knowledge organization to the cognitive processes, and (iii) to identify factors that strengthen the knowledge ensemble through subject-domain allied training. The review focused on studies related to elementary school age (below 7 years), middle school age (7-12 years), and high school age (12 years and above). Published journal articles related to the objectives were randomly reviewed to establish a possible relationship. The findings of this review can help to advance student learning practices and instructional strategies. The findings are listed below. (i) Acquisition of knowledge during early childhood is based on sensory-motor integration on which attentional, perceptual, memory, language, and socialization systems develop. As brain development progresses toward adolescence, meta-awareness and social-emotional cognition influence the student learning process. (ii) Knowledge representations can be strengthened by domainspecific training inputs. (iii) Associational integration of the developmental, cognitive, and conative processes are indicators of curriculum strength. (iv) The strengthening of cognitive processes by rerouting through complementary neural circuitry, such as music, arts, real-life-based experiments, and physical exercises, is an effective way to improve child-friendly instructions.
On the quantum principles of cognitive learning
Behavioral and Brain Sciences, 2013
Pothos & Busemeyer's (P&B's) query about whether quantum probability can provide a foundation for the cognitive modeling embodies so many underlying implications that the subject is far from exhausted. In this brief commentary, however, I suggest that the conceptual thresholds of the meaningful learning give rise to a typical Boltzmann's weighting measure, which indicates astatistical verisimilitudeof quantum behavior in the human cognitive ensemble.
How Does Trust Relate to Faith?
Canadian Journal of Philosophy
How does trust relate to faith? We do not know of a theory-neutral way to answer our question. So, we begin with what we regard as a plausible theory of faith according to which, in slogan form, faith is resilient reliance. Next, we turn to contemporary theories of trust. They are not of one voice. Still, we can use them to indicate ways in which trust and faith might both differ from and resemble each other. This is what we do. Along the way, we evaluate substantive issues related to these possible differences and similarities.
Healthcare
Academic motivation is an important construct for university students, associated with student wellbeing and academic performance. Students who are motivated tend to feel and perform well. Self-compassion, that is kindness and understanding towards oneself in difficult times, and resilience, an ability to bounce back from difficulties, are also associated with student wellbeing and academic achievement. However, how these variables are related to each other has not been evaluated in Indonesian university students. Indonesian higher education has rapidly developed, focusing on student achievement while their wellbeing suffers. Understanding how academic motivation is linked with self-compassion and resilience can inform an effective way to augment their motivation. Accordingly, this cross-sectional study evaluated the relationship among these three variables. An opportunity sample of 156 students in Indonesia completed measures about those three constructs. Correlation, regression an...
Philosophical Psychology
One major challenge of the 21st century is the increasingly rapid development of new technologies and their evaluation. In this article we argue for an interdisciplinary approach to meet this demand for evaluating new and specifically bioinspired technologies. We combine the consideration of normative principles in the field of ethics with psychological-empirical research on attitudes. In doing so, the paper has a twofold concern: first, we discuss how such an interdisciplinary collaboration can be implemented by using the method of Cognitive-Affective Mapping. Cognitive-Affective Maps (CAMs) enable a graphical representation of attitudes, including cognitive and affective aspects. Second, we argue that CAMs can be helpful to remedy the deficits of traditional ethical approaches. We applied CAMs in the context of an ethics seminar in which students were instructed to create CAMs based on bioinspired technologies twice – prior to the seminar to assess their evaluation on bioinspired technologies per se (pre-assessment) and after the seminar to assess how their evaluation might have changed and especially which normative ethical principles might have been additionally considered (post-assessment). As could be shown, CAMs can visualize the students’ attitudes, including the valence of ethical principles. Further, com- paring pre- and post-CAMs indicated students’ attitude change.
Formation Control for a Fleet of Autonomous Ground Vehicles: A Survey
Robotics, 2018
Autonomous/unmanned driving is the major state-of-the-art step that has a potential to fundamentally transform the mobility of individuals and goods. At present, most of the developments target standalone autonomous vehicles, which can sense the surroundings and control the vehicle based on this perception, with limited or no driver intervention. This paper focuses on the next step in autonomous vehicle research, which is the collaboration between autonomous vehicles, mainly vehicle formation control or vehicle platooning. To gain a deeper understanding in this area, a large number of the existing published papers have been reviewed systemically. In other words, many distributed and decentralized approaches of vehicle formation control are studied and their implementations are discussed. Finally, both technical and implementation challenges for formation control are summarized.
Teachers’ perceptions of learner engagement in L2 classroom task-based interaction
The Language Learning Journal, 2019
This study explored teachers' perceptions of learner engagement in L2 task-based interaction. Fifty-four pre-and in-service ESL/EFL teachers with different L1 backgrounds and L2 teaching experiences were asked to define and rate learner engagement in two learnerlearner interactions. The results revealed three major indicators that the teachers relied on in order to evaluate learner engagement. They included learners' level of deep thinking and attention to their partner's ideas, amount of content production, and level of interactiveness (e.g., amount of interaction and assistance). Only a small number of participants relied on learners' enthusiasm and positive attitudes in interaction, perceived as emotional engagement, to judge the learner engagement level. The results are discussed in terms of similarities and differences between L2 teachers and researchers in conceptualising the construct of learner engagement. The study also provides pedagogical implications regarding assessing learner engagement when implementing classroom peer interaction and suggests guidelines for promoting teachers' generation of L2 theories in teacher education courses.
Toward a taxonomy of adaptivity for learning
Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 2020
Adaptive learning and personalization have long been of great interest to learning designers and educators, and recent technological advances that have opened up a range of new possibilities for adaptivity. However, we lack clear definitions of the terms adaptivity and personalization, and the theoretical and empirical soundness of implementations of corresponding systems varies greatly. We therefore first provide definitions for key concepts related to adaptivity. We then discuss what variable systems should adapt for, how these variables can be measured, and what modifications to the learner experience can be made based on these variables. We propose a taxonomy of adaptivity that distinguishes adaptivity based on cognitive, emotional, motivational, and social/cultural variables, and that defines types of adaptivity at a macro-level and a micro-level.
Education, ICT, Teleconferencing, Networking and E-Learning
Digital Policy Studies
This paper seeks to examine Education, ICT, Teleconferencing, Networking And E-Learning with a specific focus on of Zimbabwe. The paper was based on qualitative research techniques. Challenges faced by women in their business in Zimbabwe were closure of business, exposure to rape, violence and robbery, financial losses, drop in their revenue, reduced remittances, reduced demand of goods and services, obstacles in logistics and shipping of products, challenges of acquiring raw materials, reduced worker productivity as well as technological challenges in the form of (limited e-banking and teleconferencing opportunities, huge data costs and lack of required technology. In terms of the effects of e-learning to women and girls in accessing education in Zimbabwe it was realised that, girls and women enjoyed benefits such as to exposure to online learning, reduced walking distances, exposure to educational opportunities such as scholarships. However, there were also adverse effects and the...
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health
Aims: This study aimed to describe and understand the individual and social dimensions of resiliency among Iranian academics as professionals during the early wave of the ongoing pandemic. Furthermore, we aimed to emphasize the cultural context in our analysis. Method: A cross-sectional survey design was adopted. We used convenient sampling, administered through an online survey, among academics at Iranian universities (n = 196, 75% women). We employed the CD-RISC 2 instrument, items on life meaning, and a modified version of Pargament’s RCOPE instrument (Meaning, Control, Comfort/Spirituality, Intimacy/Spirituality, and Life Transformation). Results: The results revealed a strong level of resilience among men (M = 5.78) and women (M = 5.52). Self-rated health was rated as excellent, very good, or good among a majority (92%) of the participants, more so among men. Family was one of the factors that most strongly gave life meaning, followed by friends, work/school, and religion/spiri...
Virtual Reality and Spatial Augmented Reality for Social Inclusion: The “Includiamoci” Project
Information
Extended Reality (XR) technology represents an innovative tool to address the challenges of the present, as it allows for experimentation with new solutions in terms of content creation and its fruition by different types of users. The potential to modulate the experience based on the target audience’s needs and the project’s objectives makes XR suitable for creating new accessibility solutions. The “Includiamoci” project was carried out with the aim of creating workshops on social inclusion through the combination of art and technology. Specifically, the experimentation involved ten young people between the ages of 28 and 50, with cognitive disabilities, who participated in Extended Reality workshops and Art Therapy workshops. In the course of these activities, the outputs obtained were two: a virtual museum, populated by the participants’ works, and a digital set design for a theatrical performance. Through two tests, one on user experience (UX) and one on the degree of well-being...
Multimodal Technologies and Interaction
This study attempted to model the stag and hare hunting behaviors of students using their interaction data in a mobile computer-supported collaborative learning application for Grade 5 mathematics. Twenty-five male and 12 female Grade 5 students with an average age of 10.5 years participated in this study. Stag hunters are more likely to display personality dimensions characterized by Openness while students belonging to hare hunters display personality dimensions characterized by Extraversion and Neuroticism. Students who display personality dimensions characterized by Agreeableness and Conscientiousness may tend to be either hare or stag hunters, depending on the difficulty, types of arithmetic problems solved, and the amount of time spent solving arithmetic problems. Students engaged in a stag hunting behavior performed poorly in mathematics. Decision tree modeling and lag sequential analysis revealed that stag and hare hunting behaviors could be identified based on personality d...
The stability of mathematics students’ beliefs about working with CAS
Mathematics Education Research Journal
In Victoria, Australia, senior secondary mathematics students are expected to use technology and thus need to make decisions about using pen-and-paper (P&P) or technology when solving mathematics problems. The predominant technology is a Computer Algebra System (CAS). This study investigated the beliefs about CAS held by twelve Year 11 students as they learnt to use CAS and whether these beliefs were stable over time. These students held a range of beliefs related to the usefulness of CAS, speed of CAS compared to P&P, whether CAS is proper mathematics, choice of CAS or P&P, ease of use, the correctness of answers and solving problems in Mathematical Methods (i.e. the mathematics subject studied). Beliefs are often described as being stable (e.g. McLeod, 1992), but some researchers stress stability needs to be determined empirically rather than being seen as a characteristic of beliefs (e.g. Liljedahl et al., 2012). For this sample of students, stability (rather than instability) is...
Frontiers in Psychology
This study examines the influence of the COVID-19 crisis on academic expectations among international students from north-western China. According to past studies, academic expectations are multifaceted, making it critical to test the methods employed to assess this fundamental trait. The outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in various significant changes in education, which have shifted from traditional to online or mixed formats. As a result, examining international students' academic expectations along with their interactions with adopted technologies is a topic that addresses the current situation and issues. A mixed approach, comprising two different instruments (questionnaire and interview), was followed to achieve this primary objective. While a survey with a questionnaire was undertaken with 551 international students, divided into two groups, ten students were interviewed during and after the lockdowns. The findings revealed that COVID-19 had a significant impact on the ac...
Innovare Journal of Education
This study investigated mathematics teachers’ understanding and practices of learner-centered teaching (LCT) in junior secondary schools within Katima Circuit in the Zambezi Region of Namibia. A qualitative study method was used and purposeful sampling procedures were used to select participants. Research instruments included open-ended interviews and recordings from twenty mathematics teachers in selected junior secondary schools in the Zambezi Region. Results of the study indicate that teachers understand the concepts of LCT and have adequate training and knowledge on the benefits and teaching approach in LCT due to the inclusion of the LCT methods in teacher education and other training workshops. However, the study also found that most mathematics teachers use only cooperative learning during teaching and learning mathematics. The study also identified significant challenges teachers face in implementing LCT, including overcrowded classrooms, lack of resources, and learners’ lac...
Open and distance learning in social work programme: a study of MSW learners of India
Asian Association of Open Universities Journal, 2020
PurposeThe paper reports the feedback collected from students of the Master of Social Work (MSW) Programme of the School of Social Work (SOSW), Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU), through open and distance learning (ODL), in India. The paper discusses findings related to learner profile, student support services, assignments, academic counselling, fieldwork, audio/video/teleconferencing facilities, Internet access and challenges faced by the learners. The findings will be useful for researchers and practitioners, will help in improving the overall quality of the programme, in designing the delivery mechanism as per the needs of MSW learners and in preparing them to be trained professionals to work in social development sector in India.Design/methodology/approachFor data collection, a questionnaire was prepared and sent to all the students of the MSW programme along with assignment, across India. Responses from 290 students were voluntarily received.FindingsThe research f...
Handbook of Research on Strategic Management of Interaction, Presence, and Participation in Online Courses, 2016
Effective online instruction requires understanding not only interaction but also how to facilitate interaction through technology (Moore & Kearsley, 2012). Specifically, Moore and Kearsley (2012) categorize these types of interactions as “learner with content, interaction with instruction [or] interaction with other learners” (p. 132). This chapter examines each of these interaction types and suggests ways to incorporate them into online learning environments (OLEs). The chapter provides techniques and approaches that will be beneficial to both instructional design practitioners and online instructors. It seeks to assuage some of the concerns that faculty have about OLEs and provides ideas and activities that can be implemented by course designers or instructors in OLE projects.
Teachers’ Beliefs and Their Influence on Math Instructions for Gifted English Learners
Education Sciences
The dynamic interplay between teachers’ beliefs and practices significantly impact the quality of instruction and the trajectory of talent development in young students. This case study explores the beliefs and practices of two elementary teachers instructing gifted ELs in mathematics. The constant comparison method was used to analyze data collected from classroom observations, semi-structured interviews, and field notes. Three factors were found to affect the (in)consistency between teachers’ expressed beliefs and observed practices: compatibility among core and peripheral beliefs, knowledge about evidence-based practices, and classroom management skills. Students exhibit higher levels of participation, communication, and engagement in critical thinking skills when their teacher embraces constructive perspectives in teaching mathematics, demonstrates pedagogical expertise, and employs a proactive classroom management approach. Conversely, students encounter restricted opportunitie...
Symmetry
In this research, we investigate a resistor capacitor electric circuit that exhibits an exponentially decaying transient response. Due to uncertainty in the precise capacitance value, we treat the capacitance as a continuous uniformly distributed random variable. Using this approach, we derive the desired transient current response of the circuit as a function of the capacitance. Subsequently, we develop a probability model for the response current, expressed in terms of probability density function and cumulative distribution function. The model’s validity and correctness are verified, and it is further utilized for probabilistic analysis of the transient current. We demonstrate the application of the model for determining the probability of the transient current response reaching a specific value. By following the same procedure used to derive the probability model of the transient current, probability distributions for other circuit parameters, such as voltages and currents, can ...
Languages
Developing intercultural competence (IC) through foreign language is believed to lead to rejecting prejudices and stereotypes and fostering bilingualism and biculturalism. Despite the growth of publications on technologies and IC, a significant gap exists between what is known (evidence) and what is done (practice) at the levels of decision making and course design. This scoping review, guided by the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines, is conducted to systematically map peer-reviewed literature, taking a longitudinal perspective to update the existing reviews, identify knowledge gaps, and provide a new conclusion to the topic investigated. A transparent, replicable review protocol was designed a priori. A formal Advisory Group was established to incorporate various perspectives and ensure the applicability of the review findings. The main findings suggest that the concept of IC is not uniformly defined across the studies examined, and the development and dynamic nature ...
The Gender-Specific Role of Social Relationships for School Well-Being in Primary School
Zeitschrift für Psychologie
Since learning at school is always embedded in a social context, students' social relationships are considered key variables for their school well-being. But especially studies at the primary school level that examine gender-specific linkages between students' relationships with peers and teachers and components of their school well-being are lacking. Therefore, a longitudinal study with 351 primary school students was conducted. Girls indicated a better relationship with their teacher, a more positive attitude toward school, and predominantly more beneficial achievement emotions than boys. Manifest multi-group path models suggest that students' perceived teacher-studentrelationship seems to predict their attitude toward school for both genders positively, while its' connections with particular achievement emotions differ between boys and girls. Student-student-relationships in the sense of comfortableness among classmates showed beneficial connections with positive emotions for girls and negative links with unpleasant emotions for boys. The results suggest that linkages between different social relationships and various dimensions of school well-being are gender-specific and should be considered in their broad variety both in research and instructional practice.
Communications in Computer and Information Science, 2021
Instructional efficiency within education is a measurable concept and models have been proposed to assess it. The main assumption behind these models is that efficiency is the capacity to achieve established goals at the minimal expense of resources. This article challenges this assumption by contributing to the body of Knowledge with a novel model that is grounded on ideal mental workload and performance, namely the parabolic model of instructional efficiency. A comparative empirical investigation has been constructed to demonstrate the potential of this model for instructional design evaluation. Evidence demonstrated that this model achieved a good concurrent validity with the well-known likelihood model of instructional efficiency, treated as baseline, but a better discriminant validity for the evaluation of the training and learning phases. Additionally, the inferences produced by this novel model have led to a superior information gain when compared to the baseline.
Frontiers in Robotics and AI, 2021
This paper proposes a new decision-making framework in the context of Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC). State-of-the-art techniques consider the HRC as an optimization problem in which the utility function, also called reward function, is defined to accomplish the task regardless of how well the interaction is performed. When the performance metrics are considered, they cannot be easily changed within the same framework. In contrast, our decision-making framework can easily handle the change of the performance metrics from one case scenario to another. Our method treats HRC as a constrained optimization problem where the utility function is split into two main parts. Firstly, a constraint defines how to accomplish the task. Secondly, a reward evaluates the performance of the collaboration, which is the only part that is modified when changing the performance metrics. It gives control over the way the interaction unfolds, and it also guarantees the adaptation of the robot actions to t...
The Thermodynamic Cost of Fast Thought
Minds and Machines, 2013
After more than sixty years, Shannon's research continues to raise fundamental questions, such as the one formulated by R. Luce, which is still unanswered: "Why is information theory not very applicable to psychological problems, despite apparent similarities of concepts?" On this topic, S. Pinker, one of the foremost defenders of the widespread computational theory of mind, has argued that thought is simply a type of computation, and that the gap between human cognition and computational models may be illusory. In this context, in his latest book, titled Thinking Fast and Slow, D. Kahneman provides further theoretical interpretation by differentiating the two assumed systems of the cognitive functioning of the human mind. He calls them intuition (system 1) determined to be an associative (automatic, fast and perceptual) machine, and reasoning (system 2) required to be voluntary and to operate logical-deductively. In this paper, we propose a mathematical approach inspired by Ausubel's meaningful learning theory for investigating, from the constructivist perspective, information processing in the working memory of cognizers. Specifically, a thought experiment is performed utilizing the mind of a dual-natured creature known as Maxwell's demon: a tiny "manmachine" solely equipped with the characteristics of system 1, which prevents it from reasoning. The calculation presented here shows that the Ausubelian learning schema, when inserted into the creature's memory, leads to a Shannon-Hartley-like model that, in turn, converges exactly to the fundamental thermodynamic principle of computation, known as the Landauer limit. This result indicates that when the system 2 is shut down, both an intelligent being, as well as a binary machine, incur the same minimum energy cost per unit of information (knowledge) processed (acquired), which mathematically shows the computational attribute of the system 1, as Kahneman theorized. This finding links information theory to human psychological features and opens the possibility to experimentally test the computational theory of mind by means of Landauer's energy cost, which can pave a way toward the conception of a multi-bit reasoning machine.
JMIR medical education, 2022
Background: The Do-Live-Well (DLW) framework is an occupation-focused health promotion approach. Occupational therapists (OTs) have been interested in training opportunities regarding this framework. Traditionally, in-person continuing educational interventions are the main way that OTs obtain knowledge, but web-based learning has become popular among health care professionals. However, its effectiveness and learners' experience in web-based learning have not been well-studied in occupational therapy education. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the web-based and in-person educational DLW workshops for Canadian OTs and to understand their experiences in both workshop types. Methods: An explanatory sequential mixed methods study design was used, where quantitative data were collected first, then qualitative data were used to explain the quantitative findings. A quasi-experimental design and interpretative description methodology were used in the quantitative and qualitative phases, respectively. Results: Quantitative results were as follows: a total of 43 OTs completed pre-, post-, and follow-up evaluations (in-person group: 21/43, 49%; web-based group: 22/43, 51%). Practice settings of the participants varied, including geriatric, hospital, long-term, mental health, pediatric, and primary settings. The primary outcome was as follows: there were no statistically significant differences in knowledge changes at the 3 time points (P=.57 to P=.99) between the groups. In the web-based group, the knowledge scores at follow-up were lower compared with the posttest results, meaning that knowledge gain was reduced over time (P=.001). The secondary outcomes were as follows: there were statistically significant differences between the groups in factors influencing DLW adoption at posttest (P=.001) and in satisfaction with the workshop (P<.001) at posttest in favor of the in-person group. Qualitative results were as follows: a total of 18 OTs (9/18, 50% from each group) participated in an individual interview. Five themes were identified regarding learners' workshop experiences: relevance to their practices and interests may improve learning, a familiar learning environment may facilitate learning, synchronous in-person interaction is valuable in the learning process, ease of access to learning should be considered, and flexibility in web-based learning can be both beneficial and challenging. Conclusions: The quantitative results of this study reported no difference in knowledge acquisition between the in-person and web-based groups, indicating that web-based education is as effective as in-person workshops. However, participants' satisfaction with the workshop was statistically significantly higher for the in-person workshop. The qualitative findings described the participants' perceived benefits and challenges of each educational format. The participants in both the web-based and in-person workshop groups valued in-person interactions in learning, but the participants in the web-based workshop group expressed web-based learning lacked in-person-like interactions. Thus, adding synchronous in-person interactions to web-based learning may improve learners' educational experiences in web-based occupational therapy and continuing education.
The Potential of Green Schoolyards for Healthy Child Development: A Conceptual Framework
Forests
To provide children more opportunities to interact with nature, an increasing number of schools are ‘greening’ their schoolyards by including abiotic and biotic elements such as vegetation, sand, water, logs, and stones. Although the value of these green, nature-rich schoolyards is increasingly acknowledged, research has focused on a narrow set of child development outcomes. This paper presents a conceptual framework that gives insight into the potential short- and long-term benefits of green schoolyards related to children’s physical, cognitive, social-emotional, and moral development, and the pathways through which they may occur. We argue that a green schoolyard can facilitate diverse behaviors and activities, provide sensory and embodied nature experiences, provide a restorative environment, support biodiversity, and provide a resilient environment that supports climate resilience and mitigates environmental nuisance. These five functions of green schoolyards can act as pathways...